Wednesday 20th June - Adjudicator's Remarks from Bugle Contest
Below are the remarks of adjudicator, Dennis Wilby, about Camborne Town Band's winning performances at the West of England Bandsmen's Festival, held in Bugle last Saturday.
March - Celebration
A nicely shaped opening. A: good sound. All comes over in style. Fine sop. Balance is just right. B: lovely ff - impressive. This is confident playing. Troms just right in link to C. C: the music has a lovely lilt and feel. Everything in the right slot. D: controlled horn - impressive euph. Flug links well. The crescendo is impressive. E: semis have sparkle + well measured. F: what a great balance. The ending most impressive. This was first-class march playing. I loved every single bar. Thankyou!!
Test Piece - Le Carnival Romain
A sparkling opening - confident. Andante accomp nice level for euph solo. B: just nice in semis - you do listen to the euph soloist. C: I can hear the horn lead - lovely sop work. Euph/cornet work so well together. Link together to D. D: sop again super. Demi-semis never get in the way of euph lead. E: a difficult moment overcome with style and great musicality. Lovely euph. F: nice touch. Allegro a cracking tempo - all goes well - solo links nicely integrated. H: nothing overdone in this ff tutti. L: everything in its rightful place. M: neat work from all sections. N: super sound. O: well done soprano. Q: 6/8 well constructed. R: controlled. The build is coming, lovely crescendo. T: fine sop. V: nice bass lead. W: careful troms. Must be together. X: great work. 6/8: this is really motoring now. Z: a fantastic ending. It had everything - sparkle, musicality - and super control. Great work from soloists - Euph/soprano. Fine horn section. Musical throughout. Bravo. First-class performance, well directed - great band sound. Thankyou!!
Sunday 17th June - Royal Trophy Returns to Camborne
Following fine, musical performances of 'Celebration' by Leslie Condon and Berlioz's 'Le Carnival Romain' at Bugle yesterday, Camborne were crowned West Of England Bandsmen's Festival Champions, winning the Royal Trophy, for a record thirty-sixth time!
Directed by their Professional Music Advisor, Frank Renton, Camborne were up against seven other bands and were placed first by adjudicator, Dennis Wilby, for both the march and the test piece. Several of the band's soloists also won special awards. Rob Jose received 'Best Euphonium of the Day' and 'Best Player in the Championship Section', Les Kneebone was awarded 'Best Soprano of the Day' for a second consecutive year, and Mark Letcher won 'Best Solo Horn of the Day'. The band also took part in the march down to the contest in the morning, following the 'B' Band, playing 'Army Of The Nile'.
Below are the results of the Championship Section and the Special Awards, courtesy of www.4barsrest.com.
Championship Section:
Test Piece – Le Carnival Romain (Berlioz, arr. Frank Wright)
1. Camborne Town (Frank Renton) - 193
2. Mount Charles (Andrew Duncan) - 191
3. St Austell Town (David Loukes) - 189
4. St Dennis (Brian Minear) - 186
5. Helston (John Hitchins) - 185
6. Wantage (Phil Bailey) - 184
7. Bodmin (Steve Sykes) - 183
8. Langley (Cliff Parker) - 181
March – Celebration (Leslie Condon)
1. Camborne Town (Frank Renton) - 96
2. Mount Charles (Andrew Duncan) - 94
3. St Dennis (Brian Minear) - 93
4. St Austell Town (David Loukes) - 90
5. Helston (John Hitchins) - 87
6. Wantage (Phil Bailey) - 86
7. Bodmin (Steve Sykes) - 85
8. Langley (Cliff Parker) - 83
Best Player: Robert Jose – Euphonium (Camborne Town)
Special Awards:
Best Soprano Cornet: Les Kneebone – Camborne Town
Best Cornet: Ian Thomas – Mount Charles
Best Euphonium: Robert Jose – Camborne Town
Best Horn: Mark Letcher – Camborne Town
Best Basses: Mount Charles
As the winning band of the Championship Section, Camborne were the last band to march up before performing the traditional short concert in the square to round off the day. Directed by Assistant Resident Conductor, Graham Boag, the band played 'The Cossack', 'All In The April Evening' and finally 'Deep Harmony'.
