Up
Some of the contents of the pages on this site are Copyright ©
2016 NJH Music
| |
News from the World of Brass Bands
The Year 2001
|
Swindon Pegasus
Brass |
|
This will be a busy year for Swindon
Pegasus Brass as they celebrate the band's 90th anniversary. They
will soon be recording a new CD and have a full and busy year of concerts
planned. Their youth operation continues to flourish with 3 bands and over 80
children, the senior band of which will be attending the Youth Championships in
Salford in February.
Additionally they are delighted that for the fifth year they
are able to continue and fund music therapy classes for special needs children
from two local special needs schools.
David Ferris
30/11/01 |
Fred Perry -
Obituary |
|
The Brass Band Portal
has learnt of the death of Fred Perry and his wife Beryl
in a tragic car accident recently. Fred had been very actively
involved in the brass band movement in the area of north Shropshire
and South Cheshire. He had helped to reform both Whitchurch and Wem
Jubilee bands and had spent many years with Farndon
band as well as teaching junior bands at both Whitchurch
and Malpas.
He had in recent years been Mayor of Whitchurch
and served for years as a councillor. Beryl had supported
him and had played an active rôle in fundraising for the bands.
They will both be sadly missed. The funerals took take place on
20th November.
Rob Lewis
30/11/01 |
Manchester
Contest Results |
|
Championship Section
VBS
Poynton
Mossley
United Co-Op Milnrow
First Section
Mossley
Second Section
BMP Europe Goodshaw
Moston & Beswick
United Co-Op Milnrow
Third Section
Slaithwaite
Silk Brass
Boarshurst
Fourth Section
Middleton
City of Chester
Blackley
Youth Section
Rochdale Borough
Wardle
Lions Youth
David Sheedy
29/11/01 |
Hazel Grove
appoints new conductor |
|
After many years loyal service since the band was
re-formed in 1992, Les Hall has decided to stand down as the conductor of the Hazel
Grove Brass Band. Les has not left the band, he will continue as a playing
member of the cornet section.
The band's new conductor, Andrew Hurst, has recently taken the
band to two concerts and will be taking the band in the qualifiers in the North
West Area.
The band is looking forward to two Christmas concerts, on
Sunday 9/12/01 at the Civic Hall in Hazel Grove, and a joint concert with
Poynton Youth Band at St. Mary's Church in Stockport on Saturday 22/12/01.
Andy Crosland
23/11/01 |
Wigston Band to
tour the US |
|
The Wigston
Band from Leicestershire is looking forward to a fortnight in the US in 2003
as the guests of the Jericho Band from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Colin Raggett for
The Wigston Band told us "everything is in place, both the bands are
looking forward to the event."
The band hopes to organise some sponsorship to help finance
the trip and would like to hear from anyone who can help.
Colin Raggett
12/11/01 |
Black Dyke wins
Nationals |
|
Results of the 2001 UK National Championships:
21/10/01 |
St. Keverne
Visits Tattoos |
|
After a mammoth fundraising effort, the people of
Cornwall donated sufficient funds for the St
Keverne Youth Band to perform at the Nova Scotia Tattoo.
They've been invited back to Nova Scotia as well as other
tattoos in Scotland, America and South Africa.
Chris Broscomb
8/10/01 |
St. Austell
Annual Awards |
|
On Sunday 24th June the St.
Austell Youth Band had their annual awards evening. The players have worked
hard over the past year and the task of choosing the winners was very difficult
for their musical director, Steve Osborne. The four awards were presented to:
Most Promising Player |
Caroline Hooper (Flugel) |
Most Improved Player |
Chris (Woody) Wooding (Bass Trombone) |
Player of the Year |
Hannah Hawken (Cornet) |
Cornet Player of the Year |
Emma Davenport |
Bandsman of the year |
Steve Osborne |
The awards evening included a concert given jointly by the
Youth Band and the Town Band. Mrs. McKnight, the band club's secretary has for
the past 6 months been working through the Team Brass Book learning the
Euphonium. Friends and family sponsored her to learn the Euphonium and over
£150 has been raised for the Youth Band's Planned Tour of Belgium and Euro
Disney in August 2002.
