We were thrilled and honoured to perform live for the very first time with our Patron Gerard McChrystal on Sunday 24 November. Held at St Hugh’s Church, Market Harborough, this concert was a sellout and raised an amazing £805 for the St Hugh’s Cygnet Fundraising Project.
The capacity audience was treated to a varied programme that included a number of original compositions for the saxophone that truly demonstrated what the instrument can do. Solo pieces from Gerard included Paul Bonneau’s Caprice en Forme de Valse, Outburst by Chris Evan Haas, Barry Cockcroft’s Kuku and Jenni Watson’s Distortion, while Phoenix performed the atmospheric piece Journey Home that’s been written especially for the group by saxophonist and composer Mick Foster. The concert then culminated in a performance of Concertino, a funky new concerto by Australian composer Matthew Orlovich, that Phoenix performed with Gerard taking the lead on solo alto saxophone.
Rev Alison Iliffe, team vicar of the Parish of the Transfiguration, St Nicholas and St Hugh, said: “It was amazing to welcome Gerard McChrystal and Phoenix Saxophone Orchestra for this concert at St Hughs. The audience was thoroughly enthralled and we raised a fantastic amount for our Cygnet Project. We are thankful for the support and generosity of all the musicians who played for us, and those who came along.”
“Well done all. It was a great concert and the audience were suitably uplifted. I was very proud of you all in Concertino. It’s not easy and I could feel the rewards of all your hard work. And ultimately that’s what it’s all about, trying to just get that little bit better, and if you can move people in the process – result! As I said when I first joined you as Patron, Phoenix, you rock!” Gerard McChrystal
We’d like to say a huge thankyou to Gerard McChrystal for giving us the opportunity to perfom this exhilerating piece with him, and for his ongoing support for Phoenix. We’d also like to thank Jamie Ryder for filming the concert for us, Pete Bowman and Paul Murray for the photographs, and the lovely team at St Hugh’s Church for looking after us so well.
Next up for Phoenix are Christmas-themed concerts at St Helen’s Church, Sibbertoft, on Friday 6 December (7.30pm) and at Desborough Library on Saturday 14 December (7pm). See our events page for more information. And if you’d like to be kept up to date with concerts and events from Phoenix, why not join our email list? We promise we won’t bombard you and you can unsubscribe at any time.
