Top Brass powers Proms

Brass Whanganui Musical Director Bruce Jellyman will lead the band in Last Night of the Proms. Photo / Michael Davis

Brass Whanganui is doing extremely well, with competition success and high morale.
"That's why we can do Last Night of the Proms, because we're in such a good position, musically and as a team," says Jonathon Greenwell, who will be your MC on the occasion.
Last Night of the Proms will be in the Royal Whanganui Opera House on Saturday, November 5 at 7.30pm.

"It's a combination of the traditional Proms — Pomp and Circumstance is there, Fantasia on British Sea Songs is there: it would be a Proms without it, but there is also some new music. Music newly arranged for brass band, a special arrangement of Amazing Grace ... and also a new arrangement of Eleanor Rigby which was an orchestral one by Cody Fry, we've had that arranged for brass band. Jennifer Little is back as soprano for the Proms, singing a couple of new songs with us, and our tenor is Jamie Henare. He was the 2017 recipient of the Dame Malvina Major scholarship."

There will also be a small, hand-picked choir on stage with the band.
"They will be singing through the sing-along stuff but also singing a couple of numbers on their own," says Jonathon.
"This is a big undertaking for us: the Proms used to be organised by Rotary. Now it's entirely our own production. We are taking that creative team that does Sound Canvas — Bruce, Hamish, Hayden, myself — and doing Proms in a very Brass Whanganui way.
"This is about celebrating accessible, classical music, not sitting through a five-hour opera, but [enjoying] the best bits. That's why there are arias and overtures and things like that."

The band has been busy with national and provincial competitions, so rehearsals for the Proms have really just begun.
"We've been working on it for months in the background." He says knowing they have full creative control and that it's very much a Brass Whanganui show, the band is getting excited about it.
"We will have two massive LED screens on stage to have visuals going. It's on Guy Fawkes night so ...
"We encourage people to dress up, bring flags and bunting, streamers, party poppers ... it's a celebration of the joy of music."

And amidst the joy, there will be a tribute to her late Majesty, the Queen.

Brass Whanganui has just finished competing in the Central Districts Regional Competitions in Hawera.
"That was over two days. They didn't do a street march this year ... at the theatre there, out front, there's this pseudo band rotunda, so we stood under there and played our march music. We played our march — Castell Caerffili — and Thomas the Tank Engine, because it's Brass Whanganui and that's what we do.
"We had an anvil being hit, we had train whistles, we had someone vaping through their tenor horn ... it was brilliant.
"Then we did the entertainment programme that afternoon." He says it was a version of Sound Canvas.
Whanganui had two bands in the competition. The Concert Brass did really well and the A Grade band excelled, coming first in seven categories.
In July the A Grade band came fourth in the national competitions.
"That's why we can do the Proms, because we have such a good team."
This is the first time Whanganui will have seen Last Night of the Proms since 2014. They are back!

The Details
What: Last Night of the Proms with Brass Whanganui, Jennifer Little and Jamie Henare.
When: Saturday, November 5, 7.30pm
Where: Royal Whanganui Opera House
Tickets: At the box office or brasswhanganui.co.nz