On the weekend of 24 – 25 September 2011, the [bclink id=”931″ target=”_blank”] (Bandmaster Olaf J. Ritman) visited the Goes Corps. The weekend included the opening of a new Salvation Army center in St. Maartensdijk and an evening concert and Sunday worship at Goes Corps.
The weekend began in St. Maartensdijk, a neighboring municipality of Tholen in Zeeland, where a new Salvation Army center was opening. Commissioners Marja and Hans van Vliet were present, as well as the mayor of Tholen. During the meeting, several people spoke with musical support provided by the Staff Band. After this, the Staff Band marched through the village to the new center, which was officially opened by Commissioner van Vliet. The band then gave a short concert.
The evening concert was held in the hall of the Goes Corps, in cooperation with Excelsior Brass Band Kloetinghe. Because of space limitations, the bands could not share the stage at the same time, so they focused on their individual contributions. Excelsior offered some good items, including Coventry Variations by Canadian composer Bram Tovey and Peter Graham’s test piece Prisms.
After the interval, the roles were reversed and the Staff Band took the stage. Their selections included the Dutch premiere of Steven Ponsford’s Turris Fortissima and the wonderful The Eternal Presence (Eric Ball). Soloists included Michel Rosenquist (euphonium) who played Oblivion (arr. Steven Verhelst) and Menno van der Woude (flügelhorn) who played Hallelujah (arr. Olaf Ritman).
On Sunday, the Staff Band participated in the morning service, with the usual accompaniment of congregational singing. The band also contributed two special items: In Quiet Pastures (Ray Steadman-Allen) and The Power of the Cross (arr. Paul Sharman). After the service the band quickly packed up and then unpacked for an outdoor concert in downtown Goes. This concert was the last in a series of summer concerts held in that location. The Staff Band was pleasantly surprised to see 400 or 500 people enthusiastically welcome them. The soloists from the previous evening were heard again, and a third soloist was added, Mark Ontswedder (trombone) who played Knowing My Feelings, rewarded by well-deserved applause from the audience.
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