Whitburn Band welcome Dutch with brass fanfare

On Friday, Whitburn Band, the current Scottish brass band champion, are set to perform a joint concert with the Fanfare Promotion Orchestra (FPO) from Holland.

The Dutch musicians will join the West Lothian band at the Brucefield Church in Whitburn on Friday, at 7.30pm.

The Fanfare Promotion Orchestra was founded in 2013 to promote the concert fanfare, a type of musical ensemble unique to the Netherlands and Belgium.

The orchestra was founded by the Stichting Streekfestival with the specific aim of getting young people enthusiastic about this type of music, similar to a wind band.

Since 2013, the orchestra has delivered successful concerts inside the Netherlands.

Whitburn will perform with the FPO following its appearance at the Six Nations, where it performed the National Anthem before the game to a crowd of 67,000 and a television audience of millions.

The band is now preparing to defend its Scottish championship title and represent Scotland once more at the European Brass Band Championships.

Whitburn Band Manager Charlie Farran says, “The band is looking forward to playing with the Fanfare Promotion Orchestra, and this concert will give West Lothian audiences a chance to hear this collaboration between Scotland’s finest brass band and the innovative musicians from the fanfare orchestra in Holland.”

Brucefield Church, Whitburn, Friday 2 March, 7.30pm, free but donations towards Whitburn Band’s participation at the European Brass Band Championships are welcomed