It’s a double celebration at the Noordenveld Music Association. The association is blowing out a hundred candles this year, and the Showband Noordenveld will participate in the World Music Competition (WMC) in Kerkrade next year.
The theme of the WMC – which organizes the world championship for show bands every four years – this year is ‘Cuba Libre’. The show tells the story of an idyllic Cuba full of beautiful beaches, cool cars and cigars, without also losing sight of the side of poverty and lack of development.
“I’m already longing for the moment when I walk onto the field behind the group,” says Da Silva Piloto. “The fact that you can enjoy their performance from the sidelines already gives me goosebumps.”
Participating in the WMC is still a tall order, Da Silva Piloto explains. Bands used to make a new field show every year, but not anymore. “We are creating a new show especially for the championship. You start brainstorming a theme a year in advance.”
The show may last ten to twelve minutes, with a story that captivates the audience and jury. Music for the show is also selected and it is determined who performs which movements. “You are busy organizing how fifty people can perform optimally within twelve minutes,” says the artistic director. “That’s one of the many elements that makes it so much fun.”
It is not the first time that Showband Noordenveld has participated in the world championships. “We have been regular participants since 2001. Those were the heyday, the stadium was packed,” Da Silva Piloto remembers well.
After the Roner show band decided not to participate once in 2022 due to corona, it will be back in the coming edition after a nine-year absence. “At one point someone told me that we had to participate again. ‘You belong here’, were his words. That really motivated me.”
Although the two competition weekends in July 2026 are still far away, Showband Noordenveld already started rehearsing last month. Da Silva Piloto: “There are plenty of groups that cannot participate. How great is it that I can be the artistic director of a group that participates in the Olympic Games for music corps.”