Villagers who attended the Celebration Brass Band’s Spring Concert, dubbed March Madness, at Laurel Manor Rec Center’s Lincoln Theater in The Villages Friday evening were feted with a selection of upbeat compositions as well as slower, mood-inspiring tunes. Throughout the program, the music reflected the typical fanfare and flourishes these British-style brass bands are famous for.
Eleven band members play the cornet, and a signature instrument is the fluglhorn. Three E-flat tenor horns, two baritone horns and three slide trombones rounded out the melodies with a euphonium and two bass tubas adding depth to the sound. Two percussionists added special effects with chimes and tympani, delivering roaring crescendos and staccato rhythms as needed.
The accomplished conductor, Jill van Syckle, boasts at 31-year career teaching instrumental music and is immersed in several other musical ensembles around The Villages and at Disney. Emcee George DelMonte introduced each composition.
The audience enjoyed British folk favorites, Scheidt’s Battle Suite, a classical prelude and fugue, and the pomp of an Olympic Fanfare theme. George Gershwin’sI Got Rhythm was beautifully orchestrated, and after a brief intermission, a series of rousing marches were played,
Believed to have originated among coal miners and factory workers in the early-to-mid 1800s in England, this unique British-style brass band tradition has spawned some 300 bands around the United States, and more than 2,000 in England, Australia and New Zealand.
Despite threatening drizzle, new Villagers, Mary & Wayne Grunewald, gathered friends and neighbors for a parking-lot tailgate party before the concert. “We wanted to make a full evening of this,” Mary said. Enjoying salads and finger foods, the group loved Wayne’s tailgate idea and quickly accepted his invitation.
