Putting up its very first alumni band concert is the Montfort Alumni Wind Orchestra (MAWO), formed in 2013.
Like many alumni groups, MAWO hopes to provide a platform for continuous music-making for graduates of Montfort Military Band.
“Through the years, we have seen many alumni who have chosen music as a career, and others who are still enthusiastic about music-making despite their school and work commitments. We want to harness this positive energy and create a platform for them to perform, network and help keep this Montfort Band legacy going,” said MAWO committee.
With this direction in mind, the committee consisting of resident conductor Jovan Neo, and members Charlie Quek, Dennis Tan, Mohd Fazil and Nelson Lin came together in December 2016 to brainstorm meaningful ideas for the concert.
The committee eventually decided to extend the invites to the main band, as well as their Brother Schools – Assumption English School Concert Band and St Gabriel’s Secondary School Symphonic Band to join them in the inaugural concert.
“We had been wanting to put up an alumni band concert for a while. All of us in the committee were part of Montfort Military Band very first public concert series known as Montfiesta in 1998, and it was an experience that many pioneers of this concert series want to relive.”
“We are glad that the three bands have accepted our invitation with enthusiasm and we certainly hope this collaboration will go beyond this concert. Among the Brothers of St Gabriel’s schools, we certainly wish that this will trigger something good, and spark off many more beautiful collaborations on both school and alumni levels in time to come!”
To most of its alumni members, the concert is about reminiscence. The theme revolves around the element of “looking back” at music which they have performed in their first few annual public concerts as a Montfortian.
Through thorough discussions with its members, MAWO decided to include some of the music that had been performed in the first 4 of their Montfiesta series.
“We have included ‘The Seventh Night of July‘ by Itaru Sakai, which we performed in Montfiesta 2 in 1999, and ‘Springtime‘ by Rob Ares, which our solo trombonist Ronnie Quek had performed in 1998 in Montfiesta 1. We will also end the concert with Mononoke Hime Medley and AKB48 Medley.”
The concert is one of the many projects that the alumni band embarks on, in its efforts to give back to the main band and the school as a whole.
Besides guest playing in the main band ‘In Sync‘ concert series, the alumni band has also performed at the Montfort Centennial Dinner last year, and also recently organized an appreciation lunch for the main band for attaining the Distinction award at SYF Arts Presentation this year.
“The current conductors of the main band are Mr Gavilan Neo and Mr Sherman Foo, who are alumni of the band too. This will give us many more avenues to collaborate with both the main band and the school, as we believe strongly in giving back to the school which has given us so much when we were students.”
“Like all Montfortians say it, Age Quod Agis!”
MAWO in Concert: Band of Brothers
9 July (Sunday)
Paya Lebar Methodist Girls School – Agape Hall, 6pm
Tickets: $12
Tickets available from askmawo@gmail.com
A contributing editor at TBP.