May Story of the Month: The Titanic Band Memorial Concert | Life at The Hall: "This emotionally charged event took place on Empire Day Friday 24 May 1912 at 3pm, just over a month after the Titanic passenger liner sank beneath the icy Atlantic, causing the deaths of 1,514 people, including the bandmaster, Henry Wallace Hartley, and his men. The concert was dedicated to the eight heroic musicians who died at their posts, playing as the waters closed over them.
The concert performers were led by seven conductors, including Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Henry Wood, Thomas Beecham and Landon Ronald, and billed as ‘the greatest professional orchestra ever assembled’. The players were drawn from seven London Orchestras including The Philharmonic Orchestra, The London Symphony Orchestra and The Royal Opera Orchestra, augmented by members of The Orchestral Association, bringing the total number of musicians to 473."
