YOUNG people in Wiveliscombe don’t just play on Xboxes or iPads – increasingly they’re taking up cornets, tenor horns, baritones, flugelhorns – the instruments which create the exhilarating sound of the brass band.

They are performing a glittering Hits from the Screen Concert at St Andrew’s in Wiveliscombe this week with visitors encouraged to support local talent.

Chris Grabham is the band’s enthusiastic conductor. Just 20, he has pulled together the combined forces of Wivey Town Band, Wivey Band Training Section, WDB Brass Quintet and Matt Bowen, the accomplished young French horn soloist.

The band will be recreating the music of Star Wars, Gladiator, Titanic, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and many more.

The music is as ambitious as anything the band has done and tackling this new repertoire involves quite a lot of extra practice from the players. It’s an investment which is really paying off.

St Andrew’s boasts a warm acoustic well suited to brass music. The new seating and updated facilities make it a great local venue and Chris is proud to be staging this special event there.

The main focus is on young people playing brass. Several members of the training section are learning their instruments for their Duke of Edinburgh awards. Others just enjoy learning a new life skill and being part of a new and different experience.

Matt Bowen is an adept young French Horn player who has also mastered tenor horn, one of the brass band family. For the first time in years the band will boast a full horn section. As a soloist, Matt will play a virtuoso set that will inspire the other players and keep the audience spellbound.

The concert is on Friday, June 29, at 7pm and admission is free.