Reading was delighted to welcome Ian Porthouse to its rehearsal home of Christ Church, Woodley on Wednesday 2nd May in preparation for the band’s forthcoming appearance at the 2018 scaba Entertainment Contest.
Ian is regarded as one of the brass band movement’s leading conductors, educators, performers and teachers. He is the Head of Brass Band Studies at Birmingham Conservatoire, conductor of the double winning British Open champions Tredegar Town Band and a former principal cornet player with the world famous Black Dyke Band.
It was therefore disappointing to learn that the organisers of the contest had cancelled the event with three weeks notice, on the Sunday ahead of the band’s rehearsal with Ian. Nonetheless, this did not take away from the enjoyment of the rehearsal and the value of the experience.
However, the band considered it important, having put a lot of time and effort into its preparations to perform its ‘entertainment’ programme for feedback from an adjudicator. As such, the band will do so in concert on Sunday 20th May in Christ Church, Woodley at 2:30pm under the pen of Iwan Fox, owner and editor of the popular online brass band magazine 4barsrest.com.
The concert will feature special guests Saint Sebastian Wokingham Band who found themselves in the same position as Reading and will see for the first time both bands joining forces for a combined band performance which will feature the rousing march ‘Imperial Echoes’.
Admission is free of charge, however, there will be a retiring collection in support of Christ Church, Woodley who will be donating monies raised to their 2018 charity, the Christian Blind Mission.
