Co-op band to celebrate music of the movies

Join the Co-operative Funeralcare Band for Night at the Movies, a celebration of the finest film music. The newly crowned Scottish champions, led by conductor Allan Ramsay, will offer a thoroughly entertaining programme at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Greenock, at 7.30pm on Saturday 23rd April. Tickets are £8 and £6 for concessions available on the door, with refreshments provided.

Movies can be very powerful. The best ones transport us to a different world, a different time, taking us on a whistle-stop tour of the human condition. But imagine a movie with no music. Imagine if all you had was moving images. Music does far more than accompany movies; it is a crucial component of the experience. Indeed some of the most popular music comes from film. Movie soundtracks are now released as albums and celebrated often in equal measure to the films they were written for. If you enjoy film music, the band’s upcoming concert will be right up your street.

For those who are new to the band, the Co-operative Funeralcare Band was founded in 1918 as the CWS Glasgow Band. It is Scotland’s most successful contesting brass band of all time having won the Scottish Championships more than any other band. The band has even claimed the national title of Great Britain twice, something not achieved by any other Scottish band. The band has some of Scotland’s finest brass players among its ranks, and regularly performs all over the country. ‘The Co’, as the band is often referred to, recently regained its title as Scottish champion, and after much work with associate conductors Nigel Boddice MBE, Bryan Allen and Allan Ramsay the band is in fine form.

Allan Ramsay and the band will be offering a scintillating selection of movie classics for the Greenock audience. There’ll be something for everyone. The golden age of Hollywood will be recalled, both with music for stage (think Broadway) and screen (featuring music from Gone with the Wind). There’ll be a salute to Disney with music from Toy Story, and a nod to the Bond classics with Live and Let Die and Skyfall both being featured. We remember the silent classics with Laurel and Hardy’s comical duet Another Fine Mess, and Charlie Chaplin’s Smile. And no programme would be complete without the epic tracks of recent times, so you’ll be pleased to hear that music from Star Wars, Harry Potter and Born on the Fourth of July is on the programme.

Don’t miss out on what promises to be a fine evening of music-making from Scotland’s finest band!