The band wish to thank Frank for his fantastic work this week, as well as Jeremy Willcock and Graham for the hard work they put in to prepare the band, prior to his arrival. Also the band send their congratulations to Camborne 'B' Band who were triumphant in the Third Section.
Sunday 17th June - 'B' Band Claim Victory at Bugle
Yesterday, following a stylish performance of Bryan Kelly’s ‘Divertimento’, Camborne 'B' Band won the Third Section of the West of England Bandsmen's Festival at Bugle.
Under the direction of Alan Pope, the band were awarded 1st place by adjudicator, Dennis Wilby, with second place going to Hatherleigh Silver Band from Devon. Samuel Eddy, the 'B' Band's Soprano Cornet player, was also awarded 'Best Player of the Third Section'. The band also took part in the traditional march down to the contest in the morning, followed by the Senior Band, and marched back up victorius, after the results, playing 'Punchinello' both times.
Third Section:
Test Piece – Divertimento (Bryan Kelly)
1. Camborne B (Alan Pope) - 183
2. Hatherleigh (Adrian Edwards) - 180
Best Player: Samuel Eddy – Soprano Cornet (Camborne B)
The band wish to thank Alan for the hard work he has put in over the past weeks and also send their congratulations to the Senior Band, who won the Championship Section.
Tuesday 12th June - Bugle Call: Renton Rehearsals Begin!
Camborne Town Band, last night, had their first rehearsal of the week with their Professional Music Advisor, Frank Renton, in preparation for the West of England Bandsmen's Festival at Bugle on Saturday. Until Frank's arrival yesterday, the band have been rehearsing the pieces with their newly-appointed Resident Conductor, Jeremy Willcock, and prior to his appointment, their Assistant Resident Conductor, Graham Boag. The band wish to thank them both for their hard work leading up to this week!
On Saturday, under Frank's direction, the band will perform the set march 'Celebration' by Leslie Condon and the set test piece 'Le Carnival Romain' by Berlioz, arr. Frank Wright, for the adjudicator, Dennis Wilby, and the large crowds expected. This year the band will compete against seven others for the coveted Royal Trophy in the Championship Section.
This Thursday (14th June) Frank and the band are holding an open rehearsal in preparation for the contest, giving you a chance to hear the band's performance, even if you can't make it to Bugle on Saturday, and see how the band rehearse. The rehearsal will be at Camborne Wesley Chapel, starting at 8:00 pm.
Saturday 9th June - New Resident Conductor Appointed
Camborne Town Band is delighted to announce the appointment of Jeremy Willcock FLCM LLCM ALCM Dip. Orch. Studies (Uni.Lon) as their Resident Conductor.
Jeremy began his musical career with the St. Dennis Band, having cornet lessons with the late Eddie Williams. At the age of 18 he left Cornwall to study trumpet and voice at the London College of Music, the Royal College of Music and the University of London; his teachers being Dennis Egan, Paul Cosh and Willie Lang. In 1984 Jeremy was given a scholarship to the Royal College of Music and there he studied trumpet with Peter Reeve and Michael Laird.
After leaving college, Jeremy worked in London for 18 years as a trumpet player and teacher. One of his teaching posts was at the Junior Guildhall, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, preparing students for full time music education.
Since returning to Cornwall, Jeremy has been writing and recording his own material. In 2004 he was invited to become the Musical Director of the Wadebridge Male Voice Choir; a position he continues to enjoy.
Jeremy had a spell with Camborne Town Band last year on soprano cornet and, as Resident Conductor, is now looking forward to working with the band and their Professional Music Advisor, Frank Renton. After preparing the band for the West of England Bandsmen’s Festival at Bugle, Jeremy will commence the Band’s summer concerts at Victoria Gardens, Truro, on Sunday 24th June at 2.30pm.
