Gran Canaria’s Women Band live

Women sing.
Women dance.
Women play harp.
They also play piano.

According to Lise Karin Meling, “The foundations for which instruments women and men should play are laid already in the Middle Ages”. The flute, the violin, the oboe the horn, the cello, the double bass, the bassoon, and the trumpet all were considered unsuitable for women. And guess what, they still are. Can you name any female bassist/drummer/saxophonist/trombonist/trumpeter? I can, but all of them are jazz players, and also are exceptions, for jazz remains a men’s world. And what about women conductors?

Yesterday, Timur and I went to see this all in the shape of the Gran Canaria’s Women Band in the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus.

GCWB was founded in 2016 by Pilar Rodríguez and consists of fifty Canarian women. According to La Provincia, this is the first all-female symphony orchestra in Canarias (and second in Spain). In fact, just like Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra, GCWB is a concert band: no violins or violas (and a good thing too), just one cello and two double basses. Also, neither piano nor harp. But plenty of percussion, including a drumkit.

It was an interesting and varied programme, starting with world permière of Atman by Canarian composer Nisamar Díaz. I liked Second Suite for Band by Alfred Reed and Ruckus by Randall Standridge the most. In my view, there was not enough chemistry between the guest vocalist Eli Guillén and the band during the first two songs. The choir Coral Chelys Odalys, directed by Maite Robaina, came to the rescue. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You sung by Eli and a choir was a success. And then there were encores: a paso doble (I don’t know the name) and I Will Survive!

It looked like the show was sold out: I bought the tickets on Thursday and there was just a handful of seats left. Now how great could it be if the band could perform not just once a year, to celebrate the International Women’s Day...

Unfortunately, the programme booklet does not list the musicians of GCWB. Also, for a few songs, they credited the arrangers but not the composers.

Gran Canaria’s Women Band

Musical director: Pilar Rodríguez Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Sunday, 4 March 2018, 12:00 Part I

• Nisamar Díaz (Gran Canaria, 1980)
  Atman (world première)
• Steven Reineke (Tipp City, Ohio, 1970)
  Main Street Calebration
• James L. Hosay (Nashville, Tennessee, 1959)
  Persis
• Alfred Reed (New York, 1921 — Miami, 2005)
  Second Suite for Band (Latino Mexicana) (1978)
  1. Son Montuno
  2. Tango
  3. Guaracha
  4. Paso Doble

Part II

• Randall D. Standridge (Little Rock, Arkansas, 1976)
  Ruckus
• Justin Hurwitz (Los Angeles, California, 1985), arranged by Michael Brown
  Highlights from La La Land
Mecano, de Germán Arias
• Germán Arias
  Mecano
  Eli Guillén: vocal
  
• Arr. by Frank Bernaerts
  What I’m Feeling
  Eli Guillén: vocal
  Coral Chelys Odalys
• Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio, arr. by Johan de Meij
  Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
  Eli Guillén: vocal
  Coral Chelys Odalys
• Franck Pourcel, Paul Mauriat, Norman Gimbel, arr. by Jan van Kraeydonck
  I Will Follow Him
  Coral Chelys Odalys