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Christmas Carolling

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Over the last few weeks, the band has been busy with various groups going out and about to bring some Festive Cheer to Christmas Shoppers!

Vacancy - Musical Director - 10th December 2024

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Wakefield Orchestral Wind is seeking to appoint a new Musical Director to replace our existing MD, Colin Cranmer, who leaves us at the end of December 2024 due to relocation.


Wakefield Orchestral Wind is an amateur wind band, formed in 1990, based in Ossett, and currently has around 40 members of ages ranging from late teens to retired. We accept players around the Grade 6 mark, dependent on instrument and playing experience. 
 
Rehearsals take place on Thursday evenings from 7.30pm to 9.00pm at Ossett War Memorial Community Centre, Prospect Road, Ossett, WF5 8AN. 


The band has a varied repertoire, playing popular classics and film music and recently staged a thoroughly enjoyable Last Night of the Proms concert. Performances are held throughout the year with a good mix of indoor and outdoor events.

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We are a very friendly, inclusive and supportive group of musicians who wish to achieve the highest possible standards whilst enjoying making music together. 

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We are looking for a Musical Director who will further develop our abilities whilst continuing to make our rehearsals inclusive and fun. We would welcome someone who could contribute new ideas and connections to expand our profile in the local community. 

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Applicants should have excellent conducting skills, the ability to engage, support and inspire amateur musicians of all ages and abilities, knowledge of a wide range of repertoire and above all a good sense of humour and personable manner.

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To apply, please send your CV with covering letter for consideration by the committee to admin@wakefieldorchestralwind.org.uk by 6th January.

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Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an informal audition at one of our rehearsals and the successful candidate will be required to undertake a DBS check (the band will cover the cost of this).


Further information about the band can be found on our Facebook page.
 

Announcement - 9th December 2024

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It is with sadness that Wakefield Orchestral Wind (WOW) announces the departure of its Musical Director, Colin Cranmer, due to relocation. Colin’s final rehearsal with us will be in December 2024.

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Colin’s journey with WOW began in 2019 when he joined our brass section. He stepped up to the role of MD in September 2021 and since then, Colin’s leadership, expertise, and passion for making music have been at the heart of our band’s growth and success. He has inspired us with his dedication, challenged us to reach new heights, and brought fun and joy to both our musicians and audiences alike.

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Whilst we are sorry to see Colin go, we wish him every success in this next chapter of his life. We are confident that the legacy Colin leaves behind will guide us as we begin the search for a new Musical Director.

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Thank you, Colin, for your incredible work and the music we’ve created together. You will be deeply missed, and we wish you the very best for the future!

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Colin says,

"Joining Wakefield Orchestral Wind always felt a good ‘fit’ at this stage in my musical journey.

My belief in the importance of community music groups and my enthusiasm for the repertoire and sonorities of wind bands in particular have been enhanced by working with this very special group of musicians.

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Their engagement with rehearsals during the lean months of lockdown and restrictions meant an easy answer when approached by the committee to take the MD’s role in 2021. Since the preparations for the first public performance at Lotherton Hall in September 2021 and for every subsequent concert they have displayed a willingness to be challenged with unfamiliar music, prepared to commit themselves to faithfully reproducing the composer’s/arranger’s scores and attending as many rehearsals as possible. All achieved whilst enduring my puns and occasionally amusing anecdotes.

I thank them all for the trust they have placed in me and I hope the progress and development we have undertaken has provided musical experiences of which we can all be proud.

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May WOW’s musical journey continue its upward trajectory!"

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Photo Credit; Nick Singleton

Magical, Musical Moments  - guests of The Fairburn Singers - Saturday 19th October 2024

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We had an amazing time on Saturday evening as guests of The Fairburn Singers at their Magical, Musical Moments concert at Castleford Civic Centre - the last event to be held there before its closure which made it an even more special, though rather poignant occasion.

Thank you to The Fairburn Singers, the staff at Castleford Civic Centre, and the audience who gave us such a warm welcome!

