Friday 15th December - Re-Union Raises £1114 for New Bandroom
The hall at Pool Business & Enterprise College was full for the Re-Union Concert by former members of Camborne Town Band, held last month in aid of the Society's Twenty 4 Twenty appeal. Profit for the evening amounted to over £1114 to swell the funds for the new Bandroom. The event was organised from early June by former Bandsmen, Alan Toy and John Phillips and the Re-Union Band was conducted by former Musical Director, Derek Greenwood. Chairman for the evening was Robert Seymour, a past Secretary of Camborne Town Band.
The sixty-eight former members only had three rehearsals leading up to the concert and extra brass instruments were borrowed from the Penzance and Redruth Bands. Bobby Tanner, now a busy Doctor, came all the way from Wales. Others, from outside the County, who made long journeys were Kevin Goninan, Andrew Kemp, Paul Bilkey, Richard Knight and James Knight. Former Flugel player, Jack Pascoe commented: 'You may not have played for a few years, but you certainly haven't forgotten how to... I wouldn't have missed it for anything!'
Everyone in attendance was amazed by the tremendous sound produced in the following programme: Old Comrades, Zampa, You Raise Me Up, The Cossack, Great Soul, An American Trilogy, Washington Grays, Die Felsenmuhle, Nimrod, Music, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind and Slavonic Rhapsody No. 2.
The Re-Union Band members were:
Cornets
Leonard Adams, Sarah Bateman, Reg Bennetts, Paul Bilkey, Desmond Burley, Monica Dean, Marcus Dunstan, Alan Faraway, Kevin Goninan, Darren Hendy, Ian Hooper, Sharon Hooper, Norman Johns, Clyde Keverne, James Knight, Monty Ray, David Read, Jeremy Squibb, Chris Parkin, Alan Pope, Karen Pritchard, Robert Tanner, Stephen Trelease, Barry Trevena and David Whear.
Tenor Horns
Graham Barker, Elaine Bray, Wayne Brown, Andrew James, Richard Knight, David Pascoe and Neil Rutter.
Baritones
Audine Button, Terry Sleeman, Rachel Squibb and Edwin Willcocks.
Trombones
Lester Ashton, Alan Caddy, Adrian Dower, Kevin Dower, David Nicholas, David (Diddy) Nicholas, John Phillips and Andrew Teague.
Euphoniums
Courtney Berriman, Mark Bray, John Hitchens, Andrew Kemp and Alan Toy.
Eb Basses
David Coad, Tim Joslin, Russell Kellow, Michael Prichard, Terry Tonkin, Michael Weeks and Ashley White.
Bb Basses
George Ansell, Phil Blake, Jonathan Bond, Jason Smith, Eric Thomas and Lee Trewhella.
Percussionists
Nigel Chadd, Mike Hocking, Andrew Tellam and Stephen Weeks.
Enjoyed by players and audience alike, the evening ended with a drink and pasty, in a warm and relaxed atmosphere. The Society wishes to thank Alan Toy, John Phillips, Derek Greenwood and all of the musicians for their interest, commitment and enthusiasm to make the concert a really exciting event!
Saturday 9th December - Youth Band's MA Gets Top Job at Brighouse
It was announced earlier this week that Alan Morrison, Camborne Youth Band's Musical Advisor, has been appointed Musical Director of Brighouse and Rastrisk Band and will work with the Band's new Associate Conductor, Richard Evans. Alan has been Principal Cornet with Brighouse since January 2003 and is already an experienced conductor.
Said Alan speaking of his appointment: "I am absolutely delighted to accept the position of Musical Director with the Brighouse & Rastrick Band. Although I am sad at relinquishing my position as Principal Cornet, I also feel that the opportunity to conduct such a wonderful band is too good to turn down. My thanks go to the band though for their unstinting support over the last few years of my tenure as Principal Cornet and I look forward to the challenge of the top job within the band. I feel privileged to be part of such a wonderful organisation."
Alan has been Musical Advisor of the Youth Band since 2004 and works with them several times throughout the year in preparation for contests, concerts and recordings. The Band wish Alan every success in his new role and look forward to working with him again in January in preparation for the Greater Gwent Youth Brass Band Festival at the end of the month.