Friday 8th June - 2nd Annual Twenty 4 Twenty Football Tournament
Last year a very successful 5-a-side football tournament raised over £100 for Twenty 4 Twenty, the Music Society's fund-raisng scheme for a new bandroom . Simon Dunstan, a member of the Youth Band, has organised this fantastic event for a second year, aiming to raise ven more money for the Twenty 4 Twenty appeal.
The tournament will take place on Sunday 1st July at Halwin CP School, starting at 1:00 pm. At the cost of only £3 per person, teams of five players, of any age, from all local bands are invited to compete. No boots will be required, although shin pads are recommended, and changing facilities are provided by the school. Throughout the afternnon a barbeque and refreshments will also be on sale for all spectators and players.
To enter the tournament, please contact Simon or Marcus Dunstan on 01209 842384 or amdunstan@btinternet.com by Friday 22nd June. Simon and Marcus will also provide you with directions to Halwin and answer any further questions. As mentioned above, teams from all local bands are welcome (not just Camborne!) so please help make the event a succces for a second year and help Camborne Town Band Music Society raise the funds required for a new bandroom!
Saturday 5th May - Minack to Kick-start Twenty 4 Twenty in 2007
Tomorrow evening, Camborne Town and Youth Bands will be performing at Cornwall's theatre under the stars, The Minack. The joint concert is the first major event this year in aid of Twenty 4 Twenty, the Society's fund-raising scheme for a new bandroom.
The Senior Band will be under the baton of one of their Professional Guest Conductors, John Berryman. One of it's most successful former players, John has, for many years, been a nationally recognised adjudicator and conductor. After their recent win at the Natonal Youth Championships, the Youth Band will be conducted by their inspiring Musical Director, Alan Pope and will be featuring some of the pieces from their gold award-winning programme. The eveing will be chaired by Mr. Vivian Willcock.
The concert starts at 7:00 pm tomorrow evening (Sunday 6th May) and tickets are still available on the door if you haven't managed to get yours already. They are priced at £7.50 for adults and £5 for children under 16. Everyone in Camborne Town Band Music Society looks forward to seeing you there!
Monday 30th April - Youth Band Return as Champions Again!
Yesterday, Camborne Youth Band won the Community Section of the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain held at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Under the direction of Alan Pope, they were up against thirteen other bands from all over the country and had to perform a twenty minute programme including the set test piece, ‘Scenes Du Lac’ by Dr. Roy Newsome. Markus Bach joined Dr. Newsome to adjudicate the Community Championship. The title ‘National Community Youth Champions 2007’ is the fourth consecutive national title won by the band after winning the Junior Championship for the previous three years (2004, 2005 & 2006); something that no other band has ever achieved!
The Band’s award-winning programme began with ‘Fanfare for Camborne’ which was written especially for the Band by their Professional Musical Advisor, Alan Morrison. This was immediately followed by Alan Morrison's arrangement of ‘And All That Jazz’. Then the band featured their soloist for this year, Samuel Eddy on Soprano Cornet. Samuel gave a faultless performance of ‘Nessun Dorma’ which, back in January, won him the award of ‘best instrumentalist’ at the Greater Gwent Youth Brass Band Festival. The set test piece was next to feature in the programme and the Band performed it to an extremely high standard. To conclude their performance they played Alan Fernie’s arrangement of ‘Macarthur Park’.
The full results from the Community Championship, courtesy of 4barsrest.com, are:
1. Camborne Youth, Alan Pope, Gold Certificate
2. Youth Brass 2000, Chris Jeans, Gold Certificate
3. St Dennis Youth, Brian Minnear, Gold Certificate
Mount Charles Youth, Simon Dobson, Gold Certificate
Sellers International, Mark Bousie, Gold Certificate
Enderby Youth, Trevor Hounsome, Silver Certificate
Horbury Victoria Youth, T Greatorex, Silver Certificate
Lions Youth, Nigel Birch, Silver Certificate
Tewitt Youth, Craig Ratcliff, Silver Certificate
Chalford Youth, Steve Tubb, Bronze Certificate
Dobcross Youth, Morgan Griffiths, Bronze Certificate
Fred Longworth Community Youth, M. Wilson, Bronze Certificate
Macclesfield Youth, Louise Renshaw, Bronze Certificate
Poynton Youth, Andy Hirst, Bronze Certificate
Best Instrumentalist: Zoe Hancock, Flugel, St Dennis
The Band, Alan and all of the supporters were absolutely delighted after the result was announced and knew that the months of preparation and rehearsals had certainly paid off; the Band achieving the best result in its history!
