Bardi Wind Celebrate VE Day 80 at De Montfort Hall

10th June 2025

Sunday’s Bardi Wind Orchestra concert delivers exactly what was needed for a stylish but meaningful VE DAY80 commemoration. 

One of the City’s main events to celebrate VE Day80 was a concert given by the Bardi Wind Orchestra under the baton of Music Director and Conductor David Calow at De Montfort Hall on Sunday.  The BWO have given charity concerts, in conjunction with the Oadby and Wigston Lions Club at DMH over the last 16 years but this was one of the most memorable ever, with a carefully chosen programme reflecting the war years with melodies that were evidently very familiar to most of the audience.

It was one of the largest audiences for a BWO concert in recent years and they were expertly guided through the programme by Martin Ballard who had marshalled a remarkable range of facts about the pieces played, from music which accompanied actual wartime films, to much loved Eric Coates themes from BBC Radio and from more up to date films depicting the war. He also set the music into context with facts about how the war affected Leicester itself.

Vocal items came from David Morris and Jenny Saunders including We’ll Meet Again, and handkerchiefs emerged from pockets more than once. Lt Colonel (retd) Bryon Brotherton MBE was the solo piper in an arrangement of Amazing Grace and later returned to talk about the work of the chosen charity, the Army Benevolent Fund of which he is Chairman of the Leicestershire and Rutland Committee.

It would be difficult to pick out any one piece of music as a highlight, as there were far too many, but two memories of the occasion that will linger are the standing ovation by the whole audience for 100 year old RAF Veteran Philip Kendal (who once built a stage for a concert given by Vera Lynn!) and the sight of virtually every Mayor and other Dignitaries  in Leicester, Leicestershire and Ruland wearing their chains having a photograph in the interval reception.

The rousing and accomplished finale of Coates’ Dam Busters March sent a very happy audience on their way home. 


Bardi Wind Celebrate VE Day 80 this June

21st February 2025

On Sunday 8th June, join the Bardi Wind Orchestra for their 19th annual De Montfort Hall charity gala concert, this year supporting the Army Benevolent Fund as the country celebrates VE Day 80!

To mark this important historic occasion, the Bardi Wind will be performing evocative music from classic war films including The Dam Busters, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Spitfire Prelude, 633 Squadron and The Great Escape as well as favourites from the war-time era by Glenn Miller and Vera Lynn.

Formed in 1992, the Bardi Wind Orchestra have been performing charity concerts across Leicester and Leicestershire for over 30 years. This year they are once again joined by the Oadby and Wigston Lions Club, a long-time partner with the Orchestra in their fundraising efforts for The Army Benevolent Fund, the Army’s national charity which supports soldiers, past and present and their families.

Join us for an afternoon of music and song celebrating this historic anniversary and supporting a great cause.


Bardi Wind – We’ll Meet Again: A Concert Celebrating VE Day 80

Bardi Wind Charity Concert – We’ll Meet Again: A Concert Celebrating VE Day 80

Sunday 8th June 2025 at 3:00 pm

De Montfort Hall, Leicester

David Calow Conductor
Martin Ballard Compère
Jenny Saunders Soprano
David Morris Tenor
Bardi Wind Orchestra
A Piper from the RATAE Pipe Band

De Montfort Hall
Granville Road
Leicester LE1 7RU

Tickets £19 £16 £13
Concessions £17.50 / £14.50 / £11.50
18 & Under / Students / NUS £6
Family Ticket options available

Join the Bardi Wind Orchestra for their annual charity gala concert in association with Oadby and Wigston Lions Club, this year supporting the Army Benevolent Fund in celebration of VE Day 80.

Music to celebrate the occasion includes The Dam Busters, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, As Time Goes By, Spitfire Prelude, 633 Squadron, American Patrol, The Great Escape plus favourites from Glenn Miller and Vera Lynn.

Merry Christmas from the Bardi!

23rd December 2024

For almost a quarter of a century, Christmas for many Leicester folks has begun with the Bardi Wind Orchestra’s Christmas concert!

With its engaging blend of the familiar and the less familiar music interspersed with carefully chosen seasonal readings (which allow the players to get their breath back!), Saturday’s ‘Christmas Festival’ was the 23rd concert and, like vintage wine, the concerts just get better and better!

A large audience in the beautifully decorated Holy Trinity Church, Regent Road, were treated to a concert of two halves. The brightly dressed players performed music by Leroy Anderson, Bach, and suites seasonal films along with Christmas carols and specially arranged Christmas music done by a couple of the BWO players.

After the interval, the Orchestra was transformed by a colourful array of fancy dress costumes some of which had the audience wondering how they would play their instruments. Play them they did when all the popular Christmas favourites were given an airing: Walking in the Air, White Christmas, Sleigh Ride and of course Merry Christmas Everybody which sent everyone out into the night (sadly no snow) all set for Christmas. Thanks to all who attended another highly successful Bardi Wind Christmas concert!


A Christmas Festival

Christmas Festival

Saturday 21st December 2024 at 7:30 pm

Holy Trinity Church, Leicester

David Calow Conductor
Colin Blackler Compère
John Florance Reader
Bardi Wind Orchestra

Holy Trinity Church
Regent Road
Leicester LE1 6XE

Tickets
Adult £15
Concessions £12
18 & Under / Students / NUS £6

It’s not quite Christmas until the Bardi Wind’s traditional concert with all your favourite festive music, carols and seasonal readings.

