Brass band Shanghai bound
Invercargill’s Ascot Park Hotel Brass Band is preparing for a week in Shanghai.
The band has been chosen to represent New Zealand at the week-long Shanghai International Music Festival in September.
Band president Graham Dick said only one act was chosen to represent New Zealand each year.
The band of Invercargill brass enthusiasts might stand out in Shanghai, Dick said.
‘‘Brass bands are not very popular in China, so we need to be different and make quite a lot of noise.’’
Dick said excited to hit stage.
Numbers were to be confirmed but about 34 members would travel to Shanghai, he said. The ages in the band range from 14 to 70.
After the band was recommended as the New Zealand representative in 2015 Dick was unsure if they would have the numbers to attend.
‘‘The first thing was we had to find out if we had a band to go, and we had a lot of people have time off [in September].
‘‘Now that we know that we have a band, and can go, we’re very excited.’’
The band would be on an international broadcast, Dick said.
‘‘The main feature of the festival is a street parade through the members were the international main streets of Shanghai.
‘‘It’s about three kilometres long and it’s live on television.’’
Fundraising would need to be completed by the band, Dick said.
He estimated band members would need to raise $3000 each for the trip to Shanghai.
Band conductor Matthew Dick said it was a long process to confirm the band could perform at the festival.
The festival performance would reach an audience of 200 million on television, Dick said.
Some 400,000 would watch the performance live.
The band has already had a successful year, competing in and winning the Otago Southland Brass Band Championships in Dunedin in early April.
Eight bands took part in the competition, with the Invercargill band winning the championship and prestige entertainment sections, and placing second in the sacred section, making it the overall champion.
Graham Dick said the strength of the band was reliant on the Ascot Park Hotel Auxiliary Band as a training and feeder band, and the two bands both had players on stage at the weekend to create a combined band total of more than 60.
For some of the band members, it was their first time competing on stage at the top level.
The band now begins rehearsals for a series of concerts including the Last Night of the Proms, to be held in the Civic Theatre on October 29, and which is being organised by the Inner Wheel Club of Invercargill north.
In 2017 the band will celebrate 150 years, making it one of the oldest brass bands in New Zealand.