Golden anniversary events for Capricornia Silver Band
Nationals performance follows two-hour concert at Emmaus College this Sunday afternoon
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IN 1973, a high school student Jeanette Douglas travelled from Brisbane with her school's brass band to compete in the state championships in Rockhampton.
"There were only two junior bands performing, Wavell High and Rockhampton High,” she said.
"It's a weird coincidence but I would have been competing against some of the people who went on to become members of the Capricornia Silver Band.”
Mrs Douglas conducts the Capricornia Winds concert band, which for the last four years has operated under the Silver Band banner.
This Sunday, in honour of the Capricornia Silver Band's 50th anniversary, they will join for a two-hour, public concert at Emmaus College.
Mrs Douglas' favourite piece of the program is Infinite Hope composed by Brian Balmages which she describes as much in the style of an epic movie screen score.
"It has such beautiful moments. It makes me think of the grandeur of nature: lakes and mountains,” she said.
"It has periods of stillness interspersed with incredibly fast, exciting passages and massive amounts of percussion.”
It is among the longer pieces on the program which will be interspersed with performances by seven soloists on clarinet, flute and piccolo.
Infinite Hope is a test piece for all concert bands which take part in the Yamaha Australian National Band championships over the Easter long weekend in Brisbane.
Capricornia Silver Band first competed at a National Championship event in 1976 and last attended in 2008 so this is the first opportunity for it to showcase Capricornia Winds to the whole of Australia.
It will be the Winds' first contest in Open B grade, having won the 2016 and 2017 Open C grade state finals.
"Nationals are infinitely more exciting for the woodwind players because state finals are often small, and because they're in Brisbane this year it's easier for us to take part,” Mrs Douglas said.
Conductors Mrs Douglas (Winds) and Rod Haynes (Brass) have been rehearsing a test piece, a hymn tune, a stage march and their own choice piece; brass bands also compete in the Parade of Bands through the Brisbane CBD.
There are about 75 band members in total, who range from 13 year old student to a 72 year old retired air traffic controller.
"Our Vice President, Geoff Carter, established the Army Band in Darwin when he was a councillor there,” Mrs Douglas said.
"He moved to Rockhampton about two years ago and now he plays bass clarinet and baritone saxophone for us.
"And there's a junior doctor who travels from Bundaberg to rehearse with us who'll be at this weekend's concert; there was no opportunity for her to play bass clarinet in a band there.”
It's a familiar scenario to Mrs Douglas who drove in from Blackwater Friday nights during the 1980s to play with the Capricornia Silver Band.
"This is what band people do; it's in your blood and you can't survive without it,” she said.
Mrs Douglas said her parents had no musical background but she begged her mother for piano lessons after she heard a neighbour playing and teaching.
When she was posted teaching primary school in Blackwater, she began a chamber group with the local PCYC because she "couldn't bear it without a band”.
And after she moved her family to Rockhampton to take up an instrumental music teaching position, she noticed there was a similar gap in opportunities.
"Capricornia Silver Band catered for brass musicians but many of my ex-students had no adult woodwind group to join,” she said.
Mrs Douglas said she had long thought about starting up her own band as she didn't know whether Capricornia Silver Band's committee would want to take another group under its banner after so many years as "very much a brass band”.
In fact, it grew out of the Rockhampton Junior and Citizens Band, changing its name to Capricornia Silver Band in May 1969.
Its first conductor, Dick Williams was the first of only five as Dennis Ilott held the post for a whopping 34 years from 1975- 2009, followed by John Evenhuis.
Four years in, Mrs Douglas is grateful the Silver Band agreed to open its doors.
"I love working with the multiple age groups; it's amazing the mentoring that goes on,” she said.
"It's not about who's the best player, the colour of your skin, your religion; you leave all that out there and it's only about the music.”
She points to a 1890s newspaper cover on the band's Diggers St hall.
"It used to be you'd hold a concert in the park, hundreds of people would come and take a picnic,” she said.
"We really want to try and capture that feeling.”
On return from Brisbane the band will support many Anzac day events and ceremonies throughout the community including Rockhampton, The Caves, Marmor, Emu Park.
On May 25, a catered event will celebrate its 50th anniversary; $30 tickets for the dinner will be available at this weekend's concert.
The Capricornia Silver Band is looking for everyone with past involvement to join them for the dinner which is also open to the public.
National Titles Presentation Concert
Emmaus College
Sunday 7 April 3pm
$10 tickets
50th Anniversary dinner
Capricorn Silver band hall, Diggers St, Nth Rockhampton
Saturday 25 May 6pm
$30 tickets available at the April 7 concert or via the Band secretary
phone 0475 697 720 or email capsilverinc@mail.com
Originally published as Golden anniversary events for Capricornia Silver Band
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