Anglican Schools Band Festival

By Ben Marston, Director of Bands

On Thursday 5 May, the Holst Concert Band made their way to Canberra Girls Grammar to participate in the ACT Anglican Schools Band Festival. This was the second time the festival has been held, having been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID.

The primary activity of the festival was a combined rehearsal (students from Radford, Canberra Girls Grammar and Canberra Grammar) under the direction of Major Darren Cole from Royal Military College Duntroon. The three groups put together two pieces in preparation for the evening performance, and the students are to be commended on their high standard of playing. The evening concert featured individual performances by each ensemble, followed by the two combined pieces.

Our Holst Concert Band demonstrated not only a high level of musicianship but also an impressive amount of character, as they were forced to adapt to a last-minute conductor change, due to COVID isolation, with me stepping in on the day.

Many thanks to all the performers for their dedication. It is certainly great to be able to perform music in the community again after two years of restrictions.