Welcome to Friary Diary issue 69 - a one page monthly round up of news about the Friary Brass Band.
REHEARSALS
Sadly there’s no change here, with live rehearsals very much on the back burner for now with the current restrictions.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Whilst frequency has been moved back to fortnightly, the Band quizzes continue and are enjoyed by a large proportion of members. We’ve all gained plenty of knowledge (much of it of questionable use, though!) over the past year.
FINANCE
We don’t usually dwell on the Band finances in Friary Diary but given the widespread news that due to the impact of Covid-19, many bands are experiencing financial difficulties which endanger their survival, I thought it was worth including a couple of paragraphs here. The annual accounts have now been independently examined, and thanks go to our hard-working and extremely diligent Treasurer, Jane Challiss for keeping our financial records in exceptionally good order.
For the financial year ended 31st March 2020, the Band made a small surplus of some £1,200 and remains very well placed to weather the current difficulties despite the lack of income from contests and concerts. The accounts and Trustees’ Annual Report have been filed as required with the Charity Commission before the end of the year and are available for public viewing.
REMEMBRANCE
For obvious reasons, Remembrance Sunday this year was very different to the usual commemoration in Guildford, and Friary was not involved for the first time in many a year. However, the Band recorded Nimrod for Guildford Borough Council and Simon Persin played The Last Post and Reveille on Armistice Day from the Guildhall balcony: many thanks and well done, Simon. Recordings of the National Anthem, The Last Post and Reveille were also made for Ash Parish Council.
NEW MUSIC
An exciting new project is underway, despite the current restrictions. The Band has teamed up with talented young composer, arranger and orchestrator, Callum Au (for more information, please see https://callumaumusic.com ). Callum has worked with the likes of Quincy Jones, Jamie Cullum and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra so we are thrilled with this new partnership. Callum has produced some superb new arrangements for the Band, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to play these together once restrictions are lifted and we can get together again to rehearse. There’s a real mix of pieces, including jazz standards, chart classics and current film music, so something for everyone. Watch this space for progress.
RANKING NEWS:
With no further updates since April, Friary remains 23rd in the world. For full ranking details, please go to https://www.4barsrest.com/rankings/
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