Wednesday 22nd November - Welcomes & Farewells at Camborne
Camborne Town Band are delighted to announce the signings of six new players. The Band wish to welcome Kayleigh Rowe on Principal Cornet, Kevin Mackenzie on Second Euphonium, Barry Buist on First Trombone, Ross Buist on Second Baritone, James Sturges on Eb Bass and Andrew Tellam to the Percussion Section. Existing members have also been changing seats as Chris Leonard has moved two places down the Front Row, Nick Abbott has moved to Second Trombone and Neil Murley has moved to Bass Trombone.
For many different reasons the Band have lost the services of Juliet Richards, Alison Farr, Steve Thomas, Chris Wooding, Kevyn Caddy and Kevin Couch. However, we thank them for their hard work and wish them all the best in the future. We also hope our new members have a long and enjoyable future at Camborne!
Sunday 19th November - Youth Band Complete 'Three in a Row'
Yesterday the Youth Band completed the recording of their third CD, which is to be entitled 'Three in a Row' in celebration of their hatrick of wins at the National Youth Championships. Doyen Recordings Ltd, the world's premier brass recording specialists, worked with the Band from 6:00 -9:00 pm on Friday and 9:30 am - 4:30 pm on Saturday to record the eighteen tracks.
Amongst these are 10 of the pieces played by the Band in Manchester for the National Youth Championships; a rendition of the Cornish National Anthem 'Trelawny' with a massed mixed choir from local primary schools; and two solos by the world famous Euphonium Soloist David Childs, who was in Cornwall with the Buy As You View Cory Band for their Charity concert at the Carn Brea Leisure Centre last night.
The weekend was extremely successful and it was a fantastic experience for each member. However, there is a small wait before the finished product can be heard as it is set to be released in February 2007.
Friday 3rd November - Indian Banquet Raises £306 for New Bandroom
Another successful Twenty 4 Twenty fundraising event was the Race Night held at Cornwall College last month. A fantastic total of £1343 was raised from the evening, helping the total to exceed £8000.
Thursday 2nd November - Band Turns Fivers into £2000
It was a golden opportunity for young musicians to turn themselves into money-making entrepreneurs. In an echo of the parable of the talents, each member of Camborne Youth Band was handed a £5 note - and asked to make it grow in value. Organisers of the fund-raising quest hoped they would return a tidy profit for the Twenty 4 Twenty new band room for Camborne Town Band Music Society. But they could scarcely have imagined the ingenuity of the youngsters in keeping up with the Dow Jones's. A final count-up revealed the band members had turned their £5 notes into a total sum of £2,000.
On Wednesday, Trevor Richards, company chief executive of Porthminster Hotel, St Ives, and a major sponsor of the youth band, was invited to pick the winners of the challenge. He was looking for the most innovative ideas and best entrepreneurial skills.
Mr Richards awarded first prize to Laureen Hodge who had set a puzzle for her family and friends - to guess the serial number of her £5 note, with the winner keeping the cash. Second prize went to Thomas Merritt who splashed out on Smarties with his £5. He then handed the sweets to members of his family and pals, asking them to fill the empty tubes with 20p pieces. BJ Abbott, who used his £5 to buy ingredients for chocolate sweets which he sold to members of the band, was ranked third. In a clever marketing ploy, BJ gave a free sweet to the first five customers in his queue.
Another young musician hit a high fund-raising note by hosting a party with an Hawaii theme while others set up a five-a-side football tournament, a coffee morning and a Body Shop event.
"All those who participated in the £5 challenge really enjoyed the initiative," said a spokesman for Camborne Youth Band. "The members of the band feel that it is extremely important to be personally involved in the fund-raising. "It is hoped that grant providers and sponsors will recognise their efforts and appreciate how important having a new bandroom is to them and future generations."
Monday 30th October - Senior Band Placed 13th in London
At the weekend Camborne Town Band gained a commendable 13th place at the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, being awarded 183 points from adjudicators David Read, William Relton and Geoffrey Whitham. Competing against 19 other bands, they performed the set test piece Berlioz’s ‘Les Francs Juges’ arranged by Frank Wright. The band were drawn 14th, performing on stage at about 2pm.
