Bromley Youth Concert Band is one of the finest youth brass bands in South East London, part of the Bromley Youth Music Trust. It is made up of around 50 students aged 14 to 18 from many different schools across the region who have to pass a rigorous audition to become members of this band. The students have regular rehearsals throughout the year and perform in three concerts in and around London, touring abroad each year. They have recently visited Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, where they performed at the prestigious Kerkrade Brass Band Festival. This year they will visit the Czech Republic on their tour.

The band’s repertoire includes a wide range of musical styles, including traditional brass music and well-known contemporary pieces. Some of the band members will go on to study music at universities or music conservatories and become professional musicians.

The Bromley Youth Chamber Orchestra was formed in 1977 and is also part of the Bromley Youth Music Trust’s music education centre in London. It is made up of approximately 35 talented young string players. The orchestra prides itself on being able to tackle all the major historical works and also enjoys exploring new repertoire. Players are attracted not only by their love of music, but also by the thriving social atmosphere of the chamber orchestra and education center. Like the wind band, the chamber orchestra embarks on an annual summer tour abroad. Musicians continue to work on their development by playing in the Youth Symphony Orchestra and often in chamber groups.

A selection of the following pieces will be performed:

Scottish Dances – Malcolm Arnold, ar. Paynter
Evening Hymn and Sunset – traditional song, ar. Wiffin
Aquarium – Johan De Meij
Slavonic Dance No. 8 – Antonín Dvořák, ar. Longfield
Polka from opera The Bartered Bride – Bedřich Smetana, ar. Parks
Waldstein’s Camp – Bedřich Smetana, ar. Daehn

Bromley Youth Chamber Orchestra programme

Suite for String Orchestra – Arcangelo Corelli
Two Norwegian Airs – Edvard Hagerup Grieg
Irish Tune from County Derry – Percy Aldridge Grainger
First movement from Suite for String Orchestra – Leoš Janáček

The UK Children’s String Orchestra is led by Lucy Akehurst, a graduate of the Royal College of Music and a member of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. In her youth she was a member of several orchestras, but gradually began to find fulfilment primarily in teaching. Today she has been teaching violin, viola and chamber music for around fifty years. The Bournville Strings ensemble, under her direction, will present a selection of the most beautiful compositions, including both classical repertoire for strings and folk compositions, on a summer tour of the Czech Republic.

A selection from the programme:
Salut d’Amour – Edward Elgar
Allegro – Giuseppe Tartini
Ländler – Gustav Holst
Black and White Rag – American folk
Blackberry Blossom – American folk
The Ashgrove – folk
Polish Dance – Edmund Severn
Donkey Doodle – William Kroll

Admission is voluntary.
Voluntary admission will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Foundation.
The Alzheimer’s Foundation was established in 2011 to support research into Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative or vascular diseases of the brain that lead to cognitive impairment and dementia. Another purpose is to improve the quality of care for patients, expanding the framework of care provided and improving the conditions under which it is delivered.