Last Night of the Proms with guest singer Claire Helm - Saturday 28th September 

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A wonderful audience attended St Thomas' Church in Batley for Birstall Luddites Rotary Club's Last Night of the Proms!

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We thoroughly enjoyed working with Claire who had the audience enthralled with her superb singing.

 

If you're disappointed that you missed out on this event, head over to our YouTube channel to hear full versions of Somewhere and Jerusalem and more besides!

Farnley Hall Park - 14th July 2024

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We hope you enjoy this snippets video from our performance at Farnley Hall Park.

Farnley Hall Park - 14th July 2024

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We enoyed playing at Farnley Hall Park, howver, we did have to compete with the constant threat of rain - hence the presence of raincoats and hats, and the absence of stand banners - oh, and we were also competing with a Wimbledon Final!

 

Thank you to everyone who came to support us!

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Batley Community Choir - 28th June 2024

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We were delighted to be the invited guests of Batley Community Choir at their Summer Harmonies concert in St Thomas' Church, Batley.

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Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves! 

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Our programme had a Spanish theme. 

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We hope you enjoy this performance of Fandango!​

Western Flatts Cliff Park - Sunday 23rd June 2024

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We had a wonderful time yesterday at Western Flatts Cliff Park, part of the Leeds International Concert Season Summer Bands series - in fact, you could say it was "thrilling"!

We gave our audience a musical feast including Eighties Flashback which begins with Thriller, Highlights from Oliver, Me and My Girl, Laughter in the Rain and much more!

We had a very appreciative and generous audience who loved our encore where the "Cops" aka the brass section chased the "Robbers" aka the woodwind section in Charles Williams' Devil's Galop which is perhaps better known as the theme tune from Dick Barton - Special Agent!

St Peter's, Kirkthorpe - 18th May 2024

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On Saturday, we had the great pleasure of performing for the fourth time at St Peter's Church, Kirkthorpe.

Thank you to everyone who gave us such a warm welcome and great words of support and encouragement.

Why not grab a cup of tea or coffee and sit down and enjoy this short video of snippets of our performance?

Thank you to friends and family for supplying audio and video clips. Please bear in mind that they were recorded on personal, not professional, devices.

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Come and Play day - Saturday 16th March 2024

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We held our fourth Come and Play day on Saturday. We were delighted by the response to our event and ended up with a band of 70 musicians. We enjoyed making music together and also a time of catching up with people over lunch.

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With around 40 minutes per piece we managed to rehearse 5 new pieces of music under the experienced baton of our MD - Colin Cranmer. The pieces he chose for the day were:- Laughter in the Rain, Partita II, Time to Say Goodbye, The Lion King and Devil's Gallop.

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The day ended with some refreshments with friends and families and a mini concert of all the pieces we'd been rehearsing during the day.

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Here are some photos. There are many more on our Facebook page and more content will be added in due course.

Colton Methodist Church - Saturday 24th February 2024

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On Saturday we had the pleasure of performing once again at Colton Methodist Church.

Our programme began with Philip Sparke’s “March Celebration”, included Mercadante’s “Concerto for Horn” played by our Principal French Horn player – Ben Percival, and concluded with a selection from “Me and My Girl”.  

We would like to thank members of the church and the audience who gave us such a warm welcome, including some very lovely cakes!

Here are some photos from the afternoon.

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Onward Christian Soldiers - National Coal Mining Museum - Saturday 27th January 2024

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With the museum being so close to Horbury Bridge, we naturally included Onward Christian Soldiers in our set.

National Coal Mining Museum - Saturday 27th January 2024

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The band had a wonderful time at the National Coal Mining Museum on Saturday at the special event to celebrate the end of Kirklees Year of Music 2023 and the handover to Wakefield Council’s Our Year!

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It was a privilege to share the day’s musical entertainment with Hade Edge Brass Band.

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Thank you to everyone who organised this event and gave us such a warm welcome!

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Come and Play - Saturday 16th March 2024

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We're delighted to announce that we will be holding another Come and Play day!

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Experience tells us that this will be a great day of music making and  will give you the chance to meet up with old friends and maybe make some new ones!

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Please get in touch to book your place or for further information.

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