Some of the contents of the pages on this site are Copyright © 2016 NJH Music
News from the World of Brass Bands
The Year 2011
Andover 'Giant Killers' |
|
Andover Town Band achieved the brass band equivalent of an FA Cup giant killing on Saturday (26th November) in the Wessex regional open contest in Weymouth. The contest attracted nineteen bands from every section. Most bands in only their second contest since forming might be satisfied with winning their own section, and sure enough Andover came first in the fourth section. But they also scored higher than all the bands in the third section and all but one in the second section! Conductor Steve Large was delighted with the result. He said, "We have all worked very hard throughout the year to perform as well as we did this weekend. The band contains a blend of young players and old with half the players being under eighteen. Some of the players have contested before, but some had never picked up a brass instrument until last Christmas. This fine result shows what a mixture of talent, hard work and enthusiasm can achieve. This was only our second contest as a band, only thirteen months after forming. And with the talent we have and continued progress by every player, I hope we can serve up some more exhilarating results in future. I'd like to congratulate all the players but also those who work behind the scenes to make our achievement possible, not least our generous sponsors Mitutoyo and all the local organisations whose have supported our fundraising efforts to pay for vital instruments, music and equipment. I hope we can continue to do Andover proud." 27/11/11 |
|
Music, Life Skills, and Destitution Alleviation |
|
|
MLISADA, which stands
for Music, Life Skills, and Destitution Alleviation, aims to reduce the number
of children living on the streets of Kampala and providing opportunities to the
less privileged children of our mother nation, Uganda. Music is the heart of our
organization and their main source of income. All of the children are
encouraged to join their brass band or our other performing groups such as the
Acrobatics Team and the Cultural Group.
The orphanage was started in 1996 by eight street children with the dream of starting their own brass band. They sought the aid of and funding from numerous organizations until Christopher J. Kawalcyzk supplied the with the initial used instruments and shelter to start their dream. Since that time they have grown immensely in both number and capacity. Thanks to monies raised from performances and many generous donors they now have a new home, the John Dickens House, that provides shelter for over 75 children and serves a total of 150. The home provides daily refuge where the children participate in music lessons, and acrobatics. Today they perform at more than 100 functions a year which allows them to promote our other activities such as acrobatics, cultural dances and football. MLISADA Band is always needing music equipment. If you have any brass band on instruments or supplies you would like to donate they will be used to their fullest. The instruments which the children in the band play on are very old and battered and restrict the quality of the music they are able to produce. "Although you might think a Uganda street kids brass band is a little unusual, strangely brass bands are very popular over here. I assume it's a hangover from British colonial times", Georgia Rowe told us. 20/11/11 |
|
Andover Concert at Stocksbridge Parish Church |
|
|
Andover Town Band
(Steve Large) kept it local with a concert at St Peter's
Church, Stockbridge on Saturday evening 8 October. Maintaining the band's
convention of sharing concert proceeds with community good causes, revenues from
ticket sales will be split evenly between the band's instrument fund and the
church.
"We also enjoy sharing our music with local audiences, helping them to raise money for their good causes. It will be a treat to play in St Peter's Church and to share our latest favourites with a new audience." Stockbridge has a growing national reputation as a foodies' paradise, with a range of restaurants, and specialist food shops to rival anywhere in the country. Fittingly the concert took the form of a "tasting menu". 23/10/11 |
|
U.S. Open Championships 2011 Adjudication Panel Announced |
|
|
Dr. Dale Lonis, who has adjudicated for several past Opens, has been appointed "chief judge". Dr. Lonis currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Elgin Symphony, having held a similar post with the Winnipeg Symphony in Manitoba. Dr. Jay Kennedy, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice Provost at Berklee College of Music in Boston, has also joined the panel. An accomplished percussionist, Kennedy is as a Grammy finalist and is an accomplished percussionist. 17/10/11 |
|
U.S. Open Championships 2011 Line-up Announced |
|
|
The 9th
Annual U.S. Open Brass Band Championships will be hosted by the Prairie
Brass Band. The following bands have accepted this year's invitation to compete in this, the only entertainment contest of its kind in the United States:
The bands will be competing for trophies and cash prizes including: Grand Champion; 2nd. Place; Best Performance of a March; Most Entertaining Band; Best New Composition or Arrangement for Brass Band; and Most Outstanding Percussion Section. The award for the Best Soloist of the Day and Best Cornet Player of the day will once again be awarded by Buffet Crampon. Further information and tickets may be secured by checking out the website. 11/9/11 |
|
Somerset and Suffolk Join Together for Brass Workshop |
|
|
Watchet Town Band recently hosted a tour by Suffolk-based Martlesham Brass, organising an all-day workshop and evening concert at the St Audries Bay Holiday Park. World class tuition and leadership was provided by Brett Baker and Chris Howley. The event was very successful and provided a friendly and enjoyable musical event involving musicians from across Somerset as well as their visitors from Suffolk. Over 70 brass and percussion players attended in all. As principal trombone of Black Dyke Band, Brett Baker has recently returned from a tour of Australia and New Zealand where he conducted, played, adjudicated and taught. Brett has previously led two workshops with Martlesham Brass and his easy going style was much appreciated as always. Chris Howley is an accomplished principal cornet player who recently played for Flowers, Polysteel and Sunlife. His wealth of experience gained from performing at the top level proved an inspiration to the workshop participants and was particularly useful for players hoping to develop their technique and style. Bruce Eyley (Watchet Town Band) and Adam Cable (Martlesham Brass) helped Brett and Chris conduct the players in preparation for an evening concert. Sectional practices where Brett and Chris could give expert help with some of the more tricky pieces were followed by a "question and answer" session with the tutors. At the end of the workshop, players were encouraged to comment on what they had learnt and how they felt about the experience. The overall conclusion was that it had been "an excellent day" where they had "learnt so much from the expert players." Others said that they had really "enjoyed the very friendly and encouraging atmosphere between players and their families" as well as the "opportunity to work together." The day concluded with an evening concert for friends and families, which included solos by both Brett and Chris as they demonstrated their remarkable musical talents. 11/5/11 |
|
Disclaimer: All material posted to the Brass Band Portal, including news items, remains the property of, and reflects the views of, the original author(s). Should you wish to republish or redistribute any articles from the site, contact the author for permission, not Nigel Horne or The Brass Band Portal. Please cite The Brass Band Portal when republishing these articles.