Anna Minear
24/8/01 |
BBC needs help
for TV programme |
|
Following a telephone call to the Brass Band
Portal from the BBC TV programme Timewatch
we received this e-mail:
I am the Assistant Producer on a programme that BBC Timewatch
is currently making about the Queen's Silver Jubilee. The programme will be
about the country at the time, rather than about royalty. It will be 50 minutes
long and will be shown on BBC2 next year.
I am looking for contributors to the programme. I have been
looking through coverage of the event, and have come across lots of footage of
brass bands taking part in the celebrations. Being a euphonium player myself, I
am very keen to speak to any brass band members who participated in any of the
festivities, whether at a national, local or family level. In particular, if
anyone has any home footage of the occasion then I would very much like to hear
from them.
If any one would like to contact me, then I can be reached on amanda.burrell@bbc.co.uk
, or in the office on 020 8752 6470.
Please let me know if you require any further information.
Thank you very much.
Yours sincerely,
Amanda Burrell
Assistant Producer, Timewatch
BBC White City
201 Wood Lane
London W12 7TS
Direct line: 020 8752 6470
4/7/01 |
Brassed Off!
comes to Huddersfield |
|
This summer the Lawrence Batley Theatre in
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK, is staging a community production of Brassed
Off.
The show runs from Tuesday 3 - Saturday 7 July at 7.30pm, with
a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Brassed Off is a hard hitting musical comedy
performed by a talented cast of local actors and musicians, with Hade Edge Brass
Band playing the part of
the colliery band.
Grimely is a mining community in crisis, the pit faces closure
and the locals are understandably worried; not just about the threat of long
term unemployment, but also the demise of their beloved colliery band. Amidst
this gloom Gloria arrives carrying her flugel. Could she be the answer to the
band's problems, or will her presence tear the players apart?
Tickets are priced from £5.50 to £10, concessions are
available. There is 10% discount for groups of 10 or more.
To book tickets call the Box Office on +44 1484 430528, or
call in person to the LBT, Queen's Square, Queen Street, Huddersfield, HD1
2SP
Pete
Hibbard
19/6/01 |
New Contest for
Whit Friday 2001 |
|
2001 will see the establishment of a new Whit
Friday march at Greenacres. The prize fund will be £1500, with prizes available
for all sections.
The contest will be held at the car pack of the Dog and
Partridge Public House, Constantine Stree, Greenacres near Oldham.
The contest will start at 4:30, with the last band being booked at 9:45. On the
day of the contest you may call the hotline number, 07801 351046, to see how
many bands are in the queue.
This
year the Whit Friday
Contests will be held on 8th June.
Andy
Clayton
24/5/01 |
Western-Super-Mare
Contest Results |
|
21/5/01 |
News from
Around the Bandrooms |
|
Saltash Town Band (Cornwall) returned home
from the Regionals triumphant having won the Fourth section. Under their Musical
Director, Dave Dobson, this is the band's second win in as many months having
taken the CBBA fourth section title earlier in March at the Hall for Cornwall in
Truro. The Band is enjoying a very busy year having recently recorded their
first CD.
In July, the band can be heard in concert at the Saltash
Working Mens Club just prior to their 25th anniversary tour to Saltzburg in
August, returning just in time to prepare for the National finals in Preston.
The band has worked extremely hard over the last two years and is looking
forward to the challenge of the third section.
Mike Clarke
The Wrentham Band (Suffolk) will be returning to France
on the weekend of 26-29 October 2001, following a visit in 1999. Much fun was
had by all during the last visit, culminating in an excellent and well attended
concert in the magnificent church at Rambouillet, a situation they hope to
repeat this year.
However, prior commitments have left the band without Bb
basses for the weekend, anyone interested should contact the band.
Roger Pearcey
The Enderby Band
(Leicestershire) have just returned from a tour of Belgium. The three day tour
comprised of two concerts, in Reimst and Maasiek, both close to the Dutch
border. Despite concerns that tour would called off due to foot and mouth, the
band undertook the ten hour journey and performed a joint concert with their
main hosts, the Woodwind Ensemble
Concertino and Saxophone soloist Norbert Nozy on the first night. The second
concert was arranged by two bands from Massiek, and again Enderby played to a
full concert hall.
Many musicians from Reimst hail from a woodwind background, so
much of their audience had never before heard a live brass band. A a return trip
is already being arranged.
