Raymond Briggs festive cinematic masterpiece The Snowman screened with live music by award-winning Wantage Band
Experience the magic of The Snowman this Christmas with Wantage Band.
Since 2021, the award-winning Wantage Band has been wowing families with their family Christmas concerts, where live music meets cinema, centred around The Snowman – the festive cinematic masterpiece by the late Raymond Briggs.
Whether you’re yet to experience this or it’s now your annual tradition, it’s going to be a busy year for the band, as they’ll be performing two performances in Wantage, Newbury and Abingdon this year, continuing to add to their list of venues.
“Our band thoroughly enjoys performing these concerts each Christmas. It’s become the ‘thing to do’ for families in the area each December – what we had always hoped for when we embarked on this project for the first time four years ago,” said organiser Sam Wyne.
So if you’ve not been to a brass band concert before, what can you expect?
Sam explains: “Our family concerts last an hour. Our talented musical director Chris King guides the audience through several festive pieces to get warmed up.
“After this we turn down the lights, invite families to get comfy and to enjoy listening to the soundtrack to The Snowman, performed by the band, in perfect sync with the film on the big screen.”
Reaching out to as many families as possible, newly-appointed compere Sarah Roe, will be guiding audiences through each concert using makaton to help connect with even more families.
Makaton is the UK’s leading programme for adults and children with learning or communication difficulties. It is a language programme that combine signs, symbols and speech to give different options for people to communicate.
Sam adds: “Our whole ethos at the Wantage Silver Band organisation is ‘access for all’. We feel it’s important for all young people to have music in their lives and we want every part of our concerts to be as accessible as possible.
“We have wanted to add some sort of signing to our concerts for a while now and we’re so pleased to have Sarah on board.”
The band are to be joined by the talented pianist Andrew McKenna and young singer Grace Clark to sing the iconic Walking in the Air.
Tickets can be booked from just £10 at www.wantageband org/events for all three venues: The Beacon, Wantage (December 7), Amey Theatre, Abingdon (December 8) or Arlington Arts (December 15).
Surely there is nothing better than the sound of a brass band at Christmas? Here’s what people had to say:
“Myself, my partner and our three-year-old girl went to the Beacon today to see The Snowman with music by Wantage Silver Band and I just thought I had to say how great we thought it was.
“Absolutely brilliant performance from the band who even played Jingle Bells and Into the unknown’ from Frozen 2 which our little girl absolutely loved and hasn’t stopped singing since! Definitely got us into the Christmas spirit! thank you .”
“Just been to the first performance of The Snowman. The musicians are amazing. This can’t be an amateur band? I’ve been to concerts in many venues around the country and this would stand with any professional performance.”
Wantage Silver Band is an amateur brass band organisation, based in Wantage. The organisation currently comprises nine bands, possibly making it the largest brass organisation in the country. ‘Wantage Band’ is in the prestigious Championship Section and performs and competes all over the country. The band is proud of its large set-up including three contesting bands, non-competitve Community Brass, three learner bands, a big band and percussion academy.
Visit www.wantageband.org
Facebook – www.facebook.com/WantageSilverBand
Instagram – www.instagram.com/WantageSilverBand
for more information about WSB.