Les Neish to inspire next generation at Riverside
Tuesday 18 October 2016
Members of Riverside Youth Band in rehearsal.
THE Riverside Youth Band is to perform with tuba virtuoso Les Neish as it prepares to welcome the next generation of brass and percussion playing talent to its ranks.
Besson Artist Les will lead a morning of workshops in the band’s hometown of Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, as the reigning Scottish youth novice champion seeks to recruit its latest intake of players to its flourishing setup.
The event on Saturday, October 22, will culminate in a concert featuring Les as a guest soloist with Riverside Youth Band and Renfrew Burgh Band, both conducted by Mark Good.
Looking ahead to the event, Les said: “I’m really looking forward to working with the next generation of talented musicians at Riverside Youth Band’s Come and Play Open Day.
“Learning to play a brass or percussion instrument brings enormous benefits to a young person’s development and rehearsals offer a fun but focused environment for them to enjoy their music making.
“I look forward to what is shaping up to be a memorable day in Port Glasgow.”
The evening concert will see history made for Riverside Youth Band as it performs the world premiere of a new piece written especially for the band celebrating Inverclyde’s shipbuilding history.
Penned by Alan Fernie, Clydebuilt brings the shipyards to life in music, from the heavy industrial sounds of construction to the eventual maiden voyage.
Mark Good, Musical Director of Riverside Youth Band, said: “The River Clyde and its rich shipbuilding heritage forms part of the fabric of Inverclyde, and remains of great importance to the area today.
“We were delighted to commission Alan Fernie to compose a piece celebrating the industry for which Inverclyde has become world famous, and we look forward to performing the piece as part of what is shaping up to be a terrific evening which will also feature the incomparable Les Neish.”
The workshop is open to young people from Inverclyde and the surrounding area already playing and those who are interested in learning to play an instrument. It runs from 10am until 1pm in St John’s Hall.
Tickets for the evening concert cost £7 and are on sale from Service Centre, Regent Street, Greenock, Cherry Blossom Children’s Boutique, Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm, and on the door at Port Glasgow Town Hall in the evening. Any young person attending the workshop will receive a wristband entitling them to free entry to the concert.
More information is available by emailing Laura Good, secretary of Riverside Youth Band on secretary@riversideyouthband.
