New Player Vacancies

Chalford Band

Due to departures to university in September, the Senior Band is looking for new players to join its very experienced ranks; in particular: solo cornet, euphonium and bass seats. If you’re an experienced brass player and interested in joining the band please email vacancies@chalfordband.co.uk

2019 Annual General Meeting

Chalford Band
The 2019 AGM will be held at the band room on 13th May @7:30pm
Agenda

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of 2018 AGM
3. Matters arising from those minutes
4. Chairman’s Report
5. Musical Director’s Report
6. Treasurer’s report
7. Subscriptions for 2019/2020
8. Election of Officers
9. Any other business

Youth band 3rd at National Championships 2019

Chalford Band

Chalford Youth Band were placed 3rd in the Intermediate section of the national brass band championships at Warwick Arts Centre.

1. Wardle Academy School Band (Lee Rigg) — Gold
2. Elland Silver Training Band (Samantha Harrison) — Silver
3. Chalford Youth Band (Steve Tubb) — Silver

Bronze Awards:
Stockport Schools’ Intermediate Band (Tom Ridgley)
Egglescliffe School Brass Band (Matthew Haworth)

Merit Award:
Tewit Youth Intermediate Band (Martin Tromans)

Best Soloist: Adam Warburton (trombone) — Wardle Academy School Band

Pulsar
Opening confident and a lovely band sound = some great detail in articulatioin and dynamics not overdone. Perhaps try to find more contrast throughout the full range of dynamics. Nice way to start!
Eyes of a Child
Lovely sound from the flugel soloist – Bravo! Band are supportive throughout and accompanying figures are effective. Well done.
Stantonbury Festival
Clear rhythmic work from the outset. Excellent Basses at [D]! Largando at the end of movement I effective – watch intonation on sustained sounds. Movement II has great shape and style – lovely sounds. Bravo Euphonium – lovely solo to close the movement! Variation III presents some challenging rhythms, mostly well executed. Percussion section add some lovely texture and the rhythmns well! A great scherzando feel to this movement.
Brassed off
A real foot-tapper to finish, once again featuring some excellent work from the percussion section. Dynamic contrasts are more effective in this piece. Great energy overall, finishing with some great drum fills!
SAM FISHER

Pulsar
What a great start! Full of energy from start to finish.
Eyes of a Child
Oh wow! What a wonderful sound! the soloist has such a beautiful tone and vibrato. I loved it.
Stantonbury Festival
This brought excellent contrast with a fine change of mood. Great balance an bass line [F] maybe a bigger ff would add more impact? Bravo Euph. Excellent detail – this is all so comfortable.
Brassed Off
great drive! This is so well rehearsed. What a great percussion section!
You were all a joy to listen to!
Thank you
OWEN FARR

Iwan chats with a few members of the Chalford Youth Band from 4barsrest.com

WEBBA Regionals 2019 Results and Report

Chalford Band

A long weekend in Torquay led to a roller coaster ride of emotions almost as choppy as the waves in Torbay.  The Academy band rehearsal was so early on Saturday morning I’m sure some people thought it was on Friday night!  The band were drawn 6th, and the band came off stage having played Stantonbury Festival as well as ever.  4 Bars Rest (and the adjudicators) were very impressed, especially with the basses: “The trio is rounded off by a super account from Chalford Academy — all the more so as it was built on a brace of tremendous young tuba players. The overall band sound was so well constructed though — and the flowing musicality was a treat.”.  This led to a 4BR predicted podium finish, Although the official placing of 11th wasn’t quite as high as the prediction, it’s a fantastic result for a band whose average age (excluding one player) is 15.5!

Steve’s long weekend continued as he worked the senior band hard to put some final tweaks in place during the Saturday afternoon rehearsal.  They returned on Sunday morning, and played to an unofficial audience from Woodfalls band, seemingly intent on getting into the practice room early!  A long wait then ensued, as the band were drawn 10th, on stage over six hours after the end of the rehearsal. The band left the stage a little bewildered and definitely disappointed – the performance hadn’t been quite what was expected.  Nevertheless, it says a lot about the effort put into practice and rehearsal that even though they were newly promoted and did beat two bands, they’d expected more.