So far, it has been an excellent year for the Youth and 'B' Bands as they have won every contest they have entered! All under the direction of Alan, the Youth Band have won the 2007 Greater Gwent Youth Brass Band Festival and the 2007 National Youth Brass Band Community Championship and the 'B' Band have won the 2007 West of England Third Section Championships, gaining promotion to the Second Section and Qualifying for the National Lower Section Finals in Harrogate later this year. Voted for by the listeners of Pirate FM, Alan has also won the title of Cornwall’s Best Contributor to Music.
Camborne Youth wish to congratulate the two other Cornish bands in the section, St Dennis Youth and Mount Charles Youth for their excellent results!
Your next chance to hear not only the best youth band in the county, but one of the best in the country, is next Sunday (6th May) at The Minack Theatre, Penzance. The concert, which starts at 7:00 pm, will also feature the society's own Championship Section band, Camborne Town Band under the direction of their Professional Guest Conductor, John Berryman. Tickets are priced at £7.50 for adults and £5 for children under 16. They can be purchased now from The Minack Theatre Box Office on 01736 810181. Opening hours - Monday to Friday - 9.30am to 5pm.
Monday 2nd April - Youth Band's Musical Director Voted Best of Cornwall
Pirate FM and St. Austell Brewery have been paying tribute to 'The Best of Cornwall' and with the help of their listeners, have found Cornwall's Best Colleague, Landlord and Landlady, Teachers and Contributor to Music; the last of which has been won by the Youth Band's Musical Director, Alan Pope.
A large number of nominations for Alan were received by Pirate FM; all of them emphasizing how hard Alan has worked to build the Youth Band up from just 6 players to over 80, since he became Musical Director in 1999.
In the 8 years Alan has been involved with the band, they have won the title of 'National Junior Champions of Great Britain’ for three years running; something which no other band has achieved. In addition, he also conducts Camborne 'B' Band which he started from scratch in 2002. They will be competing in the Third Section of the National Brass Band Championships in October after, three weeks' ago, winning the qualifying heat in Torquay. They have also gained promotion to the Second Section from next year! Alan devotes a lot of time to helping the young people do what they enjoy; without him Camborne would not have a Youth Band or a 'B' Band and there would be a lot more bored children in the town!
On Thursday 12th April Alan will be attending the prize-giving ceremony at St. Austell Brewery along with the winners of Best Neighbour, Best Volunteer, Best Carer and Best Contributor to Sport, as voted for by readers of the West Briton, Cornishman and Cornish Guardian. One of the eight nominees will be chosen as the Winner of Winners, the overall Best of Cornwall! Many congratulations to Alan on this truly well-deserved award!
Sunday 1st April - Concert with Professor Philip Wilby Enjoyed By All
Last Saturday, Camborne Town Band held a concert at the Camborne Wesley Chapel with the famous conductor, composer and arranger, Professor Philip Wilby. Throughout the evening the Band was conducted by Philip as well as their guest conductor, David Frost. David, who is the Brass Team Leader for the Cornwall County Council Music Service, had been working with the Band since the middle of February as Acting Resident Conductor and prepared them for their Regional Championships performance of 'Isaiah 40' as well as this concert.
The evening, which was chaired by His Worship the Mayor of Camborne, Councillor Charles Bickford, began with 'French Military March' from the Algerian Suite by Saint-Saens. Then, Mark Letcher, the Band's solo horn player was featured in 'Finale from the Violin Concerto' by Mendelssohn. To end the first half, Philip conducted the Band through performances of 'I'll Walk With God' and his own, famous test piece 'Paganini Variations'.
