ODs and their families were among the audience at a wonderful Sundowner Concert with The Cape Town Concert Brass in the Founders Quad at Bishops on Friday 23 February 2024, that started at 18:45.  The Band played a spectrum of light classical, film and other music, ninety minutes non-stop.

This is the first of five stunning concerts hosted by the Music Department of Bishops, in conjunction with the Old Diocesans Union, to celebrate Bishops' 175th year.  These concerts are already planned - further details will appear on the ODU website (they do not include Richard Cock's end-of-the-year Christmas Concert, this is in addition).  For further information please contact Paul Murray at [email protected]

Mark Mitchell the Music Director at Bishops, is making a selection of historic venues for the concerts, around the school; the first being the beautiful Founders Quad; one of the other concerts is also being planned, inside the Founders Hall, as a dinner/concert event.   

The original Bishops Brass Band was formed by a former staff member, Graham Coote, when he came out from the UK in 1971. He had been the Great Britain Champion Cornet's Player in 1970.  On leaving school, a number of ODs decided to found the Cape Town Concert Brass, a forty-piece brass band.  They formed it in 1999 with a strong Bishops/OD presence but not exclusively so. 

The following ODs played in the Band on Friday: Dudley Wilson (1978S); Trevor Knight (11975O); Michael Kode (1983G): Nick Green (1985O); Leonard Worthington-Smith (1985G): Peter Worthington-Smith (2019G); and the conductor Frank Mallows (1978O).  Sam Hodson (1981G) and Duncan de Groot (1989G) and his brother John (1990G) were also present at the concert; they also played under Graham.

The CT Concert Brass is a fully charitable organisation playing at various venues in and around Cape Town, over the course of the year.  Money raised from the Friday concert will go towards the fundraising for the new stained-glass windows in the Brooke Chapel.

For more information about the Band please go to https://www.facebook.com/capetownconcertbrass

The audience certainly enjoyed a summer’s evening in the beauty of the Founders Quad, listening to fabulous Brass Band music and all marveled at this incredibly beautiful space.   

We would love to hear from you if you have any stories related, or share memories of your time at Bishops playing in the Brass Band, or just generally - please contact the OD Ambassador Paul Murray who organizes OD events at the Mitre as well as, with the Branches in SA and across the globe - externally - 0027835159526 (Whatsapp) or internally 0835159526; or [email protected]