Unley Concert Band

Loxton Mardi Gras 2012

Nicky — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:51:44 +0000

UCB has been invited to participate in the Loxton Mardi Gras on Saturday 25th February 2012. The band was invited in 2011 to march in the Disney themed parade which is a very popular event in the Riverland town. UCB performed an array of popular tunes such as Thriller and Sweet Caroline down several streets in the town and also performed an entertainment concert in the rotunda in the afternoon with popular pieces such as Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me and New Hampshire Hornpipe.

Unley Concert Band marches at Loxton Mardi Gras 2011

This year will mark the parade’s 55th anniversary and UCB is pleased to be marching once again in the event to celebrate this milestone. The band will likely play a short concert of entertaining tunes in the rotunda after the parade at 1:30pm. All friends of the band are welcome to attend.

Australian National Band Championships – Victoria 2012

Nicky — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:42:37 +0000

Unley Concert Band will be contesting as an official A grade band for the first time this year when they travel to Melbourne at Easter for the Australian National Band Championships, as one of five South Australian bands this year. The band was recently re-graded as an A Grade band which is a great achievement for a relatively young band who only in 2004, contested C Grade divisions.

The band has had a number of successes at the Nationals since that year, placing second in B grade on several occasions, winning the concert band division of the street march on three occasions and in 2011, contesting the A Grade concert division for the first time with good results.

UCB competes in 2011 Nationals Street March

The band will be competing on Easter Sunday in the A Grade concert division at the Sebel Albert Park complex and will also compete in the Street March on Easter Saturday at St Kilda, once again aiming to prove that concert bands can and do perform brilliantly in a marching capacity.

If you are looking for a great way to spend Easter, we welcome you to pop over the border and join our supporters in cheering on the double blues and indeed, all our South Australian chances, at the competition!

For more information on venues, test music selections and other important news, please visit the 2012 Australian National Band Championships website.

UCB to appear at Unley leg of Tour Down Under

Nicky — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:49:43 +0000

Happy New Year to everybody from UCB! We hope that everybody has had a wonderful and rewarding festive season.

It will be an early rise for UCB on Thursday 19th January when the band has its first performance for 2012 at Stage 3 of the Tour Down Under in Unley. The band will provide marching entertainment from 8:30am under the direction of Drum Major Jeff Hale, premiering three new marching charts.

Band members participating in the TDU performance, please make sure you are available for the marching practice that has been scheduled for next Wednesday and that you have prepared your parts prior to this rehearsal.

UCB plays in the christmas season

Nicky — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:57:35 +0000

UCB have finished their last full band performance of the year after yet another busy pageant season and is now looking forward to the final Christmas celebrations this week.

Phil Harris - trombone

Sarah Byron - alto saxophone

The band, after debuting the new uniform at the Credit Union Christmas Pageant on 12th November, began the local pageant season, firstly heading down to the sunny shores of Glenelg on Sun 20th November for the pageant down Jetty Road and Colley Terrace.

The band then braved downpours of rain to head to Norwood on Saturday morning 26th November for the popular Parade pageant.

UCB Drum Corps at Norwood Pageant

Luckily the brightly decorated band managed to avoid the torrential rain that soaked other bands and marched to relatively clear skies.

UCB - Norwood Pageant 2011

After the pageant, in what has become an annual tradition, many members of the band travelled to the nursing home of UCB life member, Claude Hale, to perform some Christmas tunes and other popular march tunes for Claude and the other residents. It is always an honour to perform for Claude whose many years of service not only to UCB but to the armed forces and banding as a whole is inspiring to others.

The band then visited Blackwood for the evening pageant on 2nd December down Main Road. A double header on Saturday 3rd December saw UCB first visit the Hills township of Mount Barker for their popular pageant beginning at the Mount Barker oval and finishing along the main street.

UCB's marching 'choreography'

Roundabouts in the way? No problem!

The band was in fine form for the pageant, decorated festivally and were welcomed by a very enthusiastic crowd.

UCB - Mount Barker pageant 2011

After the Mount Barker pageant, the band then headed off to the banks of the River Murray at Mannum for the annual band BBQ, prepared and cooked to perfection by our resident chef Jim Warren, his wife Joan and daughter Michelle. It was a magnificent feast on a glorious day at the river for all who attended. The band then participated in the town’s pageant in the evening, culminating in an impromptu performance in front of the local pub.

Ben Bersten - French Horn and creative decoration!

The band mid-counter march at Mannum pageant

Mannum Pageant day is always a great day out and this year was no exception. Thanks must go to Maurice Lateu for the many hours of work managing the pageant season and also to Drum Major Jeff Hale for his ongoing work with the marching component of the band. UCB wishes everybody a safe and merry Christmas and is looking forward to a busy and prosperous 2012

UCB honours our fallen servicemen – 11/11/11 at 11:00am

Nicky — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 03:26:41 +0000

Unley Concert Band was proud to once again represent the City of Unley at the Remembrance Day service on a particularly significant date of 11/11/11 at 11:00am. The service was held at the Unley Memorial on Unley Road, attended by important council and RSL representatives, including the Mayor of the City of Unley Lachlan Clyne and RSL President Les Partridge. The band played several hymns, accompanying the Walford Anglican Girls School choir, to accompany the wreath laying and the laying of rosemary by children from Unley Primary School. More than 20 members of the band were able to be involved this year and this was an excellent representation for this service during the day. This was the final day that UCB was to wear the old uniform with the distinctive Indigeneous design. UCB is always proud to contribute to this very important day in honour of servicemen who sacrified their lives for our country.

