Balsom returns to Royston
Alison Balsom OBE’s stunning performance of the Hummel Trumpet Concerto as the soloist at this year's Last Night of the Proms received significant press interest, with both The Times and The One Show featuring the virtuoso musician ahead of her retirement from the concert platform. Just prior to giving her final performance the award winning trumpeter revisited the band where “it all started”.
During the BBC programme, Alison returned Royston Town Band where she started playing aged 7. Commenting on her return to the Royston Band in Hertfordshire for the programme, Alison said that it was "such a joy to film". Now passionate about inspiring youngsters to follow in her brass playing footsteps, she was filmed at her old primary school and a band rehearsal, meeting old and new friends — highlighting the family connections that continue to underpin the band's community success.
Alison also described the unique catalyst that playing in a band can be to a life-long love of music stating: ““Playing cornet in a brass band is like playing first violin in an orchestra,” she says. “You get most of the tunes, but you are constantly aware of the harmonies underneath you. It’s a wonderful way to learn about how music works. But I learnt something else as well, which is that it was more moving for me to play a simple hymn tune with my local band than it was to play much more sophisticated music with the more professional band I joined later. And that made me realise, even as a teenager, that what matters most in music is not the technical level but connecting with other people and creating something that’s more than the sum of its parts.”
Royston Band Chairperson, Charmian Flowerday commented on the visit, "We were delighted to welcome Alison back to make music with us, bringing together both players with a lifetime of brass band experience and new players just beginning their musical journeys. Music has such a powerful ability to bring people together. As the provision of music education disappears from our schools, groups like Royston Town Band are more important than ever in making sure young musicians get the opportunity to develop the skills that last a lifetime. You never know when the next Alison Balsom might emerge!"
The feature is currently available on BBC iplayer at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002j8j8/the-one-show-12092025
