Conductor Bjorn Bantock (with SASO percussioni Kieran McGuirk) needs a bigger drum to bash.
St Albans Symphony Orchestra is promising music lovers plenty of boom for their bucks if they contribute to a campaign to raise up to £1,500 to buy a big bass drum and other percussion instruments. Those who give especially generously will be offered the chance to bang the drum or clash the cymbals themselves during a rehearsal.
“Until now we’ve simply hired a bass drum when we needed one,” said conductor, Bjorn Bantock. “But our concert programme for the next eighteen months includes some thumping great works where it really would make sense to have a top-quality instrument of our own.
“For a start, there are the two spectacular Russian works – Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony – that we will be performing at the Abbey for this year’s St Albans Festival on Saturday June 25th.
“We’re also planning a New Year ‘Festival of Britain’, to prepare for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with famous marches by Coates, Elgar and Walton. And we’ll be following that with two performances of Verdi’s Requiem in March 2012 where the bass drum has a really dramatic contribution to make.”
The orchestra will be asking audiences to help with donations, no matter how small, to its big drum fund. Anyone prepared to contribute £25 will be invited to play the drum at rehearsal, while £100 or more from a business will secure a chance to bang the drum at a dress rehearsal in St Albans Abbey and a free advertisement in the concert programme.
“If local businesses want to pay their whack through corporate sponsorship, we could also see about putting their logos on the actual drum.” said Bjorn. “We do hope that people will take this opportunity to help their community orchestra in a really practical way, and maybe have some fun at the same time, “
Would-be donors are asked to contact SASO’s Press Officer, David Utting on publicity@saso.org.uk.
For further information, contact:
David Utting (SASO Press Officer): 01727 762855 / 07930 313790