Clubs & Societies - Concert Band
Co-curricular activities welcome likeminded students and staff to nurture passions and indulge interests, forging friendships which span across classes and year groups. Our current provision is extensive, numbering at over one hundred and fifty options, with more growing each year. Each week, we seek to celebrate one of the many clubs and societies that form part of the rich fabric of Merchant Taylors’.
This week we look at Concert Band a space for creativity, dedication and fun.
Conducted by Mr Tonks, the Concert Band plays a wide range of music, including music for military bands, film music, and original compositions for the modern concert band. At full strength, the band has about fifty members, playing wind, brass, and percussion instruments. One of the highlights of the musical calendar of the past two years has been the two 'No Strings Attached' concerts, devoted entirely to music of these instruments, featuring not only Concert Band, but also Wind Band, Taylors' Brass, Saxophone Ensemble, Recorder Consort, and other groups.
At this year's concert, the Concert Band played the Second Suite for Military Band by Gustav Holst, which is notable for featuring a part for an anvil. In November 2023, the band received a silver award at the regional round of the National Concert Band Festival, testament to the skill and dedication of both conductor and players. The band is currently preparing for its performance in the Summer Serenade XXVIII, the last concert of the
