OBSERVER: Advent Brass Band’s 100 years
What’s the best way to celebrate the 100th birthday of a brass band?
The answer is by staging a spectacular concert that includes one of the world’s best jazz trumpeters as the featured guest artist, legendary trumpeter James Morrison, who will join Advent Brass for their centenary concert on September 14.
But James isn’t the only celebrity on stage for this concert – Advent Brass have their own home-grown celebrity performer in pianist Romney King, who celebrates his 100th birthday this year, making history with this concert by becoming the oldest person to ever perform live on the Hamer Hall stage.
Creating music for nearly nine decades, he has inspired many younger generations of musicians with his remarkable knowledge, war-time service as a signalman, and lifelong commitment to community music. While Romney has been the concert pianist for Advent Brass for more than 80 years, the concert also covers the other end of the age spectrum, with the youngest performer being just nine years of age.
Advent Brass also includes Advent Youth Brass, keeping the tradition of brass music going strong in the 21st century.
As well as James Morrison and the bands, the concert also features vocalists Helena McKee, Walter Saluni and Tim Jaques bringing old favourites like Singin’ in the Rain, I Got Rhythm and All You Need Is Love to entertain the audience.
Advent Brass is a dab hand at raising money for charities with their concerts, and the beneficiary from this concert will be humanitarian organisation Adventist Development and Relief Agency.
It’s all happening on Sunday September 14 at 5pm in Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne. Tickets are available from www.adventbrass.org
Julie Houghton
Pictured: James Morrison