First Tuesday Concert – Royal NZ Navy Band

A Navy Band evokes bright, uniformed players making rousing and grand music on the deck of a vessel or a parade ground. In St Matthew-in-the-City on 4 August as part of the First Tuesday Concert series come and hear the band in a different environment.

The superb acoustics of St Matthew’s will favour the ensemble groups of the Royal New Zealand Navy Band as they play music from their extensive repertoire. The band regularly plays orchestral transcriptions, jazz standards, popular music as well as traditional parade ground repertoire of marches and solemn music. The Band often tours the country playing concerts, giving demonstrations and entertaining schools. The band are a proud affirmation of both musical culture and the traditions of the Navy.

Thirty two full-time musicians make up the Royal New Zealand Navy Band and they are based at the Naval Base Devonport. They are a flexible group, being able to form sub-sets of the full band into Saxophone Quartet, Brass Quintet and Wind ensembles – these are the groups which we can look forward to hearing in St Matthew’s.

“We are delighted to welcome members of the Navy Band to St. Matthew’s” says Tim McWhannell, an organiser of the concert series. “The anticipation of groups of wind and brass instruments playing in the resonant space is a thrilling prospect”, he adds. The programme will include works by Piazzolla, Arnold, Bernstein, Ewald, Gershwin and others.

Entry by Koha.