Happy New Year from Aldbourne Band.
2003 was a very busy and successful year. We released our CD, selling over 500 copies so far, had radio airplay all over the country, played 18 concerts and entered many competitions, playing as far a-field as Blackpool, Weymouth and Colchester. We played a great Theme Concert in November then Christmas Carolling helped boost the Band’s flagging funds, Thank-you for all the donations and support across the year. Let’s hope for an even better 2004.
Christmas was no exception as we performed 3 Christmas Concerts – Chiseldon, Haydon Wick and Aldbourne. For the St. Michael’s Church concert we were joined by Aldbourne WI Choir and St. Michael’s School Choir. The School Recorder Club also performed, much to the enjoyment of the audience – it was great to see so many youngsters performing music. We played a number of Christmas Carolling engagements including two all-day sessions at Sainsbury’s, Stratton. Battling against torrential wind and rain we entertained the shoppers and earned enough money to boost the flagging funds.
Christmas eve was another fine evening out playing some house-parties, then the public houses, and then finishing from the top of St. Michael’s Church at 6.30AM. A huge thank you to all who played, collected or donated over Christmas – we really couldn’t do it without you.
For those newcomers to the village or the Band , the band always plays in the village on Christmas Morning from 4AM and plays carols in each of the major roads, finishing at 6.30AM by playing from the roof of St Michael’s Church. The players then stagger home to get some well-needed sleep before joining in the festivities. What a wonderful way to welcome in Christmas Day.
4 Months have passed since the release of the last newsletter, and we are running a month late this with edition. That’s because we have been just so busy through the last quarter of 2003. Now, 2004 really is a New Year with a difference.
We start 2004 with a change of Musical Director. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, Ian Holmes left Aldbourne Band prior to Christmas. Aldbourne Band achieved much with Ian at the helm and we are grateful for his good work with the Band. We qualified for the Senior Cup at Blackpool, recorded and released a CD, performed at some new concert venues as far a-field as Essex, London and Bristol playing high quality public concerts. Ian’s Wife, Liz, also occasionally played percussion in performances and was a great help to the Band. We hope to be able to work with them both in the future as and when the right occasion arises.
Moving forward we are working with Nigel Seaman as Musical Director. Nigel was the Band’s Professional Conductor throughout much of the 1980’s and masterminded many of the Band’s most memorable contest performances. Nigel travels from Caerphilly, in Wales, so he is making a great effort to work with the Band.
Nigel brings with him a wealth of experience, gained from directing over 260 contest performances and many more concert appearances with over thirty different bands. He has held a number of conducting appointments with Bands including Tradegar, Cory, Parc and Dare, BTM, Flowers and Yeovil. Nigel also maintains a busy teaching schedule and has been tutor of tuba and brass studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff since 1977. Everyone is excited about Nigel’s return and we look forward to making some great music.
Further to this we have also engaged Melvin White, another former Professional Conductor of the Band, to lead the challenge at the West of England Championships in March. Melvin lives in Essex and travels extensively around the country to conduct some of the best bands around. Melvin brings back his usual charisma to the stick, and will be working alongside Nigel to rise to the challenge of Bramwell Tovey’s exciting, yet musical, test-piece. We are very fortunate to also have Melvin’s expertise.
We have also changed our rehearsal venue, due to the refurbishment of the Memorial Hall we are rehearsing in St Michael’s School for the next 6 months. We are very grateful for the use of this excellent facility in the village.
We have had plans for a training band for some time now, and we have had a lot of interest expressed from local children. In November and January the first two music sessions with the Training Band were staged. It was a delight to see so many youngsters playing along, and these youngsters will certainly form the life-blood of the Band for years to come.
The training band will welcome any age with an interest in playing brass (yes, parents – even you!).
We then aim to form a regular Band of players supported by tuition Further sessions are organised through Jan, Feb, March and we would like to be able to meet weekly from the Summer onwards. If you have nieces or nephews then bring them along!
Also we have a number of instructors qualified to teach children, so you are not forced to stay and listen to the entire rehearsal! We also have a number of instruments ready and available to use.
Let’s hope that this coming Christmas was have a few numbers played by the Training Band in our Christmas Concert.
Please contact Rachel Walton on 01672 540952 for further details.
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| The CD continues to sell with a late Christmas rush at Aldbourne Post Office. As recently as 11th January music from the CD continues to be played on Radio in the UK, being played on the ‘Sounds of Brass’ show that is broadcast across the West of England on Sunday nights
We will also post, Recorded Delivery, for £11.50 to surprise someone on that special day. This could make a special Mother’s Day gift. The target this year is to sell the remaining copies. Enabling us to fund making another CD. Just think of Aunties, Uncles, Birthdays, Mothers Day, Fathers Day. |
For the first year Aldbourne Band entered the Wessex Association Contest. This year the venue was the Weymouth Art Centre, and the contest was staged 6th December.
This year happened to be the Centenary of Eric Ball – one of the most influential figures of the Brass Band movement ever. Through his career Eric worked with many of the finest Bands in the World, even conducting Aldbourne Band. To celebrate his tremendous contribution to Brass Bands many competitions figured his musical compositions as test-pieces. The Wessex Contest was no exception.