For quite a few members of the Band it was their first ever appearance on stage in the Royal Albert Hall, however the Band played to high standard and were delighted with how they performed under their Musical Advisor Frank Renton. A record audience size, compared to recent years, made the experience very enjoyable especially when they responded to the Band's performance with loud cheers and applause. The full results were as follows:
1. Grimethorpe Colliery UK Coal, Allan Withington, 16, 196
2. Black Dyke, Dr. Nicholas Childs, 8, 194
3. YBS Band, Professor David King, 4, 193
4. Buy As You View, Dr. Robert Childs, 7, 192
5. Fodens Richardson, Gary Cutt, 15, 191
6. Leyland, Russell Gray, 20, 190
7. Fairey Band, Simon Stonehouse, 6, 189
8. Kirkintilloch, Steve Bastable, 19, 188
9. Mount Charles, Nigel Weeks, 17, 187
10. Scottish Co-op, Alan Ramsay, 12, 186
11. Staines, Ian McElligott, 3, 185
12. Fishburn, Richard Evans, 18, 184
13. Camborne Town, Frank Renton, 14, 183
14. Rothwell Temperance, David Roberts, 11, 182
15. Jaguar (Coventry), Dave Lea, 2, 180
16. Reg Vardy , Ray Farr, 10, 177
17. Newstead Welfare, Duncan Beckley, 1, 175
18. Aveley and Newham, Nigel Taken, 9, 173
19. Parc & Dare, Peter Parkes, 13,171
20. Burry Port Town, Michael Thorne, 5, 170
Best instrumentalist: Bert Van Thienen, Soprano, YBS
If anybody has photos from the weekend that they wish to appear in the Gallery please email them to enquiries@cambornetownband.com. Congratulations also go to other local band, Mount Charles, for being awarded 9th place.
Your next chance to hear Camborne will be on Sunday 12th November in their Remembrance Day Concert with Holman-Climax Male Voice Choir at Redruth Wesley Chapel from 8pm. Admission is £5 on the door.
Thursday 26th October - Band Prepare for National Finals
Camborne Town Band have been rehearsing all week , under their Musical Advisor Frank Renton, in preparation for the National Championships to be held in the Royal Albert Hall this Saturday, where they will be competing against some of the top bands in the country. The set test piece for the contest is 'Les Francs Juges' (Judges of the Secret Court) by Hector Berlioz, arranged for brass band by Frank Wright.
The Band and their supporters leave Camborne Community Centre at 8am tomorrow and plan to arrive in London around 4pm. A rehearsal is planned for 7pm that eveing in the hotel; Holiday Inn Bloomsbury. The contest will begin at 10am on Saturday, however the Band's playing time isn't known until the draw that morning. They will leave London at 10am on Sunday and should return to Camborne in the early evening.
There is one final chance to hear them rehearse this evening, in the Main Hall at Pool Business & Enterprise College, where the band are holding an Open Rehearsal which begins at 7:45 pm.
Tuesday 24th October - Temporary Conductor Appointed
Leonard Adams, owner of Trevada Music, has been asked by the Camborne Town Band Music Society to conduct the Band until a new Musical Director is appointed. Leonard, who was Musical Director between 1997 and 2000, will start rehearsing the Band after the National Finals this weekend; firstly working towards the Remembrance Concert at Redruth Wesley Chapel on 12th November.
Anybody wishing to apply for, or enquire about the position of Musical Director, should contact Angela Netherton on 01637 870585 by 11th November 2006.
Thursday 12th October - Steve Thomas Resigns as MD
Steve Thomas recently announced to the Band that he will be resigning as Musical Director after the National Championships at the Royal Albert Hall later this month. During the time Steve has held the position, he feels he has reached all of the goals he set to achieve with the Band and more, including forming a much stronger link the Youth Band, inviting many young players to gain experience with and even join the Senior Band.
Steve feels the need to free up some time due to a very busy new year ahead, including focusing on teaching and further studies in conducting and arranging. The Band wish Steve all the best for the future and thank him for all of his hard work put in over the last 18 months.
