The Central Band of the Royal Air Force will premiere WINGS OF FREEDOM, a brand-new commissioned piece by award-winning British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones, at concerts in London and Cambridge.

Wings of Freedom receives its premiere in London on 29^th September and in Cambridge on 1^st October 2023.

A four-movement work for symphonic wind band, Wings of Freedom is inspired by the core values of the Royal Air Force – the beliefs and principles that define and unify the Service. Each movement takes its title and theme from these core values: Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence

Composer Thomas Hewitt Jones says, ‘I was so delighted when the opportunity arose to work alongside the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, creating a new large-scale new work to premiere in concert in London this September. I was invited to RAF Northolt to hear a rehearsal, and I was immediately struck by both the impeccable musicianship of the players and their infectious team spirit. Heard at a huge number of high-profile royal and national events each year, the RAF Music Services have quite an amazing pedigree.

The four movements of the piece are directly titled by each of the RAF’s core values. The first movement, ‘Respect’, begins with an epic fanfare which aims to evoke the sheer gravitas and responsibility of the RAF’s role as air defence of the United Kingdom. The second movement, ‘Integrity’, plays with the idea that in order to keep integrity, difficulties (depicted by atonal interjections) must be withstood, and the peaceful long melodic lines will overcome adversity (I was thinking here of the RAF’s Latin motto ‘Per ardua ad astra’ – “through adversity to the stars”. Movement 3, ‘Service’, conveys the idea of fortitude: serving the common good with steadfast determination, intense concentration and unwavering intention. The final movement, ‘Excellence’, celebrates the sheer brilliance and positive contribution of the RAF to the UK’s history. Also, the idea that joy, humanity and world peace can be sought as a key aim of the role of the force – and a small measure of pride in the UK, too!’

The Central Band of the RAF is delighted to have the opportunity to perform this new commission by Thomas Hewitt Jones and to programme it alongside other modern works, as a world premiere. The concerts in London and Cambridge will also raise funds for the Royal Air Force Music Services Association, with whom the Central Band of the RAF has close links, and which provides support to RAF Music Services.

The Central Band of the RAF will be performing at two venues that are new to them, with the aim of inspiring and garnering new audiences. Holy Trinity Sloane Square is a fantastic concert space and allows for a unique collaboration with the Choir of Holy Trinity Sloane Square. West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, is an equally brilliant, but very different venue and the Band looks forward to performing their programmes in two such contrasting and iconic spaces.

Alongside the new commission from Thomas Hewitt Jones, the London concert opens with ‘In Our Service’, composed by Hewitt Jones in honour of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Both concert programmes include ‘Shimmering Sunshine’ by Kevin Day, ‘Hymn to the Fallen’ by John Williams, ‘Puszta’ by Jan Van der Roost and ‘Tight Squeeze’ by Alex Shapiro. The Cambridge concert also features ‘Fate of the Gods’ by Steven Reineke.

Conductors:

Director of Music, Headquarters Music Services: Squadron Leader Chris I’Anson BMus Hons LRSM LTCL LLCM RAF (conducting Wings of Freedom)

Director of Music, Central Band of the Royal Air Force: Flight Lieutenant Michael Parsons BA Hons LRSM LLCM, RAF

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To see the band in performance, watch this video of ‘Lights on in Space’ by Andrew Pearce: