The University of Lancaster Music Society is deep in rehearsals for their annual end of year concert, the ULMS Proms.
The Proms are due to be held on Saturday June 25 in the Great Hall at 7pm. The concert features all six of ULMS major ensembles, the choir, brass band, big band,swing group, wind band and orchestra, as well as many of the smaller groups.
The diverse line-up includes The Trombone Playing Gentleman’s Club, the flute group, Barbershop group and it’s alternative, the Barbieshop group.
According to ULMS Publicity Officer Felicity Allan, “there will be a wide range of music played, including classical, swing and rock, and the concert will end with the traditionals [those traditionally associated with the BBC Last Night of the Proms]: Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs, Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory.”
Tickets for the concert will cost £10 for adults and £6 for concessions. They are available to purchase from www.ulms.org.uk, under a link marked “Concerts” at the top of the page, and a second link marked “Proms ticket order form”.
Before the end of year Prom, ULMS are also attending the Saddleworth and District Whit Friday Brass Band Contests on Whit Friday, June 10. It is not the first time that the ULMS bands have attended the contests, which see bands from all over the country compete in several contests. The official Saddleworth and District Whit Friday Brass Band Contests website claims that the annual event is “often described as ‘the greatest free show on Earth’”. The contest has been running since 1884, and last year’s prize fund was £36,000, split between the various contests.
The website also says that “[t]he contests are open to all-comers. So the local youth bands get to match their skills against the top bands of the country.” The Saddleworth and District Whit Friday Brass Band Concerts have enjoyed popularity with both amateur or student bands as well as the more professional ensembles, and even featured in the 1996 film Brassed Off which starred Pete Postlethwaite and Ewan McGregor. As this issue is sent to print before that date, the results are not readily available to report upon.
The contest credentials of the ULMS Brass Band and ensembles were also added to substantially this year when they hosted the first University Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, an annual event supported by the British Federation of Brass Bands. A total of 13 universities travelled to Lancaster in order to participate in the competition.