There is now a vacancy for Musical Director with the Band and anybody wishing to apply for, or enquire about the position, should contact Angela Netherton on 01637 870585 by 11th November 2006.
Monday 2nd October - Reunion Concert With Derek Greenwood
Former bandsmen, Alan Toy and John Phillips, have been contacting past players to join them in a Reunion Concert to be held at Pool School on 25th November 2006. At least seventy people have responded and Mr. Derek Greenwood will be conducting this Reunion Band. This promises to be an event not to be missed! For more information, please contact Alan Toy on 01209 213342.
Monday 2nd October - Preview New CD At 'Youth In Concert'
Next month the Youth Band will be recording a new CD to celebrate their hatrick of wins at the National Youth Championships. Doyen Recordings Ltd, the world's premier brass recording specialists, will be working with the Band on November 17th and 18th using their state-of-the-art mobile recording unit, the Doyen Mobile. The CD, which will be released in February 2007, will feature the 11 winning pieces played in Manchester over the last three years amongst other numbers from their entertaining range of music.
This Sunday (8th October), the Youth Band will be performing many of these at their annual 'Youth In Concert' at the Camborne Wesley Chapel. Starting at 7:45 pm, the concert will be compered by Jeanette Eathorne from BBC Radio Cornwall and features both the Youth and Training Bands. Admission is by programme (£2.50 - under 16s free) and they are available at Trevada Music, Chapel Street, Camborne; Mallets Home Hardware, Victoria Square, Truro; or on the door.
Thursday 21st September - Showtime Spectacular at Hall for Cornwall
Even though it was a Monday night, the Hall for Cornwall was brimming with people on 18th September to watch Camborne Town Band with its guests, the Redruth Amateur Operatic Society Singers and the Caledonian Pipes and Drums Band. BBC Radio 2's Frank Renton, the Band's Musical Advisor, compered the eveing as well as conducting the Band. The RAOST Singers were accompanied by their talented Musical Director, Alastair Taylor.
Camborne Town Band began the evening with Gershwin's 'Strike Up The Band'. The next Band item featured Andrew Mitchell & Rob Jose in 'All I Ask Of You' from Phantom of the Opera. After selections from the Pipes & Drums and the Choir, the Band and RAOST joined forces to perform Bill Whelan's 'Riverdance'.
The second half commenced with the two groups in 'Music From Westside Story' followed by Alastair Taylor singing his solo rendition of 'Anthem' from Chess. After 'Breezing Down Broadway' the Band featured their Solo Horn Player, Mark Letcher, in 'Over The Rainbow'. The Pipes & Drums then featured Pipe Major Dave King and Pipe Sergeant Don Phillips in Pipe Duet 'Hector The Hero'. The choir, after 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables, wowed the crowd with Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' from the Rock Theatrical, We Will Rock You. For the finale the Band, Choir and Pipes & Drums Band, together, performed a powerful rendition of 'Highland Cathedral'.
An enjoyable evening was had by all in attendance and after two succesful concerts combining Camborne Town Band and the RAOST Singers this year, a third concert is already planned for 4th March 2007 at the Regal Cinema in Redruth, which is sure to be an event not to be missed!
Friday 8th September - Final Reminder for Coffee Morning!
Youth Band member, Christopher Bond has organised a Coffee Morning on Saturday 9th September (tomorrow!) from 10am till 12noon at Camborne Wesley Chapel. This is part of the Youth Band's £5 Challenge. The event includes a cake stall, a gift stall and guess the name of the teddy bear as well as musical items (and no not just brass!).
Saturday 19th August - 350 Attend Memorial Concert
The memorial concert for Kenneth Pelmear, held last month at Gwennap Pit, attracted a fantastic 350 people. Camborne Town Band and an Augmented Choir performed a selection of his music to commemorate his services to Cornish music, 10 years after his death.
The Choir were conducted by Ronald Brown and Steve Thomas conducted the Band as well as later being interviewed by Compere, Jeanette Eathorne for BBC Radio Cornwall. The Band's photo also appeared in the West Briton in report about the event. In a collection, made at the end of the concert, £400 was raised and the Band also made £60 from CD sales!
Saturday 15th July - Two New Players Signed for Camborne!
