RSVP Bhangra - co-creators and performers
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A high-energy, interactive and fun Bhangra music experience that really rocks the crowd and keeps them dancing all night. From legendary UK festivals including Glastonbury, WOMAD and The Secret Garden Party to Feest in 't Park over in Belgium, Pennabilli down in Italy and Kulturekosmos in Germany, RSVP have rocked them all, leaving delighted audiences screaming for more.
Performing everywhere from countryside village halls to large theatres in the UK and at massive festivals in Europe, RSVP Bhangra's unique blending of Punjabi Indian music with dance beats and mainstream pop has created a new and irresistible sound that audiences everywhere love and keep on coming back for - music that is immediately involving, compulsive and extremely addictive! |
Liz Lane - co-creator and composer
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Liz Lane is a British composer who has been described as 'the fine composer who's got such a gift for melody' [Ian McMillan, BBC Radio 3]. Her music has been broadcast on BBC 1, ITV and BBC Radio 3. Liz's many diverse works range from music celebrating aerospace engineering for 280 musicians aged 7-70 performed under the wings of Concorde to a co-creative event with older people choirs and dancers facilitated by Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and of course Surtaal Symphony.
Performers include the world's no. 1 ranked brass band The Cory Band, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Carducci Quartet, Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Grimethorpe Band, Foden's Band, Brighouse and Rastrick Band, Symphonic Brass of the RAF, Steven Mead, David Thornton, Anne Howarth (USA), Marlene Ford (USA), Eastern Virginia Brass (USA), Norfolk Chamber Consort (USA), San Domenico Virtuoso Program Orchestra (USA), Manger Musikklag (Norway), and the Almost Orthogonal Quartet (Israel). Festival commissions have included Cheltenham, Presteigne and Three Choirs Festivals. She is Composer in Association with the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and Composer in Residence with Lydbrook Band. |
Lydbrook Band
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Lydbrook Band were established in 1923 in the Royal Forest of Dean, the band have played all over the world including South Africa and most recently, Spain, Poland and Belgium. 2023 sees them celebrate their centenary and media appearances include Popchips UK (cinema), BBC Countryfile and The One Show, and the National Lottery. They enthusiastically embrace unique and unusual performing opportunities and are as happy with new writing as they are with a traditional brass band march. With several recent world premieres under their collective belt, Lydbrook Band match power with grace in their two Surtaal collaborations with RSVP Bhangra and Liz Lane.
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Grimethorpe Colliery Band
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Formed in 1917, during the First World War, Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a British institution. National and British Open Champions on numerous occasions, the band’s contest successes remain legendary. These include 16 Brass In Concert Championship titles, 11 times Yorkshire Regional Champions, two English National Championship victories, four times British Open Champions and four times National Champion Brass Band of Great Britain.
Grimethorpe’s diverse noted concert performances include those at the FIFA World Cup, BAFTA Awards, BBC Proms, Eurovision and London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, together with a wealth of national and international television / radio appearances and professional recordings. The band has been the recipient of two gold discs, as well as a BAFTA nomination for its contributions to the global hit movie “Brassed Off” for which Grimethorpe was the focal point. The Royal Albert Hall, Symphony Hall, Barbican, Westminster Abbey, European Parliament, Sydney Opera House and more, have all played host to Grimethorpe. With tours to Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, and concerts & festival appearances throughout Europe, the band’s performance reputation remains unsurpassed. In addition to continuing to delight audiences across the globe, Grimethorpe also continues to invest in and support its local community in Grimethorpe, Barnsley and South Yorkshire, particularly through its youth music initiatives and community performances, both locally and on a national scale. |
Belinda Evans - soprano
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Lyric coloratura soprano Belinda Evans obtained a Vocal Diploma at the Welsh College of Music and Drama following a BA(Hons) Music Degree from Bath Spa University College. Belinda enjoys a varied career in opera and on the concert platform, and is currently Artist in Residence on several education projects. Her versatile voice has led her from singing at The Rugby World Cup in Australia, to film & TV appearances, and London’s West End, including ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ following participation in the BBC TV Series ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria?’ Belinda is currently touring Europe with André Rieu.
Expect high-octane vocal gymnastics alongside RSVP’s lead singer Dildar in an explosion of vocal colour! |
Steve Phillips - conductor
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Steve comes from a Salvation Army background and specialised in conducting when studying for his BA and MA degrees at the University of Salford under the guidance of conductors Roy Newsome and David King.
A Euphonium player, Steve spent a number of years playing with the UES Stocksbridge, Sellers International and Carlton Main Frickley Colliery bands and also toured a number of times with the Young Ambassadors of Great Britain. As a conductor he has worked with top sections bands in Yorkshire, the Midlands and the South East alongside his professional life as a Headteacher and Ofsted Inspector for which he has also had spells abroad working in Germany and Malaysia. Steve is married with 2 children and, with his wife Sonja, also provides a foster home for children who are unable to live with their birth families and who may have experienced trauma or difficulty in their lives. |
Ian Holmes - conductor
Ian Holmes studied at the University of York, Banff Center of Fine Arts and the Royal College of Music, and has conducted and curated many successful and diverse large scale events including Bristol Beacon and Bristol Cathedral. As a brass band conductor, he has worked with Cory Band and Aldbourne Band, and was Principal Conductor of Lydbrook Band for twelve years, leading them in a number of high profile concerts including with Robert Hardy CBE and Henry Goodman. He has worked with RSVP Bhangra in two prestigious collaborations and was thrilled to premiere Surtaal Suite No. 1 Band in 2018 and Surtaal Unites in 2022 at Lydbrook Band's Proms in the Park.
