A READING music group has achieved a prestigious Platinum Award at the regional stage of the National Concert Band Festival (NCBF).
It secures Trinity Concert Band automatic entry to the NCBF National Finals, to be held at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in April 2025.
In November the band travelled to Northampton to perform at the regional festival.
Their programme featured Julie Giroux’s Riften Wed and Philip Sparke’s Land of the Long White Cloud, two challenging pieces that showcased the band’s versatility and technical skill.
Adjudicators praised their performance as enjoyable, well-planned, and well-rehearsed, noting the band’s ability to handle complex music.
Conductor Paul Speed said: “The band has been very consistent over several years in achieving this recognition, and it is certainly something I don’t take for granted.
“I would be lying if I said I don’t feel a little pressure in trying to maintain the standards they have set in both concerts and NCBF performances.
“The programme was challenging on many different levels: intonation, chamber work, and technical detail, all of which they managed with great skill.”
Founded in 2001, Trinity Concert Band is committed to delivering high-quality performances while remaining rooted in the local community.
The group hosts concerts across Reading and Wokingham, its concerts supporting charitable causes.
This year they have raised more than £1,000 for Stepping Stones DS, a borough charity supporting children and young people with Down Syndrome.
They begin a new partnership with Prostate Cancer UK in 2025, which kicks off with the band’s fundraising Christmas concert in Reading.
The family-friendly event welcomes children of all ages, and promises to entertain with tunes from various periods, places and popular festive movies.
The group says it will be a heart warming musical journey through Christmases past and present, with seasonal nostalgia, festive cheer and opportunities to sing along to carols.
The event takes place at Reading Minster, on Sunday, December 8.
Doors open at 3.15pm, with the concert beginning at 4pm.
The Purple Turtle will provide a bar, including mulled wine.
Tickets cost £13 for adults, £7 for students (ID required), and are free for under 16s.
For tickets and information, visit: trinityband.co.uk
