Welcome
About The Band
Playing For Pleasure
Ipswich Over 50s Brass Band which is based in The North Essex/Suffolk area in the United Kingdom. The band is a self-supporting group of musicians that play music together solely for pleasure. We provide live music for the local community at fetes, charity events and also present our own concerts throughout the year. Our repertoire consists of traditional Brass Band music as well as contemporary pieces and Brass Band arrangements of popular music. The monies received goes to supporting the band and local Charities. read more
Engagement List For 2026
March 26th Thursday 2pm - United Reform Church Hadleigh - Memories Cafe ***Completed***
June 4th Thursday 3pm - Elmhurst Park Woodbridge - Bandstand
June 27th Saturday 1pm - St Peters Church Henley - Church Fete
July 2nd,9th,16th,23rd,30th Thursday - 2.pm - Felixstowe Triangle - Bandstand (T.B.C.)
August 9th Sunday 2.30pm - Christchurch Park Ipswich - Brass On The Grass
September 30th Wednesday 6pm - Copleston School Ipswich - Rotary Club Proms
December 17th Thursday 2pm. - St John The Baptist Church Felixstowe
What's New
Next Band Practice 16th April 2.00pm to 4.00pm
United Reform Church Hadleigh - Memories Cafe Band Video uploaded
This section will be used for Band Concert Posters
This section will be used for Concert Ticket Sales
Supporting The Band
How You Can Help The band
Members of the local community and followers of The Ipswich Over 50s Brass Band have often asked how they could help suport the band and the charities that the band supports. So as a band we have decided to make it easy for our friends to donate monies to use by two main methods
Method One: supporting us by using "Card Donations"
Process: Decide how much you wish to donate and enter the amount into the donation box. If you wish to pay by paypal just click the Paypal button. If you have not got a Paypal account then select Checkout and select the Card you wish to pay by. Fill out any required information and make your payment. You will then receive a receipt for your payment from Paypal.
Method Two: supporting us by using "EasyFundRaising"
If you shop online, we could benefit financially, and the best thing is that it’s easy to do and comes at no cost to yourself. Any purchases made from listed sites (such as Amazon, Boots,Tesco, Ebay etc. 1000s of companies participating) via the Easyfundraising website, will generate a cash amount direct to us!
Please visit Easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ipswich-over-50s-brass-band, for more information.
OR: scan the QR code using your mobile phone. this will take you directly to the site.
Method One: supporting us by using "Card Donations"
OR scan the QR code using your mobile phone.
Method Two: supporting us by using "EasyFundRaising"
If you shop online, we could benefit financially, and the best thing is that it’s easy to do and comes at no cost to yourself. Any purchases made from listed sites (such as Amazon, Boots,Tesco, Ebay etc. 1000s of companies participating) via the Easyfundraising website, will generate a cash amount direct to us!
Please visit Easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/ipswich-over-50s-brass-band, for more information.
OR scan the QR code using your mobile phone.
Band History
Origanal Band Members First Concert 1995
Several years before the band was formed, Jack Biggins, a local Businessman decided that when he reached fifty, he would like to start a Brass Band for players who were fifty years and over. The main reasoning behind this decision was for a group of Brass players to be able to get together and play just for pleasure. This meant not spending months on rehearsing one piece of music for the local or National Brass Band Championships. Also, as the players got older, they found younger players coming along and taking their playing positions. leaving them in the end, trying to find another Brass Band to play with. This brought about the decision, that no player will lose their place in the band without the consent of all other playing members.
Band History
In 1995 he accomplished this by advertising for local Brass players. The first rehearsal was in February that year, which managed a turnout of nineteen players. After a few months it was decided that the band would sing as well as play and with the help of a few of the members wives a choir was formed within the band. The harmony singing was well received, and a few choral numbers were included in all their programmes. The high standard reached in a short time is because most of the members were very experienced lifelong musicians.
The band is self-supporting, and unsponsored, and through its efforts at concerts and carolling raising money to support itself and other various good causes. The band has been featured on Radio Suffolk and appeared on Anglia Television. In 1997 they played a series of afternoon concerts at Felixstowe Triangle which continues to this day. The band, thanks to the Arts Council of England, was awarded a grant from the National Lottery for the purchase of a full set of new instruments including stands and uniforms. Jack Biggins remained President of the band until his death in April 2020
Musical Directors:
Victoria Steinitz 2012-Todate
Chris Robinson 2010 -2012
Les Ager 2007 - 2010
Peter (Paddy) Gray 2001-2007
Arthur Austin 1995-2001
Media
Band Video Play List
Click top right corner for play list
Audio Player: A-Z playlist
- AlfieBurt Bacharach & Hal David - Soloist: Yo Burgess - Flugelhorn
- All I Ask Of YouAndrew Lloyd Webber
- Beatles Medley No 2John Lennon & Paul McCartney
- Blaydon RacesGorden Langford - Soloist: Mick Coddy - Euphonium
- Blue TangoLeroy Anderson
- Breezin' Down Broadway!Goff Richards
- Classical GoldDarrol Barry
- Death And GloryR B Hall
- divertimentoR B Hall
- Famous British Marches Gordon Langford
- Fantasia On British Sea Songs !Henry J Wood
- Highland Cathedral
- I don't know how to love himAndrew Lloyd Webber - Soloist: Yo Burgess - Flugelhorn
- Keep Smiling Through!Darrol Barry
- (Meditation)-Light Of The World Dean Goffin
- (A) London Celebration Peter Graham
- Land Of Hope And Glory Edward Elgar
- Lord Of The Dance Frank Bernaerts
- Love Changes Everything Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Melodies Of Burt Bacharach Burt Bacharach
- Montagues & Capulets Prokofiev arr Gordon Langford
- Music Of The Night Andrew Lloyd Webber
- My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose Gordon Langford - Soloist: Pam Harland- Solo Cornet
- Nimrod Edward Elgar
- On My Own Claude-Michel Schonburg - Soloist: David Petchey - Eb Tener Horn
- Phantom of the Opera - Overture Act 1 Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Pomp And Circumstance Edward Elgar
- Radetsky MarchJ Strauss
- Suffolk Radio Interview 5th November 2025David Petchy
- The Floral Dance Katie Moss Derek Broadbent
- The King And I Richard Rodgers
- The Lion King Elton John arr Frank Bernaerts
- The Muppets Show Theme Jim Henson & Sam Pottle arr Philip Harper
- The Music Of George Gershwin Trevor Sharpe
- The West Riding Sam B Wood
- Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines Ron Goodwin
- Watching The WheatHenry Geehl - Soloist: Mick Coddy - Euphonium
- West Side StoryLeonard Bernstein
Gallery
Contact
Bookings
For booking enquiries please contact Carol Thompson email: bookings@ipswichover50sbrassband.com
For General information about the Band
Please contact the Band secretary: Trevor Read email: information@ipswichover50sbrassband.com
For Website information: Contact Brian via email:webmaster@ipswichover50sbrassband.com
Play a Brass Instrument?
For membership enquiries contact Victoria Steinitz (Musical Director) on 07736 322568 or email: md@ipswichover50sbrassband.com
Current vacancies:
None
Where and When do we meet for our practice
Thurdays 2pm - 4pm at Capel St Mary Village Hall