Big Band swing coming to Swindon

Lovers of swing and jazz music are promised a treat at the Wyvern Theatre on Sunday, 21, November.

That evening will see the venue host the FTO Big Band, the a 20-strong jazz orchestra drawn from the Wiltshire-based Fulltone Orchestra stable of performers.

Its repertoire includes hits from stars of the Big Band era including Glenn Miller, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Gershwin.

FTO Big Band launched in August of this year, to an ecstatic reception, at the Fulltone Music Festival in Devizes. Now Musical Director Anthony ‘Tone’ Brown is preparing to take the band to the next level.

“We’re combining some of the best players in the West with knockout singers to create music that’s the stuff of magic,” he said. “It’s a must for any Big Band lover out there.”

One star of the show will be Swindon-born Ruby Phipps, who at just 11 years old will be duetting with fellow vocalist Jemma Brown. 

Mr Brown said: “It’s ridiculously exciting giving someone so young, with such a fantastic voice, the opportunity to sing on a large stage.” FTO Big Band is a jazz-loving offshoot of the popular Wiltshire-based Fulltone Orchestra, which played at the Wyvern before the pandemic. Now FTO Big Band is aiming to turn up the volume and provide a joyful treat to all who have missed live music so much.

Big Band Night starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £25 from the Wyvern box office, which can be contacted via swindontheatres.co.uk