Latest news with #brassband
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Details as first brass concert to take place in town park bandstand
A renowned brass band is set to take to the bandstand in the town park this weekend as the inaugural concert in a series to take place across the summer. Glastonbury Brass Band will take to the town park bandstand this Sunday, July 20, from 2pm to 4pm for the inaugural concert in the Trowbridge Bandstand Sessions, The free event is open to all, with visitors encouraged to bring picnics and seating with them, and that they are also welcome to bring alcoholic refreshments to relax and take in the musical offering. This Sunday's event will mark the first in what is to be a series of events that will take place across the summer. The event is being hosted by the Civic Centre, but has been chiefly organised by town councillor James Ward OBE, who explained that one of his ambitions as a town councillor is to broaden the musical offering for Trowbridge residents. Cllr Ward said: 'When I was elected on May 1, one thing I wanted to do was for the bandstand to be properly put back into use for brass bands to perform. I want a series of concerts where people can come and sit, bring afternoon tea for two slots of 45 minutes. 'This has not happened for a very long time, but I want bands for Trowbridge bandstand, so I reached out and got replies. As a result of which, we ended up with five concerts across the summer. 'This is for people of Trowbridge, so come along and support it. It's the beginning of a yearly event of summer concerts, which will feature brass bands and other ensembles. (Image: Trevor Porter) Suggested reading: PHOTOS: Thousands flock to sports festival in town centre Objections raised to solar farm plans near town Tesco plans to open new shop in town 'On Sunday, the town park will see Glastonbury Brass band on the bandstand in uniform. For those interested, you should bring a picnic, prosecco, as there's no ban on alcohol in the town park. People should bring a deck chair or something to sit on. 'As for future events, there's another one in August. Then we've got Proms in the park on September 20, featuring Filton Brass Band. They are both exceptionally good bands. 'I want this every year with a series of concerts throughout the summer, which will be a series of performances. 'This is important because the park needs to be properly used, we have a bandstand which gives a platform for live music. It's important we get culture and the arts back into Trowbridge. 'I suppose it's taking us back to the times when families and people could come and sit and listen to something very different from what they'll experience during the week. It's proper live music, and this is the start of bringing live music back to the park. 'The important thing here is the bands will be sitting in the bandstand, which has exceptionally good acoustic. 'This is about helping to rebuild Trowbridge, which I want to do, and this is a way of starting that. 'As it develops, in years to come, I want us to be able to provide afternoon tea in the park, so they can come and listen. I will be working with the Civic Centre in order to try and achieve that for next year. 'It's a free event for anybody who wants to come and listen 'People have said to me that it's fantastic that the stand is going to be used. We've been waiting for this for far too long and it's about time. This is the beginning of what I want it to be.'
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Titus Salt-founded brass ensemble to perform at Skipton Town Hall
An award-winning brass band is set to perform an evening of music in Skipton later this year. The Hammonds Band will make its return to Skipton Town Hall on Saturday, September 20, for what a spokesperson billed as "an evening of world-class music from one of the finest brass bands in the country." The band, which dates back to 1855, was originally founded by Sir Titus Salt as a musical outlet for workers at his Saltaire mill. Ties were later developed with the Hammonds Sauce Works (known for producing the Hammonds Chop Sauce), with the band having even been known as the Hammonds Sauce Works Band for a time. In recent history, under the moniker of the Hammonds Band, the ensemble has performed at venues across the UK and internationally. Recent highlights include appearances on BBC Radio 3, a feature on BBC One's Christmas Day special, and a win at the French Open Brass Band Championships. The band also took home top honours at the Doc Martin Contest. Morgan Griffiths, the band's musical director, said: "We're delighted to be returning to Skipton. "The town hall is a fantastic venue, and we're really looking forward to sharing what promises to be a truly memorable evening of music with the local community." A spokesperson added: "The Skipton concert promises an evening of thrilling music and spectacular brass, as the band returns to the beautifully refurbished Skipton Town Hall – a venue steeped in heritage and perfectly suited for the rich, resonant tones of a top-tier brass ensemble." The concert begins at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced between £8.50 and £12.50. A spokesperson said: "With such a strong track record and growing public profile, this is a concert not to be missed. "Tickets are expected to sell fast, so early booking is strongly advised." Tickets are available at
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
NI band hits the right notes to win international title
