The [bclink id=”962″ target=”_blank”] (Bandmaster Jonathan Corry) and Enfield Citadel Songsters (Songster Leader Tina Shepherd) presented their annual Spring Festival on 26 April 2014 at St. Andrews Plough Hill, Cuffley. Featured soloists were Ben Horton (trombone) and Emma Joy-Owen (vocal).
The band started off the evening with contrasting items, Salvation Song (William Gordon) and Albert Jakeway’s arrangement of Mozart’s Ave Verum. Following words of welcome and introductions, the first solo item of the night featured trombonist Ben Horton, who played Blessed Assurance (William Himes). The band continued the music with Canadian Folk Song Suite (Morley Calvert).
The concert then turned to vocal music, as the songsters presented two items, Bow the Knee (Machen and Harland, arr. Tom Fettke) and Oh Happy Day (Doddridge/Krommenhoek). The second featured soloist for the event, Emma Joy-Owen, presented her first item, Caccini’s Ave Maria.
The band finished the first half with one of the great classics of Salvation Army brass band literature, Dean Goffin’s Symphony of Thanksgiving. Although this piece was composed over 60 years ago, it retains its power as a magnificent expression of thanksgiving and praise to God, concluding with “Praise my soul, the King of Heaven” and a phrase of “Give to Jesus glory”.
The band brought the audience back from the interval with the first movement of At the Edge of Time (Ray Steadman-Allen). Ben Horton returned for his second solo of the evening, My Story and Song (Stephen Foster, arr. Ray Steadman-Allen).
The second set of items by the songsters included Shine on Us (M. and D. Smith, arr. Bruce Greer) and Richard Phillips’ arrangement of the well-loved spiritual This Little Light. The band continued the concert with another classic item from Salvation Army brass band literature, the suite The Pilgrim Way (Eric Ball).
Vocal soloist Emma Joy-Owen offered I Feel Like Singing All the Time (arr. Keith Prynn) as her second featured item of the night. This led into a devotional thought given by Bandsman Richard Hill.
The band concluded the concert with Reflections in Nature (Robert Redhead) and a piece which has become extremely popular since its introduction at the 120th anniversary celebrations for the International Staff Band in 2011, Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s Fire in the Blood.
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