Still on a high from the night before, the band was up and at it early for our long bus ride from Manchester, to the quaint town of Hythe, located on the southeast coast of England.
Upon arrival, we were enthusiastically greeted by the Hythe Corps and Bandmaster, Richard Carroll.
After checking in to our hotel, we headed to our venue for the night, a 300 seat, decommissioned military chapel, simply named the “Tower Theatre.”
Following a buffet tea, the band had a sound check and then cleared off as the capacity crowd, mostly non Salvationists, filed into the venue. In attendance were some local dignitaries, one of them being the Queens local representatives, also a Salvationist. Other familiar faces in the crowd were the likes of David Daws and Ian and Jennifer Power.
Some highlights for the night included:
Ivor Bosanko’s Precious Jewels, which was written specifically for this tour and for principal euphonium, Ryan Mccrudden. This displayed Ryan’s musical diversity and his ability to soar over the band with his ample sonority.
Deputy Bandmaster and long time principal cornetist, Gordon Ward played Herbert Clarke’s classic, The Maid of The Mist. This showcased Gordon’s musical expression and style, which he has been doing for 30 plus years.
Another well received piece was the new arrangement, Rock of Ages, by Dorothy Gates, based on the big band arrangement by Chris McDonald.
It truly was a historic night and the crowd was incredibly jubilant and receptive to what the band had to offer.