Many thanks to all the supporters, particularly those who spent most of their weekend on the M5!

Senior Band – Championship Section

Test Piece: Seascapes (Ray Steadman-Allen)
Adjudicators: Major David Barringer MBE and Ludovic Neurohr

1. Flowers (Paul Holland)
2. Aldbourne (David Thornton)
3. Filton Concert Brass (Tom Davoren)
4. Woodfalls (Dr Robert Childs)
5. Camborne Town (Kevin Mackenzie)
6. St Dennis (Darren R Hawken)
7. Verwood Concert Brass (Kevin Smith)
8. Lydbrook (Glyn Williams)
9. St Austell Town (Iain McKnight)
10. Lanner & District Silver (David Hamilton)
11. Chalford (Steve Tubb)
12. Bournemouth Concert Brass (Dr Howard Evans)
13. Hyde (Garry Cutt)

I. Opening is well balanced. Occasional slip and we lose sop for a while. Settles well. Furioso has energy but the balance is not clear here. We lose the quaver pulse at times and this introduces untidiness in the ensemble -> Maestoso. Andante is better but tuning drifts to close.
II. Untidy opening – this needs to flow for me. [3] feels rushed. Nice troms before [4] [5] is better and [6] settles nicely. Duet/Trios not always tidy. You make a nice sound at [10] but ensemble is not always tidy [11] stutters and tuning drift again.
III. Never really settles in opening and feels a bit frantic until [5] (nice flug) [6] intonation detracts. Tempo is not established at Allegro and we lose a few entries as a result. [11] is unitdy and Quietamente doesn’t quite come off. Tempo builds consistently but it is too quick to allow you to play semis.
This felt right at the edge of your capabilities and never really got to the heart of the music. Thank you.
MAJOR DAVID BARRINGER MBE

I. It could be more subtle with articulations and dynamics. But the flow is quite ok. From [7] it misses a good clarity in the details between sections. In the quiet parts it misses a bit of confidence to really enjoy the music
II. From [1] Please be careful with intonation at Eb bass. This is the base of the harmony. Lovely moments! [6] Articulation for soloists can be more subtle to reach this funny vibe needed by the composer [10] The general sound needs to be well supported by the low instruments to be solid. Overall: (!) Intonation put low the quality of your performance
III. [3] Well done flugel horn. Intonation is not your strong side in this movement. [7] Soloist miss confidence to be really enjoyable. [10] A great mix of sounds deserve a better understanding.
Overall: Some good moments of music but a few mistake (tune, balance, reading of score) do not allow to say it is a really good performance. Anyway, thx for your job!
LUDVIC NEUROHR

Academy Band – Fourth Section

Test Piece: Stantonbury Festival (Ray Steadman-Allen)
Adjudicators: Ludovic Neurohr & Brian Rostron

1. Redruth Town (Andrew Craze)
2. Woughton Silver (Neil Webb)
3. Nailsworth Silver (Steve Ruck)
4. Shaftesbury Town Silver (Martin Hill)
5. Exeter Railway (Graham Eaton)
6. Bideford Town (Mark Durham)
7. Saltash Town (Ross Farr-Semmens)
8. Tewkesbury Town (Nigel Morgan)
9. Okehampton Excelsior Silver (Robert Julian)
10. Great Western Youth (Ben Halstead)
11. Chalford Academy (Steve Tubb)
12. Tiverton Town (John Fitton)
13. Test Valley Brass (John Heritage)
14. Shanklin Town Brass (IoW) (Malcolm Lewis)
15. Illogan Sparnon Silver (Shaun Marsden)
16. Torbay Brass (Joe Lowlands)
17. Launceston Town (Alan Iles)

