We have been very humbled by the response to our latest Joseph Rowntree concerts, which we have been told were “our best yet!”. Every year the bands of the Shepherd Group put on Gala Christmas Concerts at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York, and every year they are very successful and always sell out.

This was also the very first performance of our latest ensemble and absolute beginners, Brass Roots, who played as the audience were arriving. Brass Roots has been founded to accommodate absolute beginners in their first few months of learning and teach them the basics of notation and playing in a small-ensemble setting before entering the Academy Band.

MD Richard Wilton commented:

“I had a five year plan for when I joined the band as to where I saw the organisation going, and it has been completely blown out of the water! We now have over 150 members, 5 bands and some of the most passionate and dedicated brass players around.”

Grand Finale

Every year we conclude our concerts with a massed bands finale and every year these are getting more and more elaborate. This year we concluded with the bands playing the “Hallelujah Chorus” accompanied by the “Silent Monks of Tang Hall”….. Please check out our full video of the finale, which went down a storm with the croud!

Donation

The funds raised from these concerts are so important for the band, as they allow us to carry on progressing our youth programme, purchase new instruments, pay for extra tutors and keep our music library up-to-date. However, we are so lucky as a band that we are in such a stable financial position and we have therefore decided to donate our retiring collection to charity. Across the two nights our audiences donated a total of £516, which will be split between York Against Cancer and Brass for Africa.

We have a busy schedule for concerts for 2017, which will be available, so keep checking our Events page.