Rushen Silver Band couldn’t wait join in the Brass at the Park celebrations!

Members of Rushen Silver Band were delighted and honoured to be invited to take part in Brass at the Park to commemorate their former musical advisor Richard Evans.

Richard had been involved with the Isle of Man outfit since 2003 after a chance meeting with the then, now current, musical director John Kinley at a Brass in Concert competition.

“Richard always kept a keen interest in the band all through the year and took his role as musical advisor very seriously right until the end,” recalled John. “He was always on the end of the phone to provide advice to help us move forward and I will always be grateful for his sensible, no-nonsense and wise advice.

“I know Richard used to greatly enjoy his visits and I like to think for our part, we kept him in touch with the grass roots of banding and the art of serving and entertaining your community. Indeed, in later visits, he was often heard to comment when discussing contesting, ‘I’ve never lost a concert’!”

Rushen Silver has come a long way from its original roots when it started life as the Surby Band back in 1926 when a group of lads got together with six concertinas and a kettle drum! After changing its name in 1949, the band celebrated 50 years in 1999 with the commissioning of a new march Rushen Gold and hymn Surby Bridge. Ten years later the band recorded its first CD entitled Diamond Celebrations, and played its first ‘overseas’ performances on a visit to Yorkshire for two concerts.

In recent years the band has enjoyed many highly commended performances competing in the annual Manx Music Festival and was thrilled to have won the entertainment class in both 2023 and 2024.   

Rushen Silver has established a reputation, both on and now off the island, for performing high-quality, entertaining concerts consisting of repertoire drawn from across the musical spectrum.

The day before appearing at Brass at the Park, Rushen Silver put on an open air concert in the Saughton Park bandstand, Edinburgh.

“The band will always be so grateful for the 20 years that Richard worked with the band and we still miss him greatly,” John added. “However, the best compliment we can pay him is to carry on doing what he taught us and to keep passing on his wisdom to the next generation.”