Littlehampton Concert Band offer musical celebration of spring
Conductor Bob Haselip explained: “The idea is that every one of the items that we are doing will be related to a colour or have some sort of connection with a colour.
“We have got everything from Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to all sorts of favourites. We are doing an Irish selection for green, and we are doing an American military piece called The Blue and The Grey.
“We are even doing a medley of Deep Purple!
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Hide Ad“We have tried to come up with something that appeals to everyone, but also the music is great fun to play. There is a wide selection of different styles in there that we are doing to do.”
The concert finds the band in good heart.
“We are about 50 strong. We have a bit of a waiting list on certain instruments, but generally all our desks are full.
“I joined the band when I was about 11 and did three or four years and then went away to university. When I came back to this area, they were looking for a conductor, and they tried me on a six-month basis, and I have been here ever since. That was 2003. I have been with them just over 15 years now.
“There is a good camaraderie. Having known all of them for so long, we are all very good friends and that makes it a lot of fun. We go away as well. This year we are going away to Jersey to play, and towards the end of last year, we went off to Salisbury, just for a weekend of playing.
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Hide Ad“It’s good to play elsewhere. It is always good to have a local audience, but to go away to Jersey and to play three or four concerts is great, and there is also the social life as well. It is just good to go away. It is good experience, and it also gives you a good excuse to go to the bar afterwards – not that a musician needs any excuse.”
The band is looking at a busy spring and summer ahead, but Bob likes to keep things in check: “We have got several things that we do over the summer, and we have got our birthday concert in the middle of May.
“We do all sorts of things like that, but we try not to do too many things. Some bands will go out and play every weekend, but we try to do perhaps one thing a months, so that we can keep it fresh and so that we can keep trying different music when we perform.”
Tickets for the Bognor concert are available from the Regis Centre.
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