We chose to play Journey Into Freedom, certainly one of Eric’s most popular pieces. For the contest we engaged David Hayward a man with great musical reputation in the West of England. Rehearsals with David were simply great, and a fine interpretation of the piece was presented in the contest, much to the praise of the audience.
In typical brass band fashion, the adjudicator had a slightly different spin on things. We were placed 3rd out of a section of 11, and though we could have come higher, we have certainly ruffled enough feathers to ensure that we are regarded amongst next year’s favourites.
Weymouth welcomed us with torrential wind and rain all day, but the fish and chips were great! Maybe we should have filled the trophy with chips instead of champagne!!
Our first concert of the New Year is the annual Upham Road concert at Immanuel Church on 31st January, starting at 7.30pm. We are very pleased to be joined by the recently formed Wessex Male Choir. Based in the Swindon area, this 50-strong choir are starting to become a regular fixture alongside Aldbourne Band. The Concert is priced at £6, tickets will be available on the door.
The Band returns to play in concert at St Michael’s Church on Saturday 6th March. We are making this spring concert an annual event, so book the first week of March into your diaries. Tickets will be available early February from the Post Office, in Aldbourne, and Alan Watson (01672 540580) at £6 including programme and break-time refreshment.
The competition at Torquay in March defines our grading in the National leagues for the entire year, and is the most important of all. The piece of music that all the Bands are required to play is entitled ‘Coventry Variations’. This is a modern arrangement of music that happens to commence with a full verse of the Coventry Carol before depicting many moods including the Blitz on Coventry in World War II. So if you happen to hear us rehearsing the Coventry Carol through Feb and March we have not gone completely mad, and no, we’re not starting rehearsal early for Christmas 2004 to ensure that we can play the music this year!
Hot on the heels of the West of England Championships we play at Blackpool in the Spring Brass Band Festival. Here we play in the Senior Trophy against a very strong line-up of predominately northern Brass Bands. Blackpool is always a great weekend away and we are really looking forward to showing some or the Northern bands a thing or two!
The Theme Concert, entitled ‘A Commercial Break’, was a huge success. We featured music from selected TV adverts including Hovis, Allied Dunbar and Hamlet Cigars. The audience had to guess which advert each theme was from and the evening was staged as a quiz. Congratulations to ‘Beths Team’ who won the 1st Prize. Many thanks to our ‘box-offices’ the Post Office and Butchers who helped us fill St Michaels, helpers with refreshments and to the Church for helping us stage the event.
Ideas for our 2004 Themed Concert are always gratefully received.
Keep October 30th clear for the 2004 Concert.
New Year in Mevagissy proved a great couple of days for some of the players. The fancy dress was of such a high standard throughout the entire town. Robin met another Batman and Robin, had a very serious chat with God and was soaked by the Ghostbusters in one of the public houses!
The Stork finally arrived in Swindon and Carl and Clare Smith are proud to be parents to baby Daniel.
Chairman, James Sheppard’s little House on the Prairie has now been completed. He played host to the recent committee meeting - and Richard Hughes has yet to host a house-warming!!!
There has also been a few changes of Band personnel at the end of year.
Everyone wants to be a conductor, Danny Dulforce finished playing with the Band to start his career as a Musical Director with Lydney Band. We wish him good luck for the future. Aldbourne Band appears to have somewhat taken over the Forrest of Dean as we understand that former MD, David Williams, is leading Lydbrook Band for the forthcoming West of England Championships
Tim Dixon has moved to play at Wantage to support his son’s budding Brass Band career. Just as a few players leave we are joined by 4 players, 3 returning after breaks from playing with the Band. Gareth Jones re-joins us on Eb Bass, and brings his son, Dean, on Trombone. Sarah Summers has recently been helping in the Percussion team, and Graham Palmer returns to play Baritone.
Two of our players recently engaged to each other.
When they have told their families we will be ale to tell you who they are.
| Aldbourne Band has been grooming Crash-test dummies for the Winners Go-Karting circuit at Wroughton. Organised by Ashley Jones a race-off was staged as the Cornet Section Versus. Let’s just say that the cornets did not figure highly in the driving prizes across the whole weekend. | 
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| Player Profiles | 
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| Full Name | Andy Chalk | |
| Instrument | Second Cornet | |
| Place of Birth | Salisbury | |
| Joined Aldbourne Band | 1998 | |
| Former Bands | Wilton District Youth Band, Hyde, Staines | |
| Favourite Brass Band | No preference | |
| Favourite 3 Pieces of music | Labour and Love Endeavour Fields of Joy – Lennie Kravitz | |
| Favourite Composer | Philip Sparke | |
| Favourite Venue Performed | Pool Arts Centre | |
| Most Memorable Musical Moment | Playing Principal Cornet at Staines playing at the final performance, to a packed house, in Staines Town Hall | |
| Musical Ambition | To get away with as little practice as possible | |
| Occupation | Chartered building Surveyor | |
| Favourite Film | The 5th Element | |
| Who would you most like to meet | Le’cor Busier (Architect and Designer) | |
| Who would you least like to be stranded on a desert island with | My ex-boss | |
| Most embarrasing moment | When I set my Dad’s car on fire | |
| I don't do 2 hours practice a day because | Because I spend 2 hours a day on the motorway |
