Wellington musician looking forward to challenge of Air Force Band Concert
Byron Newton is looking forward to the challenge of playing the euphonium at The Air Force In Concert at the end of October.
The annual concert is one in which the acclaimed Royal New Zealand Air Force Band takes the audience on an offbeat ride through diverse musical styles, from popular show tunes to military classics, with some smart choreography to cap it off.
Newton, who lives in Ngaio, says it’s a great opportunity for the band members to showcase their skills, which go well beyond those called upon for ceremonial purposes.
“There will be a bit of everything — a movie medley, some Piazolla tango music, and the more military style,” he says.
“We get to do a concert in a good auditorium and to test our limits as artists and musicians.”
The band is made up of reservists, many of whom are active in Wellington’s music scene.
“There’s a very strong jazz scene in Wellington and a lot of those musicians are in the Air Force Band — particularly those who play trombone, percussion saxophone and those sorts of big-band instruments,” Newton says.
“Most of the musicians are semi-professional, or they may be music students or freelance like myself.”
Opera singer Barbara Graham, who has performed with the New Zealand Opera, is also a vocalist with the band.
The Air Force In Concert will be held at the St James Theatre in Wellington on Sunday, October 29, at 2.30pm.
