A SPECIAL concert marked a milestone in Forest music-making and for Robert Morgan of Lydbrook Band.

Now 70, Mr Morgan joined the band as a cornet player when he was 10 years of age and has served as conductor and secretary during his 60 years with the band.

He said: “It was a very good evening of music and it was lovely to see friends from other parts of the country and Europe.”

The concert at the Forest Theatre, Five Acres included musical tributes from five invited soloists and three guest conductors alongside the band’s principal conductor Ian Holmes.

Between them, their championship honours includes a number of British and European successes.

Compere for the evening was Nigel Morgan and the opening march Lydbrook followed by Robert’s favourite overture, Orpheus in the Underworld.

Then Robert himself took the spotlight with a faultless cornet solo, My Old Kentucky which was followed by Grand Union Waltz written by composer-in-residence Liz Lane to celebrate the marriage of band members Trevor and Tracey Moss earlier in the year.

The first guest soloist was Glyn Williams of world champions, Cory Band, with a euphonium solo of My Favourite Things.   

Lyndon Baglin, who took Lydbrook to championship status as conductor, joined Glyn for a euphonium duet of Deep Inside the Sacred Temple.

Brian Howard, Lydbrook’s conductor for nine years, led a moving performance of How Great

Thou Art.

Robert himself opened the second half, conducting Lydbrook Training Band in Walkabout followed by a concert arrangement of Les Miserables before signing off with a cabaret version of YMCA.  

The senior band returned with a musical tribute to Robert, Diamond Fanfare II specially composed for him by Liz Lane

Steve Syke’s tuba solo The Meeting of the Waters ended with a sustained final note of more than a minute’s duration. Steve was then joined by his son Carlton to perform a tuba duet, Pick Yourself Up. 

Glyn Williams conducted the band in An American Tale with narration by the band’s chairman, Trevor Moss. 

Internationally-recognised trombonist Brett Baker, of Bream performed two pieces  and he was joined by Jarnfrid Gunnarson for a trombone and cornet duet, for the world premiere of Two Norwegian Moods, arranged by Tom Brevik and dedicated to Robert and wife Barbara.

The soloists returned joined the band for the finale, the rousing toccata from Suite Gothique at the end of which the they paid personal tribute with a handshake to Robert.

There was a fitting encore with 76 Trombones from The Music Man.