After the Christmas-New Year break, the Concert Band will be back in rehearsal on Wednesday, 7 February 2024, followed by Big Band on Wednesday, 14 February 2024. While COVID-19 is still a risk, we must continue to observe good hygeine and follow current COVID-19 guidelines.
We welcome all members back for another year of music.
After a Christmas-New Year break, the Concert Band will be back in rehearsal on Wednesday, 8 February 2023, followed by Big Band on Wednesday, 15 February 2023. While COVID-19 is still a risk, we must continue to observe good hygeine and follow the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the SA Department of Health (check their website regularly).
We welcome all members back for another year of music.
In line with our COVID-SAFE PLAN we need to make sure we do the following at each rehearsal:
NEW REHEARSAL VENUE — After many months of meetings and negotiations, we can finally announce that the Mount Barker District Concert Band and Big Band has a new home. It will meet all of the current Government COVID-19 regulations. On and from Wednesday, 22 July 2020, we shall be rehearsing in the Mount Barker Town Hall at 34-38 Gawler Street, Mount Barker. There is plenty of space for us to rehearse, storage available for our equipment, kitchen facilities and toilets. Parking is available in Gawler Street or behind the hall. Please use the side entrance in adjacent Stephen Street to enter but leave the hall through the front entrance (to comply with current COVID-19 rules).
COVID-19 PLAN — We have created a COVID-19 plan which has been submitted to Council for approval. Karen will send out an e-mail before our first rehearsal date with all the details of what we need to do at each rehearsal. She will also send out a new rehearsal guide. It will be great to get back together to make music again!
For those of you who haven’t caught up with the news yet, for the first time in our 26-year history, we will not be playing at the ANZAC Day Dawn Service. This event has been cancelled in line with the government’s advice for large gatherings and for the health and safety of all people involved. You may have seen another way to pay tribute to our servicemen, women and animals floating around on social media – at 6 am on Anzac Day, go to the end of your driveway and observe a minute’s silence. Could be a lovely way to honour the occasion.
We are following all government and medical updates as they come to hand and after consulting the Band Executive have decided that rehearsals should be suspended at least until the end of April at which time we shall reassess our situation. We are a community group with members of all ages and we want to make sure everyone stays as safe as possible. For committee members the meeting that was scheduled for April 8th has been cancelled and the committee will not meet again until band recommences.
Please take care of yourselves, act responsibly and heed all advice from health and government groups. We want to see ALL of you back at rehearsals once it is deemed safe to do so. Oh, yes and keep practising!!
The Mount Barker District Concert / Big Band Musical Director, Karen and President David have issued the following advice to band members:
Over the past few days we have all seen concerns rise about the impact of COVID-19 in Australia. David and I have considered our responsibilities to our members and to the wider community and have decided to cancel the following two rehearsals – 18th and 25th March.
We will continue to monitor the evolving situation and will reassess whether we are able to commence rehearsals again in April.
Further advice will be forthcoming.
Thanks to everyone who has put in so much effort since February and we look forward to resuming our music making at some stage soon. In the meantime, please make the effort to put in some practice time at home so that when we return we can hit the ground running!
Please take care of yourselves over the next few weeks.
Please be sure to check your email regularly for further updates. You should also check this News Blog and the Calendar on this website regularly for updates.
Karen’s generosity and tireless work has now been recognised following a successful nomination for an Australia Day award. On Australia Day 2020, she received a well-deserved Medal of the Order of Australia for her dedication to music as a service to the community. We extend our warmest congratulations to Karen on this achievement.
Another year is now well under way and it’ll soon be time to start our rehearsals and performances for 2020. We have another full year of playing our instruments in a great programme of rehearsals and performances. There is the possibility of a day-trip to Clare for a performance at the 2020 Clare Show (17th October). This will be confirmed at a later date, so stay tuned. Our Cabaret in 2019 was very successful and similar fundraising concerts have been proposed for the “Love, Hope and Gratitude Foundation” during 2020. Discussions are ongoing and we’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, don’t forget to dust off your instruments and get ready for another year of fun and companionship making more great music!
The calendar has now been updated with this year’s rehearsal and performance dates. (Some items in the second half of the year are yet to be posted and some dates are awaiting further details.) While you’re here, why not check out the calendar? Just click on the ‘Calendar’ menu item above.
A very successful Band cabaret was held at the Mount Barker Institute Hall on Saturday 26th October 2019. The occasion celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Mount Barker District Concert Band and the 10th Anniversary of the Mount Barker Big Band. More details to come . . .
The recent Band trip to the mid-north of South Australia was a great success. Both the Big Band and the Concert Band gave splendid performances at Peterborough (Saturday, 5 October 2019) and at Clare (Sunday, 6 October 2019).
The concert at Peterborough on Saturday was a fundraiser for the Peterborough Historical Society in the fabulous Peterborough Town Hall. Close to a hundred people attended the concert. This was a great fundraiser for an appreciative Peterborough Historical Society.
The concert on Sunday provided entertainment for people attending the Spring Art and Garden Fair at the local Melrose Park in Clare (with proceeds of the Fair going to the Royal Flying Doctor Service).
Later that day, the bus transported members safely back to Mount Barker.