West Suffolk Youth Music Summer Concert

Something from my list of things to do that has taken a bit of a back seat with all the lovely weather and walking, is music making and appreciation. But tonight was a chance to remedy that.

Tonight was the end of year concert for West Suffolk Youth Music. This was the last concert for Young Ms, who will, 'A' level results permitting, be heading off to University in September.

She plays first violin in the West Suffolk Youth Orchestra and, as acting deputy-leader, had the dubious honour of leading the orchestra tune-up at the start of their performance. Young Mr was also supposed to playing in the cello section, but there was a date clash with his post-GCSE School Prom party. No prizes for guessing which he chose to go to!

But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The concert started with the West Suffolk Youth Wind Band. Some thirty strong they have improved in confidence and ensemble playing a lot during the year. They regaled us with:

• Parade of the Ewoks (from Star Wars)
• The Best Years of our Lives (popularised by the movie Shrek)
• Highlights from the Lords of the Rings 
• Defying Gravity (from Wicked) and
• Happy (featured in Despicable Me 2)

All very nicely played. And, the good news is, as there is now such a strength in Wind Band playing, the Suffolk County Wind Band will be resurrected next academic year.

Then we had West Suffolk Youth Jazz. Sadly much diminished in numbers from a couple of years ago, this small group of 9, mostly quite young, musicians were hugely impressive. The solo improvisations were confident and expressive and the ensemble playing cohesive and and precise. Extremely entertaining and well appreciated by the audience. Their programme consisted of:

• Splanky (a Count Basie easy-swing piece)
• Jazzmin Tea
• The Girl From Ipanema and
• Fly Me To The Moon

Terrific!

Then, after the interval, it was the turn of the West Suffolk Youth Orchestra. They played for us:

• Farnham Festival Overture by Richard Rodney Bennet
• 3 Movements from Symphonic Dances by Edvard Grieg
• Beethoven's 5 Secrets arr. by Dominic Bozwood-Davies - (a member of the orchestra!) and
• Highlights from Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Grieg was especially well played and Dominic's piece, based on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and OneRepublic's Secrets, featuring solos from the lead violin and cellist on electric instruments, was very inventive.

Finally, they all came together to play Kwela (arr. Julian Wiggins) which, I'm told, had people dancing in the aisles.
Here they all are...

A great concert. Thank-you to all.