National gold and platinum wins for Rochdale Music Service

Rochdale Music Service Junior Wind Band perform at the National Concert Band Festival

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Musicians from Rochdale Music Service’s Junior and Youth Wind Bands are celebrating after winning gold and platinum respectively at the recent National Concert Band Festival, held at the Royal Northern College for Music in Manchester.

The two wind bands competed with 2,400 participants from across Great Britain, with the gold-winning Junior Wind Band featuring Rochdale musicians as young as seven.

The Youth Wind Band, featuring teenagers aged between 14 and 18, were one of only four bands throughout the two day festival to win platinum and have now been invited to perform at the Music for Youth Festival in Birmingham in July.

Liz Jacobs, Manager of Rochdale Music Service, said: “We are incredibly proud of both bands. They were up against some of the best young musicians in the country and they were absolutely outstanding.

“Our Youth Wind Band performed The Cries of London by a composer called Martin Ellerby. It was the first time a youth band had ever attempted to play it; Martin himself was listening and was so impressed he is now coming to do a workshop with the band.”

The wins follow success by the Rochdale Borough Brass Band, which won gold at the National Youth Championships, finishing fourth in the country behind eventual winners, National and European Champions, Wardle Academy Youth Band.