Maple Ridge Concert Band will be sharing the stage with the Royal Westminster Regiment Association Band for a free concert in New Westminster.
The concert will be taking place at the New Westminster Armoury.
“This will be the first time these two bands have shared the stage together,” explained Thomas Walker, with the Maple Ridge band.
Gary Tse, conductor of the “Westies” band, most commonly known as the Royal Westminster Regiment Association Band, invited the Maple Ridge Concert band to perform the joint concert.
Tse has previously performed as a guest musician during the “Twilight Tuesday” Concert series put on by the Maple Ridge Concert Band every year in June and July at the bandstand in Memorial Peace Park, explained Walker.
About 45 members from the local concert band will be performing in the New Westminster concert that will feature a variety of musical selections, including: marches; orchestral transcriptions for wind ensemble; musical theatre pieces; and a special massed band presentation of a piece by Vancouver composer Robert Buckley called “Iditarod”.
The Maple Ridge Concert Band has about 90 members in three different levels – the adult beginner group for people who have never played an instrument before; the intermediate group for musicians who may have once played, but have been away from their instrument for some time; and, the performance group, made up of concert band musicians who perform more advanced levels of music.
This Year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Maple Ridge Concert Band. A celebration is being planned for the summer.
It is also the 163rd anniversary of the “Westies” band, said Walker.
The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, at 530 Queens Ave., New Westminster.
For more information about the Maple Ridge Concert Band go to mrcb.ca.