Andante: has a good feel at the opening [A] intonation problems [C] Good euph & bari [D]basses good if a tad loud! [E] Grazioso please [F] has terrible tonguing problems????? [J] all the detail is heard,  but needs to be more legato. A fine close.
Moderato: A good style is chosen here. Thank your MD! [C] poor balance here [E] what a good bass sound! More shape at [F] [G] the general intonation suffers in the quieter passages
Allegro: This has a better feel to the music! [B] pp could have been better [C] nice and playful. Basses a tad heavy before [G] [I] lovely sounds here. Has just the right feel to it [L] More shape [N] Better playing here! [O] More shape [P] Good solid basses [Q] Accel could have been more exciting.  You bring the piece to a fine close
This performance had some good points but alas also quite a lot of bad ones.  Thank you
BRIAN ROSTRON

Overture: Quite ok even if some of the cornets are a bit stressed with the principal theme Some intonation problems cut the MD’s flow but there are good moments of interpretation. This 1st mov deserves a more “Grazioso” attitude. It’s a bit heavy
II. I found some lovely moments of music but the overall band misses some key point by details (intonation, style)
III. [C] Scherzando could be more funny. Percussion: please think that you are as important as the rest of the band (!) Precision/reading of the indications [M] Intonation on cornets! (!) It misses a more balanced style between dancing and banding. Please be more funny in the music! Enjoy the music! Thx for your job!
LUDVIC NEUROHR

Christmas Concert 2018 Review

Chalford Band

“The start of Christmas” was how Pete Hendy described the Chalford Band Christmas concert.  More players than ever were shoehorned on to the Sub Rooms stage as the entire combined bands, starting with A Christmas Overture.  This was then followed by the first of three Philip Harper arrangements on the night: Star Carol, by the master of Christmas, John Rutter.  The next item was introduced as a “solo for two players” as Katie Murray and Evie Nunn squeezed either side of MD Steve Tubb to play Peter Graham’s Away in a Manger“.  The combined set then concluded with the “rip-roaring” Breezin’ Down Broadway by Goff Richards.

After a brief break the Youth Band took to the stage, starting with a confident performance of Alan Fernie’s Pulsar.  They followed it up with a collection of Christmas favourites: Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman and Merry Christmas Everyone.

Another stage change, but this time no band on stage.  Pete introduced the band, and on came Will Hurn, took a bow (a very good one!) and then started as a solo drummer, followed by players playing from and appearing from all over the auditorium to The Gloucestershire Wassail.  After the applause died down, MD Steve Tubb took the mike and after a few jokes about the need for a conductor, highlighted the challenges faced by the band this year, and gave heartfelt thanks to all the band.  There then came another new piece for the band, What’s This? – an excellent, somewhat quirky, arrangement by Naomi Styles of a song from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”

Stephen Parker then stepped up for a euphonium solo The Very Best Time of Year, another John Rutter composition.  Steve Tubb then dedicated the next piece, Sparkling Diamonds, to Pauline Chappell, daughter of Bill Hayward who had a long association with the band – not sure what what she made of solo trombone player Dave Nairn’s opening solo, with blonde wig and very long glissando!

The next piece, Nordic Polska, was Steve’s favourite piece of the night and the seven soloists didn’t let him down.  The senior band closed their set with yet another new piece: Matthew Hall’s clever and exciting Nightingale Dances.

After a brief interval came the act: billed as “Amy’s had her tonsils out”, Steve explained that there almost hadn’t been an act this year – until it was pointed out this was the 35th year of an act at the Christmas concert. So “The signs of music”, first seen five years’ ago was reprieved, with percussionist Helen Acock taking Amy’s role – Amy really had had her tonsils out!!!

All players then back on stage for some great arrangements of a couple of Christmas staples: Angels From The Realms of Glory & The Holly And The Ivy. Then, the awards were handed out: young player of the year went to Evie Nunn, who’d featured earlier in the evening; the senior players’ bandsman award, voted for by the players, was presented to a surprised Lianne Burnell on soprano.

This was followed by Darrol Barry’s inventive A Christmas Bolero, before a tribute to the fallen of World War One.  The entire cornet section stood to play the open Reveille, before the audience joined in to sing along to Songs From The Great War.  As the applause rang out at the end, an encore was demanded, so the evening closed with All I Want For Christmas Is You.