Armistice Day concert at The Tank Museum
What a memorable day we had as we played for the first time at The Tank Museum, in our Armistice Day concert.
On Saturday 11 November our band members, visitors and staff gathered outside The Tank Museum in front of the memorial statue. We listened to some very moving words to remember those who have sacrificed their lives during war. And then one of our trumpeters, Rob, played The Last Post, leading a reflective two-minute silence at 11am.
After the memorial service we made our way back into the Museum, warmed up our instruments, tuned, and found our seats nestled among the tanks. It was a very special setting in the centre of the Museum.
Armistice Day concert nestled among tanks
We kicked off with the Royal British Legion March to set the scene for our programme. Then followed the famous Band of Brothers theme tune which our audience loved, as did our band members. As we looked up in between pieces we saw visitors, family and friends watching us from the balcony. They had a great view and music rang out across the hall.
After an upbeat The Great Escape, we played what became the highlight of our concert, Elgar’s Nimrod. The acoustics were incredible and we all managed to play smoothly and with control, without flaring the notes – which wasn’t easy. The piece built up from complete stillness to a powerful crescendo at the end, before dying away quickly to nothing again. We were very proud of ourselves for performing this piece the way we did, and we all felt goosebumps. It really was very moving and we were honoured to be able to play while thinking of all those who have served in war.
Other pieces we played in the first half included Benny Goodman: The King of Swing, which changed up the pace. We also played Second World War Songs – a fun medley of famous tunes people sung during the war to lift morale.
Time to look around the Museum
After the first half we had about an hour’s break to grab some lunch and have a little look around. Then we resumed our positions and opened the second half with the lively Lawrence of Arabia. The second half was a mix of slower-paced pieces like Hymn To The Fallen, as well as faster pieces including our finale, Poppy Day.
After the concert some of us stayed on to look around the Museum. We absolutely loved the concert and whole experience playing in The Tank Museum, and hope to play there again. What a great day!
Check out our concerts page for where we’re playing next in the area.
By Emma on flute
