An Aberdeen brass band is heading down to London to take part in the National Brass Band Championships this weekend.
The trip will mark the Bon Accord Silver Band’s fourth time competing at the championships which ties in with their 60th anniversary.
They last qualified in 2021 which gave many members the opportunity to perform at the iconic Royal Albert Hall for the first time.
It was an experience band secretary, Ann Murray, described as “wonderful”.
“We’re all extremely excited to go back,” she said. “It’s a wonderful hall to play in, it really blows your mind.”
Representing Scotland
Described as the most prestigious brass band competition in the world, the championships feature 20 of the best bands from across England, Scotland and Wales.
Ms Murray said: “It’s a lot of work to get to this level. All of the players have day jobs as well, we’ve got doctors, teachers, pharmacists, a big range, so this is a wonderful but time consuming hobby.
“We normally rehearse twice a week but in the lead up to concerts we’ll do whole weekends with a professional conductor. We’ve all put in a lot of hours.”
All of the bands perform the same test piece so they are all on a “level playing field” entering the competition.
This year’s piece, titled Hyperlink, is inspired by the planets and was composed especially for brass bands.
Each competing band has spent the last couple of months rehearsing it in preparation for Saturday’s event.
Ms Murray added: “It’ll be really nice representing Scotland in our 60th year.”
Celebrating 60th anniversary year
The Bon Accord Silver Band also has a number of concerts and events scheduled throughout the rest of the year.
They will take part in the council’s planned Christmas festivities across Aberdeen and make a return to Fraserburgh for a performance they have done for the past four decades.
To celebrate their 60th anniversary, they will also host a dance at Elphinstone Hall on January 21.
The band is currently trying to get in touch with past members so they can also take part in the celebrations.
Anyone who has been involved with Bon Accord Silver Band in the past is encouraged to get in touch.
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