Telford School Band Attend Schools Prom Concert 

Members of the award wining Abraham Darby School Showband (sponsored by Newport Chiropractic), Madeley, Telford left school early on Wednesday 9th November to travel to attend their prestigious headlining concert performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London where they played on the last night of the Annual Schools Prom Concerts organised by Music for Youth. The Showband were privileged to have been invited to play the National Anthem to open their performance and concluded with Global Variations written by the British Composer, Nigel Hess. 

The School have received this invitation to attend this concert four times in the last six years and this year’s appearance follows on from the Showband’s fourth consecutive Outstanding Performance that they were awarded at the Music for Youth National Festival that was held in the Symphony Hall, Birmingham earlier in July this year. This appearance at the Royal Albert Hall will be the third occasion that the Showband have participated at this prestigious annual event, with an appearance by the School’s Jazz Band in 2003. Indeed the School is perhaps honoured to be possibly the only single school in recent years that has attended the Schools Prom concert in consecutive years having achieved this particular feat in 2002 and 2003.

The Schools Proms took place over three nights on 7, 8 and 9 November 2005 with a total audience of over 14,000 over the three nights and are treated to every kind of music ranging from boy-bands to near professional orchestras. The exuberance, skills and talent of these gifted young performers reached a climax each evening with a spine-tingling finale of fireworks, balloons and the traditional and well known Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. The School Proms Concerts were hosted by Richard Stilgoe, the composer Howard Goodall and Classic FM presenter Lisa Duncombe.

Simon Platford, the School’s Director of Performing Arts at the School said “that all the band members were extremely pleased and honoured to have attended the Schools Prom Concert series again and were looking forward to their performance on the stage of the well known international famous concert venue – I am also delighted that over 150 parents and supporters travelled down to London to support the Showband and that this continued support was greatly appreciated not only by me but by all the band members”.