Alan Silvestri’s Portals is one of the most memorable and emotionally charged pieces from Avengers: Endgame (2019), the epic conclusion to Marvel’s Infinity Saga. The music accompanies a pivotal scene in which heroes from across the Marvel universe reappear to join the final battle. Beginning with a quiet, suspenseful atmosphere, the piece gradually builds to a triumphant orchestral climax, with soaring brass and strings capturing the moment’s scale, hope, and unity.

In concert, Portals stands out for its dramatic pacing and cinematic power. Silvestri distils years of storytelling into a sweeping musical statement that reflects themes of sacrifice, resilience, and solidarity. It has quickly become a fan favourite and a striking addition to the modern film music repertoire, offering a stirring experience both on screen and in the concert hall.

This orchestral arrangement sticks closely to the original version with a few alterations and additions in orchestration and arrangement to suit the playing ability of Chetham's Philharmonic Orchestra (Chetham's School of Music).

It features a more standard orchestral line up - without the additional Hollywood style brass forces that appear in the original - alongside extra parts for Alto sax, Tenor sax, Baritone sax and Harp.

The woodwind play a larger part in this version to add more colour and cover some of the original choral part that appear in the original.

Optional simplified rhythms are in Ossia staves for the Violins, Violas and Flutes, to get make the difficult triplet semiquaver rhythms easier.

Timpani has been reduced to be able to be played by just one player on just three timpani.

The ending has been altered so that if finishes on a shock chord instead of the original's long held, dying away chord

Arranged for Saxophone Quintet (SAATB) with optional drum kit.

Ferde Grofé is perhaps most well-known for his brilliant orchestration of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, but he also wrote a number of suites through the 1930s-1950s. His Hollywood Suite from 1938 doesn’t actually feature any music from films of the time, but was his attempt to depict what life was like working behind the scenes in the Hollywood film industry at the time, with movements that suggest janitors sweeping up, and carpenters and electricians busy working on the sets. The fourth movement ‘Production Number’, which this arrangement comes from, evokes memories of swinging 1930s Hollywood musicals – think Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire!

Originally for Concert Band, 'With Each Sunset (Comes The Promise of a New Day)' (2005) was composed in memory of Jack Hensley from Cobb County, Georgia, USA, who unfortunately lost his life while working in Iraq in 2004. This beautiful piece of music should remain calm throughout, with the bigger dynamic and emotional moments given their full amount of time without hurrying cutoffs. The end of the piece should fade away naturally to almost nothing.

Count Bubba is one of Gordon Goodwin’s best-known works, originally written for his Grammy Award–winning Big Phat Band and inspired by the timeless swing style of Count Basie. The piece pays affectionate homage to the classic big band sound while infusing it with Goodwin’s contemporary flair, rhythmic drive, and characteristic humour.

Although rooted in the big band tradition, this arrangement shows off the music’s energy, crisp rhythmic figures and blues-based allowing the brass band to recreate the relaxed swing feel alongside tightly coordinated ensemble passages and powerful tutti moments.

Paul Simon’s The Sound of Silence has become one of the most enduring songs of the 20th century, first released by Simon & Garfunkel in 1964 and later achieving international acclaim. Its haunting lyricism and simple yet profound melodic line explore themes of isolation, communication, and the search for meaning in a modern world. The song’s quiet intensity and understated beauty have given it lasting resonance, inspiring countless interpretations across genres and generations.

This arrangement takes its inspiration from the powerful 2015 cover by the American rock band Disturbed, whose darkly atmospheric version reimagined the song with a brooding orchestral depth and emotional weight. Scored here for cornet and euphonium duet with brass band, the music mirrors that cinematic sound world: the cornet’s plaintive voice intertwines with the euphonium’s warmth, rising from moments of fragile stillness to stirring climaxes. The result is a moving exploration of contrast - silence and sound, fragility and strength - capturing anew the timeless message of Paul Simon’s original masterpiece.

Originally composed in 1945 by Hungarian-French composer Joseph Kosma with French lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert, Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes) began life as part of the ballet and film Les Portes de la nuit. Prévert’s imagery of falling leaves became a powerful metaphor for lost love, memory, and the quiet melancholy of passing time. When English lyrics were later added by Johnny Mercer, the song crossed linguistic and cultural boundaries, quickly becoming one of the most enduring standards of the twentieth century.

Today, Autumn Leaves occupies a unique place in both classical-influenced song and jazz. Recorded by artists as diverse as Yves Montand, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans, the song continues to resonate with audiences for its universal themes of love, loss, and nostalgia. Its enduring popularity lies in its ability to evoke deep emotion with remarkable economy, reminding listeners that beauty often emerges most clearly in moments of quiet reflection.

The 2009 reboot of the Star Trek films introduced a new cast as younger versions of Kirk, Spock, Bones and other characters from the original 1960s TV series. Michael Giacchino was brought in to compose the score for the film and this Symphonic Suite features some of its exciting and dramatic themes (along with a nod to the classic TV theme).

Arranged for Brass Band, the featured themes include:
Enterprising Young Men
To Boldly Go
End Credits

Atonement (2007) is a romantic drama starring James McAvoy, Keira Knightley and Vanessa Redgrave based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan, The film chronicles a crime and its consequences over six decades, beginning in the 1930s.

Dario Marianelli’s soundtrack for the film won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Original Score. The ‘Elegy for Dunkirk’ accompanies a highly memorable scene in the film. A five minute, continuously tracked shot around the beach at Dunkirk and features Hubert Parry’s hymn tune ‘Repton’, perhaps better known as ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’.

This band arrangement by Adrian Horn is an ideal piece for any Concert of Remembrance, or in any concert programme where you would normally place a hymn tune arrangement, or wish to slow things down and add a bit of gravity to the proceedings.

‘For A Moment’ is one of the hit songs from the 2023 hit musical fantasy comedy-drama 'Wonka' showing the early years of Willy Wonka (the central character from Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).