AD Band Today
The AD Concert Band today comprises about 50 musicians playing a complete range of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, though only 30-40 would typically play at any one time.
The band rehearses weekly in Solihull and performs in up to a dozen concerts each year at a variety of performance venues including local community halls, concert halls, churches, retirement villages, band stands and village fetes. Concerts take place around the Midlands and occasionally beyond.
The band performs extremely varied repertoire including arrangements of orchestral music, pop and rock song medleys, themes from films and musicals, jazz and swing music as well as specialist wind band music.
Repertoire
Here are some examples of music that has been played by the AD Concert Band in recent years:
Arrangements of Orchestral Music
“Pomp and Cirmcumstance Marches” 1 & 4 by Sir Edward Elgar
“Troika” by Prokofiev
“Light Cavalry” Overture by Suppe
Waltz from “Masquerade” by Khachaturian
“Fantasia on British Sea Songs” by Henry Wood
“Roman Carnival” Overture by Berlioz
Pop and Rock Song Medleys.
“The Beatles: Echoes of an Era”
“Queen Symphonic Highlights”
“Elvis in Concert”
“The Rolling Stones on Tour”
Film Music
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
Selections from “The Greatest Showman”
“Skyfall”
“An Aladdin Fantasy”
“Somewhere in Time”
Symphonic Highlights from “Frozen”
“Mission Impossible”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Apollo 13”
“James Bond 007”
“Lawrence of Arabia”
Themes from Musicals
Selections from “Les Miserables” and “Miss Saigon” by Claude-Michel Schonberg
“The Magic of Andrew Lloyd Webber”
“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
“Oliver”
“My Fair Lady”
Jazz, Swing and Dance Band Music
“Crooner’s Serenade” (Medley of Michael Buble songs)
“Gershwin!” (Medley)
“Light-Walk”
“The Girl I Left Behind Me”
Solos
“What a Wonderful World”
“Gabriel’s Oboe”
“Summer Time” by Gershwin
“Sweet Georgia Brown”
“Duet from The Pearl Fishers” by Bizet
Specialist Wind Band Music
“Festival Prelude AD Excel” – composed especially for us by Philip Sparke
“H.R.H. The Duke of Cambridge March” by Malcolm Arnold
Second Suite in F for Military Band by Gustav Holst
“A Yorkshire Overture” and “Blue Rock” by Philip Sparke
Christmas Music
“Christmas Swingalong”
“White Christmas”
“Christmas Fantasy” by Gordon Langford
“Mary’s Boy Child”
“Yuletide Gallop”
“Walking in the Air” by Howard Blake
“In the Bleak Midwinter” (Holst)
“A Holly Jolly Christmas Medley”
“Celtic Carol”
“Ukranian Bell Song”
Traditional Christmas Carols
Other Music
“Radio 4 UK Theme”
“The Padstow Lifeboat”
“The Wee Macgreegor: Highland Patrol”
“The Westminster Waltz”
“Deep River” (Chorale Prelude)
Concert Venues
Below are some examples of venues where the band has performed recently:
Bushell Hall in Solihull
Stratford Band Stand
Shirley Methodist Church
Coleshill Town Hall
Himley Hall, Dudley
The Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston
Ilmington Village (outdoors), in the Cotswolds
Earlswood Village Hall
Various Retirement Villages