A Belfast-based brass band has struck the right chords to become the first from the island of Ireland to win an international contest title. First Old Boys Brass Band claimed the prize at the Dutch Open Brass Band Championships in the Bell, its principal cornet, said the band was hungry for gold after a few near misses at the European Championships. "We don't go competing unless we're going to try and aim for the top prize," she said. The moment the win was announced was not clear-cut."A lot of the talking was in Dutch, so we didn't really know what was going on," said Ms Bell."We had to wait for the band's name to come up on the screen."It was just incredible, like nothing we'd ever experienced before and probably something I'll always remember the rest of my life." The band travelled to the Netherlands as guest artists of the Groningen Brass Experience before taking part in the contest. Daniel Sharpe, the band's principal tenor horn, said the Dutch Open contest had become "a heartland" for the art in continental said the band wanted to cut its teeth against the top tier of competition. One of the standout moments for Ms Bell was the applause after the band finished its award-winning performance."There were so many people," she said. "Back home, you'd maybe get 50 people watching, and, of course, they're your competitors that you have year in, year out."They were just really, really happy that we did well, and that came across and made us feel really happy to come off stage and feel like we did our country proud." The band's conductor, Jonathan Corry, said the atmosphere felt "very collegiate and supportive"."We don't often get that in the UK; it's a bit more cutthroat," he said. "I felt that there was a real warmth in their applause and their cheers."He said he hoped the win would do more to raise the profile of the many brass bands based in Northern Ireland. "The little stretch of water between here and Great Britain is very, very difficult," he said. "We almost feel cut off here musically, but we're trying to make that slightly different now and show that people from Northern Ireland can actually perform at the same level as our counterparts in the UK and in Europe." It was an extra special weekend for Mr Sharpe, who hit the high notes to score the Best Soloist win for the memorised the Piper O'Dundee by Kenneth Downie, performing it without sheet music in front of was the only musician to do so that moment his win was announced came as a pleasant surprise. "I was waiting for the correction to come out, first of all," he said, laughing. But Mr Sharpe was most excited for the band's win. "We're a team, and this is a team sport. The most important thing is that feeling of togetherness in that celebration," he said. 'They're my second family' The band is made up of musicians aged 15-72 and takes part in about four local contests a year. "People come from different walks of life, different families, different backgrounds, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, - and they leave all that stuff at the band room door," said Mr Corry. Ms Bell said the band was like her "second family"."You leave all your problems and everything that you have at the door," she said."You go in, rehearse for two hours, and you feel so much better about yourself after, and the band are just there to support you through your problems." Mr Sharpe said he hopes the win encouraged more people to get involved in local music groups."Music organisers are crying out for people to help out and just be there," he said."Be the answer. Turn up. Do your bit – and you may even get a trophy at the end of it."
CBC
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
P.E.I.'s only full brass band celebrates 10-year anniversary
Prince Edward Island's only full brass brand is celebrating its 10-year anniversary Sunday evening with a concert at Zion Presbyterian Church in Charlottetown. The Great George Street Brass Band — named after the historic Charlottetown street of the same name — has been making music since 2015, and is one of only a few full brass bands in existence in the Maritimes. "It's a unique style," said Ken Mayhew, one of the group's founding members. "You can't hear it anywhere else on the Island. "We mostly do this for our own entertainment, but when we can share it with other people that's a really important part of the whole thing, too." The brass band's concert repertoire includes traditional brass band numbers, as well as some contemporary numbers that have been arranged for brass band instruments, Mayhew said. "The idea is to give our audience a wide selection of what we do, why we do it," he said. "We've also picked out a couple of tunes which we kind of hope people are going to get a certain sense of patriotism and maybe get those elbows up just a little bit." Reviving a tradition Brass bands have a long tradition, Mayhew said. During the industrial revolution, brass instruments became less expensive to make and new instruments started using valve technology, which allowed for more notes to be played, he said. The tradition was picked up in a variety of places — particularly in the United Kingdom — and music could often be heard in mines and factories, he said. "There were brass bands on Prince Edward Island in the 1800s and 1900s, but for a lot of reasons that tradition died out," he said. Reviving that tradition — and having fun while doing it — was what the Great George Street Band hoped to do when it was created back in 2015, Mayhew said. '10 successful years' Reflecting on the past decade, Mayhew said the brass band has had "10 successful years, despite the struggles." "Charlottetown particularly is a wonderful place when it comes down to the number of talented musicians who are interested in this kind of thing, but it's also a somewhat limited pool," he said. Many of the band's members are also part of other musical groups, he said, adding that some musicians have multiple rehearsal nights per week with different ensembles. While the anniversary concert provides an opportunity to celebrate the music its members have played over the past decade, Mayhew hopes to commemorate the milestone in another way. Being named after Great George Street, the band has always wanted to get a photo on that street, he said. "We formed in 2015. That's when they put the walls up around Province House. And here we are 10 years in and the walls are still up," he said.
Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Keli review — music is the star in a gritty brass band drama
Tales of British mining communities threatened by pit closures are familiar from hit films such as Brassed Off and Billy Elliot. Martin Green's Keli is in some ways the next chapter in that story. Written and with music by Green (the accordionist from the folk band Lau), the show, which had its premiere at the Royal Lyceum, is set in the recent past in a depressed former mining town halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow. The pit may be long gone, but the local brass band, once a vital part of the mining life, plays on. The star of the Snaresbrook Mineral and Coal Company Band is Keli (Liberty Black), a gifted tenor horn player, who, at 18, is weighted down by a challenging home
