Knottingley Concert Brass is celebrating 50 years of music-making with a special anniversary concert at Pontefract Methodist Church on Sunday (September 27).

The concert, which starts at 2pm, will bring together current and former members of the band for an afternoon celebrating five decades of music, friendship and community.

For this special occasion, the band will be augmented by around 13 former members, many of whom will be returning to perform alongside today's musicians. A significant number of other former players are also expected to attend as members of the audience, making the event a special reunion for musicians and supporters past and present.

Among the special guests will be Roland Richter, travelling from Bochum in Germany. Roland has a particular connection with the band's history, having been involved in the band's exchange with Orchester Herne 62 during the 1990s.

Knottingley Concert Brass is celebrating 50 years of music-making.

placeholder image — Knottingley Concert Brass is celebrating 50 years of music-making.

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That musical connection also has an interesting link with the wider history of the area. It coincides with Wakefield Council's current celebration of Castleford's twinning with Herne, which began in the late 1950s. Roland himself was a participant in those early exchanges as a schoolboy.

The anniversary concert will therefore celebrate not only the band's 50 years, but also the friendships and international connections that music has helped create over the decades.

Knottingley Concert Brass now makes Pontefract Methodist Church its home, rehearsing there every Monday and Wednesday evening.

The band continues to welcome musicians and supporters as it looks towards the next chapter of its history.