Making Music President Debbie Wiseman OBE supports Make Music Day

Making Music is thrilled to announce that composer Debbie Wiseman OBE, who has recently been re-appointed as its President, is gifting one of her pieces for this year’s Make Music Day celebrations on 21 June. 

Debbie Wiseman, one of the UK’s most successful composers, was appointed as Making Music’s first female President in 2019. This year, she will be supporting Make Music Day by re-scoring her brass band piece The Down Ampney March – previously only performed at the 75th anniversary commemoration of Operation Market Garden in September 2019 at All Saints Church, Down Ampney, Gloucestershire – for the Big Summer Wind Orchestra and Choir which will this year be performing for Make Music Day at Potters Fields Park near Tower Bridge.  

Last year, the event drew over 200 performers to take part in this scratch band and choir, performing a whole range of music to passing audiences on the longest day of the year.

This free public event, supported by Team London Bridge, will take place from 7pm on the evening of Friday 21 June at Potters Fields Park by Tower Bridge in South London. All musicians are welcome to register in advance on the Big Summer Wind Orchestra and Choir website, so that they can be sent music and then join in with their instrument or voice.

Debbie Wiseman, President of Making Music, said:

‘I’m honoured to have been given the chance to expand the Down Ampney March into a wind band arrangement for this very special occasion. Make Music Day is a fantastic opportunity for musicians of all abilities to turn up with their instruments – and voices! – and join together to celebrate the joy of music-making. It’s going to be a great evening and I can’t wait to hear my music played by the maximum number of musicians we can possibly squeeze into Potters Fields Park!’

Adam Funnell, Event Coordinator of the Big Summer Wind Orchestra and Choir, said: 

‘Make Music Day is the perfect opportunity to bring together hundreds of performers for an enormous musical celebration. Premiering a new work from Debbie will be a real highlight, alongside classical favourites and well-known tunes so that everyone can join in. We’re proud to work with Making Music and Team London Bridge to bring our summer musical extravaganza to the banks of the Thames this year.’ 

Barbara Eifler and Seamus McGibbon, Co-Chief Executives of Making Music, said:

‘We are delighted and honoured that Debbie has agreed to continue as our President, and this year is also supporting Make Music Day – the biggest global annual grassroots celebration of music free to the public, bringing music to people in unexpected places.’

For more information about the event, visit the Big Summer Wind Orchestra and Choir's website

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Notes to editors
 

Partner organisations:

Debbie Wiseman
Throughout the last 30 years, there are probably few people in the UK who have not heard a theme from composer and conductor Debbie Wiseman. She has gifted film and television productions with iconic music, from Wilde and Wolf Hall to Father Brown, The Andrew Marr Show and Shakespeare & Hathaway, to name just a few. She composed music for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023 as well as for the BBC’s TV coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. She is currently Classic FM’s Composer in Residence. Find out more about Debbie Wiseman

Make Music Day 
Make Music Day UK is an annual celebration of music-making that takes place in communities across the world on the 21st of June.

The ‘rules’ of Make Music Day are very simple:

1. Events and activities must be free to take part in and watch
2. Events must take place or premiere on 21st June
3. Events must involve music

This means that events can be online or in-person, can be performed by professional or beginners, old or young, can be any genre, any scale, and involve everyone and anyone. 

Taking place in 125 countries, with thousands of performers involved and millions of audiences, this is the biggest global crowd-sourced grassroots music festival. Visit makemusicday.co.uk

Big Summer Wind Band Orchestra
The Big Summer Wind Orchestra and Choir is delivered by the same team as the Big Christmas Wind Orchestra and Choir. They have years of experience putting on large scale music participation events for wind orchestra musicians and singers, where absolutely everyone is welcome to come and perform. 

Their two main objectives are: 

• Encouraging everyone to consider making music all year round - by running one-off events they hope to kick-start people's engagement with amateur bands, choirs and orchestras around the country.
• Their events mix total beginners with professional players, to improve everyone's playing ability and make new musical contacts. 

Visit bigsummerwindorchestra.org

Making Music  
Making Music is the UK association for leisure-time music, with 4000+ music groups in membership, comprising around 228,000 hobby musicians. Making Music supports its members and the sector with practical services and resources to run their groups, connects them to each other and relevant experts and training, and is the voice of the sector to policymakers and media. Visit makingmusic.org.uk