'Thine Be The Glory', arranged and conducted by Philip, opened the second half with the cornets and trombones standing up around the rest of the Band. Robert Jose was the second soloist featured for the evening and he played the opening from the Euphonium Solo by Philip Sparke, 'Harlequin'. The Band then performed the Regional's test piece, 'Isaiah 40' by Robert Redhead under the direction of David. For the finale, Philip played the organ and was accompanied by the Band in performances of his arrangement of Saint-Saens 'Organ Symphony No. 3' and 'The Lost Chord' by Arthur Sullivan, arranged by Gordon Langford.
The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by everybody in attendance and Philip commented on how much he enjoyed his first trip to Cornwall and his rehearsals with the Band during the week prior to the concert. The Band were thrilled to work with Professor Wilby and thank him for his work and participation leading up to the event. The Band also wish to thank Amber Roberts, from the Youth Band, for playing second horn for the concert and Ben Martin, from Helston Town Band, for playing percussion. Special thanks must go to David Frost for his hours of effort, commitment and assistance leading up to both the Regional Championships and the fantastic concert.
Monday 12th March - 4th Place Awarded at the Regional Championships
Yesterday afternoon Camborne Town Band, under the direction of Frank Renton, competed in the Championship Section of the West of England Regional Championships in Torquay. Adjudicators, David Hirst & Barry Thompson, awarded the Band 193 points and a commendable 4th place after their performance of the set test piece 'Isaiah 40' by Robert Redhead. Frank and the Band were delighted with their fine, musical performance which was hugely enjoyed by the large audience at the Riviera Centre. Courtesy of 4barsrest.com, the full results were:
1. PolySteel, P. Harper, 3, 196
2. Mount Charles, A. Duncan, 6, 195
3. SWT Woodfalls, Dr. N. Childs, 9, 194
4. Camborne, F. Renton, 8, 193
5. Aldbourne, C. King, 4, 192
6. Bournemouth Concert Brass, N. Taken, 5, 191
7. Yeovil Town, D. Barringer, 7, 190
8. St. Austell Town, D. Loukes, 2, 189
9. Lydbrook, D. Williams, 1, 188
10. Sherborne Town, P. Cosh, 10, 187
11. Poole Borough, P. Randell, 11, 186
The band wish to send their congratulations to Polysteel and Mount Charles who have qualified for the National Championships as well as to Camborne 'B' for winning the Third Section on Saturday and qualifying for the Third Section Nationals Finals.
Although the Band didn't qualify this year, they were thrilled with their playing and are looking forward to some excellent contests and concerts coming up later this year. The first of which is on Saturday 24th March at the Camborne Wesley Chapel where the Band will be joined by Professor Philip Wilby. The programme will include Wilby's 'Paganini Variations' and his arrangement of 'Finale from the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony No. 3' which will feature Professor Wilby on the organ as well as another performance of 'Isaiah 40'. Admission for the concert is £5 at the door, however, under 18s get in free of charge!
Sunday 11th March - 'B' Band Gain 1st Prize in Torquay
Yesterday, under the direction of Alan Pope, Camborne 'B' Band won the Third Section of the West of England Regional Championships held at the Riviera Centre in Torquay. As well as qualifying them for the National Finals, to be held in Harrogate in September, the result has also secured them promotion to the Second Section next year.
The band had to perform a set test piece, this year written by Darrol Barry, called 'Prelude and Jubilate'. They have been rehearsing the piece in recent months with Alan Pope and their Musical Advisor, Alan Morrison, who, last weekend, directed Brighouse & Rastrick Band through a winning performance at the Yorkshire Regionals. The 'B' Band were up against fourteen other bands at the contest and the adjudicators were David Hirst & Barry Thompson. Courtesy of 4barsrest.com, the full results were:
1. Camborne ‘B’, A. Pope, 13, 184
2. Wotton & District Silver, D. Grant, 6, 182
3. Corsham, M. Perry, 15, 181
4. Verwood Concert Brass, D. Johnson, 7, 180
5. St. Pinnock, S. Dobson, 11, 179
6. Heyl Town, D. Johnstone, 2, 178
7. Denmead Brass, J. Hill, 10, 177
8. Downton, R. Wright, 1, 174
9. Bugle, D. Pope, 5, 175
10. AW Parker (Drybrook), K. White, 8, 174
11. Pillowell Silver, R. Griffiths, 12, 171
12. Weston-super-Mare Brass, P. Nutt, 3, 172
13. Bath Spa, D. Walker, 14, 170
14. Launceston Town, D. Dobson, 9, 169
15. Totnes, I. Wilkinson, 4, 168
This is another fantastic achievement for the 'B' Band, which was only formed five years' ago by Alan Pope to give the more experienced players from the Youth Band even more contest experience amongst senior bands. The 'B' Band now have their second National Finals to look forward to in September; although this time they won't have to travel quite as far as Dundee!