Camborne Town Band is thrilled to announce two excellent new signings for the cornet section this week. Paul Saggers, previously with St Austell Town, has joined the front row and Les Kneebone has filled the vacancy on soprano. Les, previously a member of Lanner & District Silver, was recently crowned Best Soprano of the Day at Bugle Contest, playing with Bodmin Town. The vacancy on soprano cornet appeared after Bugle, when unfortunately, due to work commitments, we lost the services of Jeremy Willcock. We all welcome Paul and Les to the Band and wish them a long and enjoyable future at Camborne!
Saturday 15th July - Cornish Night Raises £1300 for New Bandroom
Last Saturday Camborne Town Band Music Society hosted a Cornish Night which raised a fantastic £1300 towards Twenty 4 Twenty - our new bandroom fundraising scheme. Two hundred people enjoyed an evening of all things Cornish in the hall decked out with St Piran flags. The evening featured Cornish food, an auction of Cornish goods and ended with the singing of traditional Cornish songs led by Martin Matthews. Special acts included our award-winning Youth Band; storyteller, Liz Harman; and local folk duo, Dalla. The Youth Band's performance included their Manchester Programme, which won them the title of National Junior Champions for the third consecutive year.
Event organisier, Tamsin Merritt said: " It was really hard work feeding an audience of 200 people and I am very grateful to the cooks who provided the food and the helpers on the night. The evening appeared to be enjoyed by everyone and to make £1300 exceeded my expectations. I would like to say a big thank-you to all the businesses who supplied an excellent array of Cornish products for the raffle and auction."
Please keep checking the Twenty 4 Twenty page for news and events as well as the thermometer (which will be updated shortly!) to find out how much we have raised!
Saturday 15th July - Certificates Presented to Youth Members
The annual Brass on the Grass, held at the Camborne Community Centre on 6th July, raised a staggering £1000 for our Youth Section, with performances from the Training, Youth and Senior Bands as well as several stalls, a BBQ and an auction. On behalf of the Society, the Chairman, Michael Weeks, presented each individual member and the MD, Alan Pope, a certificate in recognition of the Band becoming National Junior Champions for three successive years. The framed certificates are a great reminder of this fantastic achievement and an excellent way to mark the occasion.
Wednesday 12th July - Winners of World Cup Scores Competition!
The 1st prize winner of the 2006 World Cup score competition is Richard Phillips, followed by Dave Roberts and Adam Callaway. Well done to all the entrants and especially the prize winners! All money raised from the competition went towards Twenty 4 Twenty.
Monday 10th July - Memorial Concert for Kenneth Pelmear
Gwennap Pit, St Day will be the location for Camborne Town Band's free memorial concert for Kenneth Pelmear, 10 years after his death. The Band wish to commemorate his services to Cornish music, as many of his compositions were especially for Camborne Town Band. The concert will feature the Band and an augmented choir and will begin at 7:15 pm on Tuesday 25th July.
Thursday 6th July - Over £100 Raised from 5-a-side Football
Between £100 - £150 was raised on Sunday afternoon in aid of Twenty 4 Twenty from the very successful 5-a-side football tournament organised by Simon Dunstan (Youth Band Euphonium Player). The venue was Halwin School near Wendron and as well as football everybody was also treated to cakes, drinks and a BBQ. Six teams entered the competition from both the Senior and Youth Bands including friends and family and were named after the team captains.
For the first stage of the tournament the six teams were split in to two groups of three. The four qualifying teams then went on to the semi-finals, with the two successful teams obviously reaching the final. There were also 3rd and 5th place play-offs. Below are the results and scores - this may be a good time to mention that our referees for the day were Roy Netherton, Clive Letcher and Charlie Kendall!
Group Stages
Dominic 0-2 Simon
Woody 2-0 Sam
Sam 0-1 Kevin
Jenny 0-2 Dominic
Simon 6-0 Jenny
Woody 0-0 Kevin
5th Place Play-Off
Sam 0-1 Jenny
Simon Dunstan's team came out on top, way ahead of the rest, scoring 11 goals overall. The afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by all the teams and spectators and there has already been discussions about making the tournament an annual event for the society!
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