Nigel Clarke’s portrait overture `Tilbury Point’ will be performed in three concerts by The Lake Wobegon Brass Band in Minnesota on 4, 5 & 6 October under the baton of conductor Matthew George. [See concert diary for venue and time details].

Tilbury Point was written as a gift to conductor Matthew George and Grand Symphonic Winds, St. Paul in Minnesota, USA after a wonderful evening spent at the Captain Kidd Public House in Wapping London.

Tilbury Point is a short “whiz-bang” overture. Clarke writes: “The idea came about after visiting many of East London’s ancient pubs along the River Thames with the conductor Matthew George. For many centuries these pubs have been home to smugglers, pirates, artists and London’s infamous Execution Dock. Tilbury Point is further down river and is where the pirate Captain Kidd’s body was displayed.  His sentence was carried out in 1701 at `Execution Dock’. He was hung, dipped in hot tar to preserve his body and left for three tides to cover his body before being put in a metal cage and taken to Tilbury Point and displayed as a warning to other pirates sailing towards London. This appalling ritual was commonplace during those times!”

Matthew George