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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. 30/11/01 |
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| 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. 30/11/01 |
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| Manchester Contest Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship SectionFirst SectionSecond Section
Third Section
Fourth Section
Youth Section
29/11/01 |
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| 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. 23/11/01 |
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| 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. 12/11/01 |
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| Black Dyke wins Nationals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results of the 2001 UK National Championships:
21/10/01 |
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| 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. 8/10/01 |
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| 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:
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. 24/8/01 |
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| 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 4/7/01 |
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| 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 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 19/6/01 |
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| 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. 24/5/01 |
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| Western-Super-Mare Contest Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21/5/01 |
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| 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. 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. 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. 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. 15/5/01 |
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| 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) 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 29/4/01 |
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| 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.
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. 2/4/01 |
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| 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. 6/3/01 |
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| 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!". 15/2/01 |
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| 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. 20/1/01 |
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