Portsmouth Grammar School Brass Bands

PGS Brass Bands are a thriving part of the music department at The Portsmouth Grammar School. As well as the senior brass band there is also a middle school brass band and junior school brass band directed by Head of Brass Graham Brown. The bands are kept busy performing at about 45 events throughout the year, from concerts within school, to concerts in the local community. They have been featured on BBC South Today, and ITV Meridian, as well as performing on BBC Radio and Wave 105. In 2018 the senior brass band recorded their first CD ‘Encore!’ produced and recorded by World of Sound. They have performed in St Johns Smith Square London, both Portsmouth Cathedrals, Romsey Abbey, Portsmouth Guildhall, Portsmouth Dockyard, The International Festival of The Sea and local churches. Pupils have in the past performed with prominent brass players, including The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra brass section, London Mozart Players, The John Wallace Collection, Steve Sykes (tuba). They have performed with the world-famous Black Dyke Band on three separate occasions, and The Royal Marines Association Concert Band twice once along with the RM school of Music. They have also organised many charity concerts raising thousands of pounds for local charities. In 2019 they were invited to perform at the Music for Youth National Festival in Birmingham. During lockdown the school bands kept rehearsing together online each week and made a few virtual recordings, one of which was a recording of the junior school band performing ‘Baggy Trousers’ which can be seen on YouTube. Since the pandemic the bands have started performing again at live events, last year the band performed to a capacity crowd in Portsmouth Guildhall Square at the opening ceremony to the Sea Angling Classic which was shown live on Sky Sports. They were invited to play by the British Army, Royal Artillery Regimental Reformation Parade at Thorney Island Hampshire. Every two years the school brass bands go on a joint concert tour, previous tours have seen the bands performing in Belgium, Italy, Disneyland Paris, Austria, Bavaria, Spain, Czech Republic, Switzerland, France and Croatia.

Participated: 2024
Country: UK