2012 Recap

What a year it has been for the Footscray-Yarraville City Band! We have been involved in some amazing projects, both in contest and in concert.This year we were declared the 4th best brass band in the country from our participation in the Melbourne national contest. This was a great result for the band. Most notable was our excellent performance of the selected test piece, Cambridge Variations. We also showcased the ability of the band to push the boundaries of brass band repertoire, with a performance of Beyoncé in the street march!Soon to follow the nationals was the Best of British, where our collaboration with Dr. Jonathon Welch and THE CHO!R filled the Melbourne Town Hall with some of the best old and new music from the motherland. The concert was such a success that it was repeated later on in the year a few blocks away!The ball continued rolling after the first Best of British. The very next rehearsal the band knuckled down to prepare for the New Zealand national championships. Braving the cold, Footscray-Yarraville certainly showed the potential of the mob across the ditch, which was particularly evident in our rendition of the brass band classic, Harmony Music. An excellent time was had by all, and every band member refrained from making sheep jokes (A feat not to be looked over!).With no FABB contest this year, Footscray-Yarraville put on a Spring concert with the Hyde st Youth Band, the recently formed Western Brass, and many others at the newly refurbished St. John’s church in the heart of Footscray. Due to such a positive reception, there are plans to make it an annual event!Moving towards the merry end of the year, Footscray-Yarraville once again joined Jonathon Welch and 2 of his marvellous choirs for a truly festive carols evening which packed out St. Michaels in the city. The festivities continued with the annual carols in the Yarraville Gardens, playing with the Hyde st Youth Band, Western Brass, Jonathon Welch and THE CHO!R and many other special guests to 2500+ merry local folks, concluding with an amazing display of fireworks backed by the Hallelujah Chorus.With many other performances in between these, the year has certainly shaped up to be a busy time for the band. A massive thank you to all the players for their ongoing commitment, the committee for making all the important decisions for the benefit of band, to all the wonderful musicians/groups/people we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with over the year. Finally, a huge thank you on behalf of everyone to Phillipa Edwards, our esteemed musical director, whose expertise has made all of our endeavours this year possible.Looking into next year, we already have some very exciting projects in the works (to be announced soon), and several contests we are looking forward to competing in. If next year is anything like this year, we will be sure to have another solid year of fine brass band music. Keep on Scragging!