Monday 19th February - Band Member Receives Badge for Poem
A member of the Youth Band received the rare accolade of being awarded a Blue Peter Badge for the part she is playing in helping to raise money for the new band room - the Twenty 4 Twenty appeal. Thirteen-year-old cornet player, Laureen Hodge, wrote a poem, which she then sent to the long-running children's BBC TV show. The programme-makers were so impressed that they awarded her the coveted badge.
Laureen said: "I wanted them to know that we are trying to raise money for the band room and I thought a poem was a good way of doing that."
The band wish to congratulate Laureen for this fantastic achievement. Below is the poem, entitled 'Camborne Youth Band'.
Cornets, horns, trombones too,
Camborne Youth plays brass for you.
Drums, glock, cymbals loud,
We play with pride in front of the crowd.
Alan Pope conducts the band,
One of the best in the land.
Practice schedules tough but fair,
Winning is our joy to share.
The summer club fills up our day,
Concerts, festivals, we love to play.
Canary Wharf and Manchester, too
Third year champions of Great Britain... Ya-hoo!
Camborne Hill is our signature tune,
We're raising money for the new band room.
Support and help us with 24/20,
Dig deep in your pockets and give us plenty.
Sunday 18th February - Solo Contest Success with Owen Farr
Camborne Youth Band's 7th annual Solo & Quartet Contest, held on Saturday 20th January, proved once again to be very successful, with 80 entries from Cornish bands.
The adjudicators, Owen Farr and John Hitchens, were extremely impressed with the standard of playing. Once again, Camborne Science and Community College proved an ideal venue for the contest. Special thanks must go to the accompanists, Agnes Jane and Philip Davey, and to Trevada Music for supplying the pianos.
This contest was only one part of a busy weekend for Owen Farr (Solo Horn - BAYV Band). On the Friday evening and Sunday morning he rehearsed his solos with Camborne Youth Band along with Darrol Barry's 'Tenor Horn Concerto' which Owen and the band premiered during the Sunday night concert at the Penventon Hotel, Redruth. This concert proved to be a great success, with a packed audience delighted by Owen Farr's brilliance and compered by the very knowledgeable Phillip Hunt.
Camborne Youth Band greatly appreciated the opportunity to accompany such a fine solist and Alan Pope, the band's Musical Director, said that the weekend was an unforgettable experience. He was also delighted with the audience response for the programme of music the band had prepared for the Greater Gwent Youth Brass Band Festival, held on Saturday 27th January. The band came away from this contest as winners of the 1st section and also gained the Best Instrumentalist Award, which went to soprano cornet player, Samuel Eddy.
Sunday 11th February - 5th Place at Yeovil Entertainment Contest
Yesterday Camborne Town Band, under the direction of Frank Renton, gave a powerful and very well played 25 minute performance at Yeovil Entertainment Contest. After a fantastic reaction to the Band's programme from the large and extremely appreciative audience at the Octagon Theatre, the Band were awarded 5th place by adjudicator John Maines.
Their programme, selected by Frank, began with 'Liberty Fanfare' by John Williams. This fine opener impressed both the audience and adjuicator and got the performance off to a great start.
Kayleigh Rowe (17), the Band's Principal Cornet, then followed this with a beautiful solo performance of 'My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose'. Kayleigh's wonderful sound also impressed John Maines as well as the Band's fine accompaniment.
