News

Celebrating Christmas!

19th December 2012

For the first time in many years the Yorkshire Wind Orchestra performed a Christmas concert with festivities at St Margaret's Church, Ilkley on the evening of Wednesday 19th December at 7pm.

Our family friendly Christmas Concert provided an opportunity to bring the children along just a few days before Christmas to enjoy an evening of fun classical wind music and of course join in with some well known sing along carols.

A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson, Troika by Sergei Prokofiev, O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen, Nigel Hess' A Christmas Overture, Themes from the Snowman by Howard Blake and lots more Christmas inspired music, plus a selection of Christmas carols made for a special celebratory evening to finish off the Yorkshire Wind Orchestra's 2012 concert season in high spirits (or was that just the mulled wine and mince pies served in the interval?).

YWO and LYCB perform Pictures at an Exhibition

21st October 2012

The Yorkshire Wind Orchestra performed Mussorgsky's well-known orchestral work Pictures at an Exhibition together with the Leeds Youth Concert Band in an exhilarating massed bands concert on Sunday 21st October at West Park Centre, Spen Lane, Leeds.

The evening concert featuring both musical groups, followed on from an earlier workshop where players from the Leeds Youth Concert Band worked with the Yorkshire Wind Orchestra's musical director, Keiron Anderson on Shepherd's Hey! and Irish Tune from County Derry by Percy Grainger.

The programme also included music by Gustav Holst, Kenneth Hesketh, Morten Lauridsen and Malcolm Arnold and was enjoyed by a small yet appreciative audience.

The YWO would like to thank Ray Payne, Richard Kippen and the players from Leeds Youth Concert Band.

Celebrating home-grown talent!

10th June 2012

This June saw the return of our region's finest wind musicians to Square Chapel in Halifax and a rare opportunity to experience a home-grown work by a budding local composer.

Nic Mills, a final-year student at Huddersfield University, is about to embark on a Masters degree in composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He already has numerous works published and performed by groups such as Leyland Brass Band and the Swiss Army Brass Band.

To support Nic's talent, members of the Yorkshire Wind Orchestra performed his Finale from Symphony No. 1 which has already been performed by a quality wind orchestra in China. Nic is a regular percussionist with the orchestra and his work closed the concert in spectacular fashion.

"I have been with Yorkshire Wind Orchestra for 3 years and I think it is fantastic that they will be playing my Finale from Symphony No. 1 in my last concert with them before I go to the Royal Academy. It promises to be a great concert!", said Nic.

The concert also showcased other original works for winds including two contrasting works by Eric Whitacre, perhaps best known for his Virtual Choir internet collaborations. Equus is a thrilling, rhythmic show piece that runs with the wind (Equus is Latin for horse) while the Seal Lullaby was originally conceived for a classic animated film based on Kipling’s The White Seal.

Le concert des vents

24th March 2012

The Yorkshire Wind Orchestra presented their first ever French themed event at St. Margaret’s Church in Ilkley.

Le concert des vents gave the Yorkshire Wind Orchestra a chance to perform beautiful pieces of French themed wind music by some fabulous composers such as Saint-Saëns, Milhaud, Bizet, Fauré.

The interval continued the French theme with a selection of 12 different French cheeses, 4 French wines all complete with accompanying tasting notes with 4 varieties of French bread and crackers. Eagle eyed audience members will have noticed the red, white and blue napkins, balloons and the cheese and wine table set out on a French flag.

As ever, our charity raffle was successful and a big thank you to Le Bistrot Pierre, Tesco, Booths, Marks and Spencer, Martinez Wines, Co-op and MusicTag who all very kindly donated prizes.