Brighton Beach by William P. Latham

Mar. 13, 2022: Going Places Performed at Curtis Senior High School Directed by John M. Wetherington http://southsoundsymphonicband.org Brighton Beach March, composed in 1954, was Latham's first published work for band. It was an immediate success among school band directors and was listed among the 100 most popular marches by The Instrumentalist four times between 1960 and 1976. The style is British, in the tradition of Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, William Walton, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The title (chosen by the publisher) refers to a famous resort on the southern coast of England. In October 1984, Brighton was very much in the news following a predawn IRA [Irish Republican Army] bomb explosion at the 122-year-old Grand Hotel which killed four people. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escaped death by only two minutes. Some listeners may also associate the title with Brighton Beach, New York which is located between Coney Island Beach to the West and Manhattan Beach to the East. ------------------------------ The South Sound Symphonic Band is a 501(c)(3) non-profit consisting of talented amateur and semiprofessional musicians who enjoy the challenge of rehearsing and performing to high musical standards, as well as each other’s company. Founded in 1983 as the Federal Way Community Band, later the Federal Way Symphonic Band and in 2000 under its current name, the band performs four concerts per season throughout the South Sound region of Washington State.