Have you seen the write-up about our drop-in session next week?

Have a look at the article about us in the Fermanagh Herald of Wednesday 16th November!

Concert in 'The Oaks Restaurant'

On Thursday 10th November, Fermanagh Concert Band was welcomed to, “The Oaks Restaurant,” for the worthy cause of helping to raise money to buy a defibrillator for the village of Lisnarick. This was organised by St. Patrick's Church, Castle Archdale alongside the help of Canon Glenn West. With the relaxed atmosphere and the enthusiasm from the crowd it was easy to tell from the very first note that it was going to be a great night. The wide variety of pieces meant that there really was something for everyone. Thanks to the repertoire of up tempo and dynamic numbers, the whole audience was able to get involved with classics such as, “Hootenanny,” and “The Lord of the Dance,” really stealing the show.

As well as pieces from the band there were also an assortment of interludes from Lauren Coulter and Sacha White who both sang a number of solo pieces. Other performances included ‘Country Beat’ and Johnny Robinson who provided backing for other singers and musicians. This gave the concert a more diverse edge and really added a little something extra. Fermanagh Concert Band had a terrific time participating in this concert and was truly honoured to be asked to take part. Thanks must go to ‘The Oaks Restaurant’ and the Maguire family who really worked on promoting the event. The positive feedback and the smiles on everyone’s faces most certainly made this all worthwhile as it proved to be a fun-filled night for all!

Some fantastic news about our feeder band

We’ve got some fantastic news to announce!  Fermanagh Concert Band has been successful in obtaining financial support from the Joan Trimble Award scheme.

The Trustees of this scheme have expressed widespread admiration for the work of the band and were unanimous in supporting our application for funds.

And what are we going to do with our grant?  Well, that’s the second part of this exciting news.

We’re setting up a new group, The Elastic Band.

Elastic bands are by their nature, well – elastic.  Stretchy.  And The Elastic Band will be the same: flexible, adaptable, able to adjust to any number of players.  It’s for musicians-in-waiting, those who aren’t quite ready for membership of Fermanagh Concert Band just yet, but who will be up for it after their time in The Elastic Band.

The Elastic Band now has its own page on the website, so click here to go straight to it for full details.  But here’s the basic deal.

We’re launching The Elastic Band on Saturday 26 November in the Navar Room at the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum.  On that day, there’ll be a ‘drop-in’ session from 10am to 2pm.  During that time, anyone interested in joining is invited to drop in, meet other potential members, talk things over with The Elastic Band’s two tutors, chat to members of Fermanagh Concert Band, sit in on informal play-through sessions if they wish, hear various instruments in action, and so on.

The Elastic Band will have two tutors: Katrina Armstrong for winds and reeds; and Shane Goan for brass.  When up and running, it will meet one evening per week.  When Fermanagh Concert Band stages an own-promotion concert, The Elastic Band will have its own featured spot.

The Elastic Band’s first year of existence will be underwritten financially by its grant from the Joan Trimble Award scheme.  The grant is ‘seed’ funding to kickstart this exciting new development, so we shall be working hard during the year to find a source of ongoing finance to ensure that we can continue to run The Elastic Band for many years to come.

So heartfelt thanks from all at Fermanagh Concert Band to the trustees of the Joan Trimble Award scheme for their support of our endeavours, and here’s to the success of The Elastic Band!