Concert - Sussex Trombone Choir

“The trombone is an instrument that hasn’t been changed for nearly 500 years, since it was invented in Renaissance times,” says Peter Harvey, the director of the Sussex Trombone Choir, aka Giant Safety Pins, who are playing in the All Saints tonight in aid of the roof and tower appeal. The band is a 12-16 piece, and are bound to make a hell of a noise. “Actually, the trombone is very versatile,” says Harvey. “It can be a big booming instrument, or it can be mellow and mellifluous. Because it has been around so long, there is a vast repertoire of pieces that have been written for it, from the Renaissance times to the modern day.” The concert will include special arrangements made by band members, including one piece with tongue-in-cheek references to Wagner, and, as a finale, a version of the 1812 Overture.

The St Anne’s Church roof appeal is a worthy cause if we are interested in keeping Lewes’ oldest church staying in one piece. There have been two problems: the Great South Roof was in danger of collapsing as the Horsham Stone tiles, 25 tons in total weight, were threatening to fall through the timbers underneath. Also much of the 800-year-old Caen and Sussex sandstone framework of the Norman tower had eroded behind the mortar that covered it, causing a bulge in the tower and more danger of collapse. So far the appeal has raised over £200,000 through local efforts and local and national grants. More is needed. Let’s just hope that the finale of the Sussex Trombone Choir’s 1812 Overture doesn’t raise the roof. Sorry about that one. DL