Foden’s Band’s annual visit to the city of Armagh in February was particularly special in 2020 as it marked the 20th successive occasion that the Sandbach ensemble has travelled to Northern Ireland.
The long-established special relationship between Foden’s, Armagh Old Boys Silver Band and Ivor Stevenson MBE has meant that the 2018 national champion band has performed to audiences and worked with young musicians in Armagh every February since 2001.
The two main musical highlights of the weekend are always the young soloists’ workshop and the gala concert; this year was no exception. To mark the 20th anniversary celebrations the band was also invited to perform at a special Sunday morning service at the First Presbyterian Church in Armagh, the venue for all of the 2020 events.
The depth of talent amongst the young brass musicians (and the quality of teaching) in Northern Ireland was evident during the five-hour soloists’ workshop. Twenty-five talented performers, aged between six and 16, brought their solos to rehearse and perform with Foden’s. Each soloist was given extensive constructive feedback on their performance from a Foden’s player and musical director, Michael Fowles, before putting the advice into practice.
Saturday evening’s gala concert saw Foden’s take to the stage in the wonderful acoustic of the First Presbyterian Church. The band, under Michael Fowles, was in very fine form all evening in a programme which catered for all tastes.
The following morning saw Foden’s return to the First Presbyterian Church to lead the large congregation. It must have been quite an experience, especially for those who’d never heard a top band before.
In addition to accompanying the congregation during hymns, the band made the most of the generous acoustic with another explosive Paganini performance (the theme of the service was ‘talent’) and in the more traditional fare of Entry of the Gladiators and All Through the Night.
A spokesman for Foden’s Band said:
“There have been many well-known partnerships in brass banding history but it’s hard to think of a more genuinely positive one than that between Foden’s Band and Armagh Old Boys Silver Band. It’s worth remembering that none of the band’s February visits or the equally well-established and highly regarded Armagh Old Boys Brass Band Summer School (which also celebrates its 20th anniversary this August and has always used a tutor team made of Foden’s players) would have happened without the drive, energy and passion of Ivor Stevenson and his family. Here’s to another 20 years.”