Antony Szafranek
The
Armitage Shanks Arklow Silver Band (Ireland) faced one of their biggest
competition challenges on 7th May when they travelled to Montreux, Switzerland
representing Ireland in the European Brass Band Championships. A total of 34
players and supporters are made the trip. The band played Pageantry by Herbert
Howells and Symphonic Music by Paul Huber. Bands from Switzerland, France,
England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland &
Sweden also took part. This was the Band's second time in this competition, in
1998 they finished 4th in Kerkrade in Holland.
Intensive fundraising has been taking place over the past
number of months to cover the £15,000 cost of the trip. A recently held Golf
Classic in Arklow Golf Club was a great success and many thanks are extended by
the Band to the club.
Kevin Fitzgerald
15/5/01
|
Australian and
New Zealand Results |
|
Australian Nationals Results, held at Brisbane
held on 13/14 April 2001. There were 18 bands, the test piece was Tallis
Variations and the adjudicator was Ray Farr.
Dalewool Auckland Brass NZ (Nigel Weeks)
Hawthorn Band
South Brisbane Federal
Waitakerie City Brass NZ
St. Kilda NZ
Kew Band
Brisbane Excelsior
St. Mary's Band Club
Moreland-Brunswick
New Zealand National Results, held at Wanganui on 21/22 April. The test piece
was Variations on an Enigma and the adjudicator was Ray Farr.
Woolston Brass
St.Kilda Brass
Waitakerie City Brass
Dalewool Auckland Brass
Mark Ford
29/4/01
|
National Youth
Brass Band announces Audition Timetable |
|
The audition timetable for 2001 has been
announced for the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain by Jonathan
Chappell.
University of Huddersfield |
Sunday 17th June |
Royal Academy of Music London |
Sunday 24th June |
Mount Charles Bandroom |
Sunday 7th October |
University of Sunderland |
Sun 4th November |
University of Salford |
Sat 10th November |
Northampton Music Dept |
Sat 24th November |
All audition sessions commence at 12.30pm and are open to
candidates aged between 12 and 17. Master-classes will take place at all the
audition sessions, which all candidates will be required to attend.
Jonathan
Chappell
2/4/01
|
Foot and Mouth
cancels contest in Ireland |
|
Kevin Fitzgerald of Arlow
Silver Band reports that the Waterford Entertainment Contest due for 11th
March has been cancelled because of the current Foot and Mouth contest.
He reports that no decision has been taken over the Irish
National Championships, though the UK Nationals are going ahead.
Competitors are advised to contact the organisers to verify
the latest situation.
Kevin Fitzgerald
6/3/01
|
Backworth
Colliery Band changes its name to Five
Rivers Brass |
|
Backworth Colliery Band has been in existence
since 1886, but due to the new sponsorship deal with the Five
Rivers Group, a national childcare and social services agency, the band is
now to be known as Five Rivers Brass. The Five Rivers Group have taken the step
to sponsor the band because of their links with the community - a subject close
to the heart of The Group.
As a result of the support the band has attained from Five
Rivers, they now have a new set of uniforms and a new moniker which we hope will
propel the band to the forefront of banding activities in the new millennium.
Purple with gold braiding, the uniforms are reminiscent of those worn by the
fictitious Grimley Colliery Band in the film "Brassed Off!".
The colour scheme was chosen by Colin Harris, who remembers:
"I once saw a Cheshire band with this really nice Purple colour and I
thought that it would suit the band much better than it's traditional red
colour. Plus, black and red are such boring colours!". The band has been
using blue jumpers as a stop gap for last year's contests. These will now be
passed onto their junior players.
Musical Director, Tony Griffiths, said, "You look like a
band now. Now see if you can sound like one!".
Colin Harris
15/2/01
|
Stanshaw
Band produce posthumous CD |
|
The, Trustees of the Stanshawe Band, formerly Sun
Life Band, have released funds for the production of a new double CD by the band
over 3 years after its demise.
The content of the double CD is still being finalised,
however, Geoff Colmer says
that they intend is to search for recordings that are not readily available,
have never been available, or are out of print. It is reported that the first CD
will contain the whole of the band's 1974 SPECTRUM recording. Other recordings
being considered include live performances and an attempt is being made to
include one recording from each decade of the band's existence.
The trustees hope to release the CD in June.
Geoff Colmer
20/1/01
|
|