Credit Union Christmas Pageant 2011

Nicky — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:09:18 +0000

Unley Concert Band were proud to show off their brand new uniform in the Credit Union Christmas Pageant yesterday. The weather remained sunny and bright as the band completed the 3.5km route through Adelaide’s city streets to a large and enthusiastic crowd of the young and the ‘young at heart’. The band showcased some new marching tunes, including the 80s hit “The Final Countdown” and some rousing Christmas tunes and even performed some new choreography! Congratulations to Matthew Bacon, Amy Iveson, Claire Mickan and Lauren Murch for their first time marching with the band, and thank you to Drum Major, Jeff Hale, for his continued efforts training the marching band to participate in this year’s event.

Stay tuned for more news on the rest of the pageant season!

Unley preparing to ‘deck the halls’

Nicky — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 03:47:30 +0000

UCB is, once again, preparing for the Christmas season and practicing hard for the busiest time of the year for the marching band. UCB will be participating in 6 pageants this year:

Credit Union Christmas Pageant (through the centre of the Adelaide CBD) – Saturday November 12th (morning)
Glenelg Christmas Pageant – Sunday November 20th (morning)
Norwood Christmas Pageant – Saturday November 26th (morning)
Blackwood Christmas Pageant – Friday December 2nd (evening
Mount Barker Christmas Pageant – Saturday December 3rd (morning)
Mannum Christmas Pageant – Saturday December 3rd (evening)

The band will be playing several new marching charts this year plus unveiling their BRAND NEW UNIFORM at this year’s pageant season.

Christmas Break-Up Function (private)

Nicky — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 05:05:15 +0000

December 14, 2011
7:30 pm	to	9:30 pm

Bring along a plate of food and BYO drinks to the town hall to celebrate a great year at UCB.

Unley wows audiences at local theatres for OOTS

Nicky — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:28:31 +0000

Unley Concert Band has had a great week entertaining audiences at the ‘Out of the Square’ Matinee Series and making new friends in the outer suburban areas.

The week opened with a performance at the Shedley Theatre in Elizabeth on Monday 10th October where the band played a variety of well known, toe-tapping tunes to a small but appreciative audience. This performance also coincided with the official release of the band’s new CD, “Uniquely Unley” which audiences were able to take home with them!

The band then moved to Marion Cultural Centre in Oaklands Park for a morning performance on Tuesday to a large crowd and travelled from there for the afternoon performance at Star Theatres in Hilton. Both concerts were well received and the band was ‘at capacity’ on the Star Theatres’ small stage (complete with a pantomime set backdrop from a morning performance!)

Wednesday saw the band entertain a full house at the Noarlunga Arts Centre in Port Noarlunga. The cabaret style audience were a rowdy and appreciative crowd who greeted the band with a much welcomed standing ovation and were most complimentary about the band’s performance in the foyer after the performance.

On Thursday, it was off to Golden Grove Arts Centre, where the band made some new friends in the North East. Finally, UCB finished up the week at the Parks Community Centre Theatres in Angle Park to a small but equally appreciative audience. One lady expressed that it was “one of the best performances she had seen” and marvelled about the talent in our band.

During the week, the band entertained the crowds with a variety of music, opening each performance with Rimsky Korsakov’s lively Procession of the Nobles. The band then played a variety of film music, marches and popular music, interspersed with an impressive solo, En Aranjuez Con Tu Amor, by Sarah Butler on Flugel Horn, a very popular rendition of Alexander’s Ragtime Band by our trumpet section and New Hampshire Hornpipe which showcased the front row woodwinds. Other popular numbers were Funiculi Funicula, ABBA on Broadway, the toe-tapping finale of the galop, Instant Concert and the always requested encore, Waltzing Matilda.

Thank you to all members who were able to commit to one or more of these performances to make these events a success, to all members who helped transport and load/unload equipment and of course, to our musical director/accomplished MC for his hard work in preparation for Out of the Square.

To view the official programme, please download the PDF here: OOTS programme

“Uniquely Unley” is nearly here!

Nicky — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:09:39 +0000

Unley Concert Band’s new CD “Uniquely Unley” is nearly here, hot off the press!

The band is very excited to be releasing their first CD just in time for a busy Christmas season.

Have you ordered your copy yet? $15 or 3 for $30.

Features symphonic band works by Gordon Jacob and Alfred Reed, rousing marches by Kenneth Alford and James Swearingen and toe-tapping tunes from Duke Ellington, Richard Rodgers and ABBA! And more!