'Funiculi Funicula Rhapsody', better known as Napoli, which was arranged for brass band by Michael Garasi (MD of the Brass Band of Central Florida), featured third in the Band's programme. This enjoyable and well known number also went down brilliantly with the audience and adjudicator alike and gave them five minutes of fun and fine playing.
The Band then featured their second young soloist, Jeremy Taylor (16), in the xylophone solo 'Helter Skelter'. This speedy, accurate and well accompanied performance brought the house down, leaving Jeremy rather taken back by the huge response.
A powerful rendition of the finale from 'Russian Christmas Music' brought the Band's programme to a close in fine style, showing their quality playing and huge sound. Once again the audience response was amazing and certainly well deserved.
The Band were very pleased with their performance and wish to thank Frank for his work this last week as well as Graham Barker and Graham Boag for rehearsing the programme prior to Frank's arrival. Also thanks must go to Kevin Bragg for guesting on Bb Bass and Kevyn Caddy for extending his services on Eb Bass into the new year. To view a retrospective of the contest, follow this link to 4 Bars Rest: http://www.4barsrest.com/articles/2007/art672.asp
Frank returns to Cornwall in three weeks time to rehearse the Band for the West of England Area Qualifying Championships and two weeks after that the Band will be joined by Professor Philip Wilby for a concert at Camborne Wesley Chapel.
Friday 9th February - Awards Presented at Annual Dinner & Dance
Last Saturday several members and friends of Camborne Town Band Music Society enjoyed the annual dinner and dance at Sandy Lodge Hotel in Newquay. After the meal the Society Chairman, Michael Weeks, addressed the crowd, thanking everybody for their support in 2006 and wishing the Bands all the best for 2007. Alan Pope then spoke regarding the Youth and 'B' Bands, discussing their successes last year and their aims for the year ahead. Society Treasurer and Band Manager, Marcus Dunstan, then summed up the Senior Band's year in which they qualified for the National Finals for the fifth time in six years.
After the speeches various awards were presented to members of the Band. The Best Solo Performance of the Year was presented to Les Kneebone (Soprano) for his performance in 'Les Francs Juges' at the National Championships last October. The Horn section claimed two awards with Player's Player going to Mark Letcher (Solo Horn) and the Bandsman of the Year award going to Wayne Brown (First Horn). Neil Murley, who moved from 2nd to Bass Trombone last November, was awarded Most Improved Player.
Awards for ten years service, in the from of an engraved tankard, were given to ten members of Camborne Town Band last year and this year a similar award was presented to a Youth Band member for the first time. The award was presented by the Youth Band's MD, Alan Pope, to Solo Cornet player, Simon Dunstan.
Since the success of the evening the Senior Band have been rehearsing all week with their Musical Advisor, Frank Renton, in preparation for the Yeovil Entertainment Contest tomorrow and the Youth Band have been preparing for their 'Three In A Row' CD Launch Concerts on Sunday and Monday evening which are advertised on the Home Page.
Sunday 28th January - Youth Band Claim Victory in Gwent
Yesterday Camborne Youth Band travelled to Wales to compete in the oldest Youth Band contest in the Country; the Greater Gwent Youth Brass Band Festival. The Band were drawn last in their section, Section 1, and were up against nine other bands. As well as the Band winning first prize under their Musical Director, Alan Pope, their Soprano Cornet soloist, Samuel Eddy, won the 'best instrumentalist' award for his faultless performance of 'Nessun Dorma'.
Two coaches left Camborne at 9:30 am; one transporting the band and the other the Band's supporters. The Band arrived in Wales at the Risca Salvation Army Hall for their rehearsal early in the afternoon. There they met up with their MD and Owen Farr who performed with the band last weekend as well as adjudicating the solo contest. A report on last weekend, including the full results of the contest, will appear shortly.
The Band's 20 minute entertainment programme began with 'Fanfare for Camborne', written especially for them by their Musical Advisor, Alan Morrison. Alan's arrangement of 'And All That Jazz' from the musical 'Chicago' then followed.
