To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Manx National Youth Band, as well as five years of Manx Concert Brass, it was decided a tour was warranted and so, on July 30, 2001, the combined forces of the Youth Band and Concert Brass set sail for a tour of Italy which included four memorable concerts, a visit to Italy’s largest theme park and plenty of sightseeing from Venice to Verona.
A memorable trip for all involved!
As the century drew to a close and the millennium approached, the Manx Youth Band travelled to Waterford in Southern Ireland as guests of the City of Waterford Band.
In October 1999, a group of predominantly younger players, with a few senior helpers, were fine representatives under the baton of Ian Clague.
1st - 8th August 1998
A summer week-long tour of the Czech Republic which included five concerts. The Eastern European experience featured a standing ovation, a sightseeing tour of Prague and an impromptu meeting with a small Manx contingent of holidaymakers, proving wherever you go in the world, there’s always a Manxie!
28th July - 19th August 1990
By far the most ambitious tour the band has ever undertaken, New Zealand 1990 was a three-week summer epic which included numerous concerts, a civic reception for the band, an official gathering laid on by the Auckland Manx Society and even a performance at the Auckland Racing Club between the day’s racing.
For anyone who was involved in the tour, an unforgettable experience!
21st - 29th October 1988
An autumnal trip to Holland and Germany encompassed entertainment contests, festivities and a generally eye-opening experience, including trips to a Safari Park near Hilvanbeek, the futuristic Evoluon Centre in Eindhoven and a sail up the Rhine, not to mention an amazing collection of roller-coasters and water-chutes. Another experience to savour.
12th - 19th April 1984
Easter 1984 and a trip which began with a concert as part of the German-British Friendship Day celebrations (broadcast live throughout Germany via the British Forces Broadcasting Service).
The week-long tour also incorporated a concert in front of the British Airways building in Berlin Zoo, a visit to the Federal Institute for all-German affairs and a concert at the scenic Ludwig Kirch Platz.
16th - 27th April 1981
Another Easter trip for the young band during the school holidays. Among the highlights were a performance aboard one of the tourist boats sailing on Lake Thun (arranged in conjunction with the Swiss Tourist Board), sightseeing and shopping in Berne and a joint concert with the Omega Band whose name was synonymous with the famous Omega watch factory.
An inaugural trip to Holland for the band and one it would repeat eight years later; it encompassed the band receiving the Tulip Time International Festival of Music award from Kerkrade, the southernmost province of the Netherlands.
Where it all began as far as off Island music was concerned as the band undertook what proved to be a most successful concert tour of Norway, performing in Oslo, Drammen and Stavanger.