Experience The Snowman Live with Wantage Band this Christmas
Experience The Snowman Live with Wantage Band this Christmas.
Since 2021, the award-winning Wantage Band has been wowing families with their Christmas concerts, where live music meets cinema, centred around The Snowman - the festive cinematic masterpiece by the late Raymond Briggs.
If you’re yet to experience this, it’s good news as you can join Wantage Band again this year on Saturday, December 2 and Sunday 3, with two performances each afternoon.
Due to popularity and demand, the band will be taking these amazing events to both The Beacon, Wantage and new venue The Amey Theatre, Abingdon.
One of the organising team, musician Sam Wyne, who is also a trustee at Wantage Band said: “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 three years ago.”
So if you’ve not been to a brass band concert before, what can you expect?
Sam said: “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 to enjoy listening to the soundtrack to The Snowman, performed by the band, in perfect sync with the film on the big screen.”
The band are joined by the talented pianist Andrew McKenna, Grace Clark from Caritas Choir as well as regular compere Cheryl Marsh from early years music making group Boogie Mites.
As well as this, the band has welcomed huge support from the community, with sponsors including Dolphin Gallery, TA Sport Stars, Progressive Physiotherapy, Wantage Pilates Studio, Wantage Chamber of Commerce and Green & Co.
Tickets can be booked from just £10 at www.ticketsource.co.uk/wantage-band for both venues. Email wantagebandevents@gmail.com should you have any questions.
This really is a must-see Christmas event, says Sam. “Surely there is nothing more festive than the sound of a brass band at Christmas?”
Comments from last year’s audience include: “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. Congratulations everyone!”
British bandsman Rob Tomkins was impressed too. “The centrepiece was the neatly synchronised production of ‘The Snowman’ – greatly helped by Philip Littlemore’s sympathetic treatment of the Howard Blake score which gave a glow of nostalgia to the adults and an even warm warmer glow of excitement to the youngsters as the tale unfolded before their eyes.”
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 it’s large setup including three contesting bands, non-competitve Community Brass, three learner bands, a big band and percussion academy.
Visit www.wantageband.org for more information about WSB.