Samuel Eddy then took to the stage to perform 'Nessun Dorma' on Soprano Cornet and adjudicator, Steven Mead, commented in the remarks that his faultless performance was 'real Peter Roberts stuff'! Samuel's confidence, skill and professionalism gained him the award of 'best instrumentalist' of Section 1.
Camborne's very own Laurel and Hardy then took to the stage in the form of Euphonium players Peter Harvey and Simon Kendall. They played Sandy Smith's 'Another Fine Mess' based on the two comedians, and their antics, dancing and playing certainly entertained the audience and the adjudicator. His comments for this piece included 'both natural comedians' and 'the audience said it all'!
Jeremy Taylor, the Band's last soloist for their programme, then performed the xylophone solo 'Helter Skelter' which gained him 'best instrumentalist' at the National Youth Championships last year. Despite a nervous second when a stick flew out his hand, he caught it again and not one note was missed! Steven Mead's comments for this piece comprised one word: 'Fabulous'!
The Band performed a powerful arrangement of 'Macarthur Park' by Alan Fernie to end the 'finest performance of the day' as commented once again by the adjudicator.
After the results, which included some unaccompanied virtuosic playing on the euphonium by adjudicator Steven Mead, the Band and supporters headed straight back to Cornwall arriving at half past midnight at the Camborne Community Centre. The Band wish to thank Alan for all of his hard work in preparation for the contest and the Youth Band Management Team for making sure the trip ran smoothly. Your next chance to hear the Band and this award winning entertainment programme will be at the CD launch concerts on February 11th & 12th which are advertised on the Home Page.
Saturday 13th January - New Year Honour for Chris Davis
Lt. Col. Chris Davis BA (Hons) MMus. DMA LRAM, Principal Director of Music Royal Marines, has been awarded an OBE in Her Majesty The Queen's New Year Honours. As well as Musical Director of Otterbourne Band, he is also one of Camborne's Professional Guest Conductors and last conducted the Band for the Last Night of the Proms Concert in September 2006.
The award rounds off a year in which he was also awarded a doctorate from Salford Universitiy and Band would like to wish him many congratulations.
Monday 8th January - Conductor for Yeovil & Torquay Announced
Camborne Town Band are extremely fortunate to engage the services of their Professional Musical Advisor, Frank Renton, to conduct them for the Yeovil Entertainment Contest in February and the West of England Area Qualifiers at Torquay in March.
March will also see the Band work with Professor Philip Wilby in preparation for a concert at Camborne Wesley Chapel on Saturday 24th, where he will be conducting them through much of his own music!
Frank's first trip to Cornwall this year will be in one month's time, when he will be rehearsing the Band for the Yeovil Entertainment Contest on the 10th February, where the Band aim to climb up the placings from an excellent 5th place under his direction last year.
Monday 8th January - New Year Brings New Players
Friday evening was Camborne Town Band's first rehearsal for 2007 which began with the welcoming of two new members, as well as a new Acting Musical Director, in time for this year's busy contest season.
After just over 18 months with Aldbourne Band, Royal Marines star, Phil Trudgeon, has returned to the percussion section and Roland Woods has joined the front row cornets. Graham Barker, a previous Player, Bandmaster and Musical Director, has returned to conduct the Band while the search for a new MD continues; taking over from Leonard Adams who directed the Band through November and December.
Unfortunately, Christmas saw the resignation of Vicki Thomas (Solo Cornet) and her father-in-law, Eric Thomas (Bb Bass). Vicki has been a member of Camborne since 2002 and more recently was also the Registration Officer. This position has been filled by our 2nd trombone player, Nick Abbott. Eric has been playing with Camborne on and off since the early 1950's, his most recent stint starting in 2003. Eric was also Librarian in recent years and this position is now shared by Wayne Brown (1st Horn) and Timmy Joslin (Eb Bass). The Band would like to thank Eric and Vicki for their loyal service and wish them all the best for the future.
Our new players were warmly welcomed at Friday night's rehearsal and we wish them a long and enjoyable future with Camborne Town Band.
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