Bardi Wind and Oadby & Wigston Lions raise over £2,000 for RNLI

6th September 2024

Bardi Wind Orchestra Music Director David Calow, Orchestra Manager Robert Calow and members of Oadby & Wigston Lions Club were at De Montfort Hall at the end of August to present a cheque for over £2,000 to Emma Cunnington, Community Manager of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The cheque was raised at the annual Bardi Wind Orchestra charity concert held in association with the Lions Club back in June.  

Over the past two years the Bardi Wind Orchestra and Oadby & Wigston Lions have raised almost £4,000 for the RNLI. The success of the concert held in 2023 led to an invitation to do a further concert this year. The 2024 concert was one of several musical and other events held nationally to mark the milestone 200th Anniversary of the RNLI.  Dreadful weather on the day of the presentation led to this rather striking photograph on the stairs of De Montfort Hall.  


Bardi Wind celebrate 200 Years of RNLI at De Montfort hall

10th June 2024

Thank you to all who joined us for what was a very successful Bardi Wind Orchestra concert on Sunday afternoon celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.  

There was a real buzz of anticipation in the De Montfort Hall for an afternoon of ‘Fantasy and Adventure’, with music from Disney, Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean featuring prominently, and the feet were soon tapping!

The Wind Orchestra, in association with Oadby and Wigston Lions Club, were under the baton of guest conductor Dan Watson making his debut appearance, together with local favourites David Morris and Jenny Saunders joining them for several vocal items. Presenting the concert in a last-minute change to the programme, the Wind Orchestra were also fortunate to be able to secure the services of well-known local broadcaster Dave Andrews, who was able to talk to representatives of the RNLI about the amazing and invaluable work that they have been doing over the last 200 years.  

Final totals for the charity collections are still being tallied, but those collection buckets were certainly very heavy following another successful summer charity concert.


Bardi Wind Prepare for return to De Montfort Hall to celebrate 200 years of the RNLI

29th May 2024

For their annual De Montfort Hall charity concert on 9th June, the Bardi Wind Orchestra are helping the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to celebrate their 200th Anniversary year!

With a theme of ‘Fantasy and Adventure’, the concert will feature well-loved music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. 

The orchestra, in association with Oadby and Wigston Lions, were invited to do this concert after last year’s highly successful event when, on a sweltering June day one of the crew from the Skegness Lifeboat took to the stage to talk about the work of the RNLI in his full waterproof seagoing kit! A small inflatable lifeboat stationed outside the De Montfort Hall attracted considerable attention but fortunately did not have to be put out to sea. 

This year’s concert will be conducted by guest conductor Dan Watson, and bets are currently on as to whether he will don a pair of yellow wellingtons to conduct some of the second half as did BWO’s Music Director David Calow last year! Join the Bardi Wind for a great summer afternoon of music on 9th June at 3pm at De Montfort Hall.

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Bardi Wind Christmas Festival the perfect festive treat!

18th December 2023

Bardi Wind Orchestra’s annual Christmas Festival was a big success at the weekend!

Holy Trinity Leicester, was beautifully dressed in a great array of Christmas Trees and lights, and made a wonderful setting for the concert. Once Conductor David Calow’s baton was raised for the title piece, Leroy Anderson’s evergreen ‘A Christmas Festival’, and the BWO sounded the first chords, the audience (many of who have been coming since the series started over 20 years ago) knew that Christmas 2023 was underway.  

A programme of seasonal favourites, serious and more light-hearted, followed. These were interspersed with readings by Leicester’s own John Florance. Amongst other items, John read the perennial favourite ‘Christmas at Lewis’s’ and John Betjeman’s 1954 poem ‘Christmas’. He confessed to the audience that he once left the poem out of a BWO Christmas programme and was told in no uncertain terms by audience members afterwards that he should not do that again.  

In a colourful array of Christmas outfits for the second half the BWO players ended by commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the 1973 Slade Christmas hit ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ which had the audience singing lustily with some enthusiastically waving arms in the air.

Merry Christmas all from the Bardi!


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Bardi Wind’s Festive Tradition Returns to Holy Trinity on Saturday

11th December 2023

Christmas gets off to a flying start on Saturday 16th December with the Bardi Wind Orchestra’s annual Christmas blockbuster at Holy Trinity Church!

Many in Leicester now say that their Christmas starts when they hear the Bardi Wind sound the first notes of Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival!

The programme contains all the best loved Christmas music from festive songs like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and The Little Drummer Boy, through carols such as In the Bleak Midwinter and the Carol of the Bells to film music from Frozen and The Polar Express

Seasonal readings are once again provided by popular local presenter John Florance, formerly of BBC Radio Leicester, and the concert is hosted by Colin Blackler. And there are, of course, items for the audience to sing along to – and last but not least in the traditional finale we’ll all join in, raise the roof, and celebrate the 50th anniversary this year of Slade’s greatest Christmas hit, Merry Christmas Everybody

The concert proves to be a popular one each year, so be sure to book your tickets online in advance to avoid disappointment.

Bardi Wind Christmas Festival

Saturday 16 December at 7.30pm – Holy Trinity Church, Regent Road, Leicester

It’s not quite Christmas until this annual Bardi festive tradition!

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