On the weekend of 23 – 24 June 2012, the Amsterdam Staff Band (Bandmaster Olaf Ritman) held a ministry weekend at Treebeek Corps in the Limburg region of the Netherlands.
Saturday, 23 June 2012
The weekend opened with a “Play-In”. This took the form of an open rehearsal, with any interested person who played a musical instrument sitting in with the Staff Band. The Staff Band was delighted to have two former members Cor Ros (trombone) and Frans van Rijn (soprano cornet) take their place in the shared band. Pieces rehearsed included Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s Vitae Aeternum (at the request of the Treebeekers) and Anthem of the Free (Dean Goffin).
After the Play-In, the Staff Band was treated to an exquisite meal before going to the church where the evening concert, in conjunction with Fanfare Harpe Davids Treebeek. The fanfare band brought a range of repertoire completely different from that played by the Staff Band, a welcome addition to the concert.
Items played by the Staff Band during the concert included:
- Jubilee Overture (Philip Sparke)
- Flow Gently, Sweet Afton (Paul Sharman)
- Sounds of Singing (Leslie Condon), Steef Klepke, cornet
- The Golden Pen (Wilfred Heaton)
- Donegal Bay (Paul Lovatt-Cooper), Jorijn van Hese, baritone
- Faith Is the Victory (Sam Creamer)
- Fusion (Martin Cordner)
After the intermission, the “Friends of the ASB” (those who had participated in the afternoon Play-In) joined the Staff Band on the stage and presented Vitae Aeternum and Anthem of the Free.
Sunday, 24 June 2012
Items featured during the Sunday morning service included Guardian of My Soul and and That Will Be Glory (both composed by Darren Shaw) and Jesus Came! (Howard Davies). Daniel Rosenquist brought the Bible Word and Peter Koopmans gave his testimony, using the image of his hobby, sculpture, to illustrate how God tries to sculpt us in His image, but that we often get in way, retaining just remnants of the overall design.
Immediately following the morning worship, the weekend concluded with the so-called “wind-up” concert, which included a reprise of all of the items played by the Staff Band in the Saturday evening concert, along with the following items:
- The Great Rescue (Martin Cordner)
- Just As Thou Art (Ian Clarke)
- Hallelujah (arr. Olaf Ritman), Menno van der Woude, flügelhorn
- Soldiers of the Cross (Ian Clarke)
- This Is My Father’s World (Ruben Schmidt)
- The Cantonian (Ian Clarke)
Unfortunately, because of heavy rains, the planned march and outdoor concert had to be cancelled, leading to an early end to the weekend. Nevertheless, many people were reached and, hopefully, the people of Treebeek Corps were given a boost. The care and kindness shown to the Staff Band were first-class and it is hoped that the band will be able to visit again in beautiful Limburg.
Source:
Amsterdam Staff Band web site