STB - News Archive 2007

2007 will see some significant changes to the Sidmouth Town Band, most notably in the new uniforms which have just been ordered. It was decided that the money raised from “Brassed Off” would go towards a new set of jackets, and last month we took the plunge and chose our new design. These should be ready by the start of the summer season, and audiences can expect a very different look!

In January, the band gave their first performance of the year, playing once again with the Rivertones at a charity concert organised by the Lions Club of Sidmouth. This concert raised money for local charity services and Campaign SightFirst, a worldwide Lions’ project to overcome preventable blindness. Highlights from the programme included “Sparkling Diamonds”, “Hine e Hine”, and our 2 soloists - Christopher Holland and Tom Clemo. We also performed one of the movements from our next test piece, “The Seasons”, which was a Spring Waltz featuring our solo horn, Verity Baker. Thanks must go to the Lions Club for organising such a successful event, and to Richard Hawkey, who helped out on Eb Bass (allowing Harold the chance to go away and listen to Black Dyke!).

With just 2 ½ weeks to go, preparations for the Area Contest are well under way. We are delighted to welcome back Esther Harbour, the band’s former flugel player, who is helping us out on the back row, and Karen Summers, who has switched to horn for the contest. The contest will be held on March 10th at the Riviera Centre in Torquay, and we are due to play in the morning (in the arena / cattle shed!) if anyone wants to come and listen. The test piece is in three movements, depicting the changing seasons, and offers a challenge to all players. It is a piece that audiences will enjoy listening to, as it features some very lyrical passages (we hope the adjudicator will still be enjoying it by the end of the day!) and it is one that no doubt we will play again in the summer. Results of the contest will be posted here.

For those of you who cannot wait until 27th May to hear the band at the Connaught Gardens, we will of course be providing the music at on Good Friday at the annual Hot Cross Bun event in Sidmouth. A full list of engagements for 2007 will be available soon.

At the Band’s AGM, held last week, Christopher Holland was elected as the new chairman. Roy Down, who had previously held the position, remains as Contest Secretary.

Chris has been a member of the band for over 20 years, and he has worked very hard behind the scenes as well as on stage to ensure the band continues to develop and improve. His ‘Sidmouth’ roots will help us to raise our profile within the town, and his diplomatic skills will keep things running smoothly!

At the AGM, musical director Adrian Harvey thanked the players for their hard work over the last 12 months – one of the most successful in the band’s recent history – and welcomed back former members Esther Harbour and Karen Summers who have resumed their playing careers.

Sidmouth was looking glorious on Good Friday morning with blue skies and a hot sun shining down on the hundreds of visitors who queued up for the annual Hot Cross Bun event. As always, the band provided the music, giving us a chance to try out some new pieces (and get our lips back in shape!) before the summer season. Scarily, this is not too far away. The new uniforms have arrived in time for the first concert at the Connaught Gardens (Sunday 27th May), and the band are beginning to plan this year’s Last Night of the Proms concert – more details to follow.

Sadly, we’ve had to say goodbye to Dudley Ractliffe, who reluctantly ‘retired’ from the band last month. He will be missed, but we know we’ll see him regularly in Sidmouth, and we send him and his wife Ann our very best wishes.

We don’t want to give too much away yet, but 2007 is a very special year for one of our players, who will be celebrating his 60th year with the band. Again, more details will follow but we don’t want to spoil any surprises at the moment!

Finally, for those of you who haven’t picked up on this, from January 2008, Sidmouth Town Band will be competing in the Third Section! Following our 4th place at the Areas in March, we have gained enough points over 3 years to top the Fourth Section of the West of England, and we will be preparing ourselves over the next year for the challenges that this promotion will bring.

As usual, time has flown by, and we’re already well into our summer season of concerts at Connaught Gardens. The band has been busy over the last few months preparing and rehearsing the programmes – all of which include a wide variety of music, and guarantee to offer something for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately, the Great British Summer has been, well, less than great, and two concerts have already been rained off. We’re hoping the warm and sunny weather we had earlier in the year will make a very welcome return, so that the beautiful surroundings of Connaught Gardens – which are looking lovely, as usual – can be enjoyed in their full glory. The first concert (held on the 3rd June thanks to a very wet Sunday the previous week) not only kicked off the new season, but also saw the unveiling of the band’s brand new uniform. Following continued improvement and progression over recent years, the band is currently going through some exciting changes – most notably the promotion from the Fourth Section into the Third. The new smart jackets mark what we hope to be an even more successful era for the Sidmouth Town Band.

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s Last Night of the Proms concert, which is to be held on Saturday 28th July. We are delighted to be joined once again by guest singer Val Howels, who wowed us all last year with not only her beautiful singing, but also her impressive Britannia costume! Overseeing this year’s event will be compere Roland Sanders. Tickets are now available from Sidmouth’s Tourist Information Centre, at any of our concerts, or from any member of the band. Alternatively, send a stamped addressed envelope with a cheque (made payable to Sidmouth Town Band) for £5 per ticket to: Fiona Bell, 21 Biddington Way, Honiton, Devon, EX14 2GU. Tickets for last year’s concert sold out quickly, so be sure to get yours in good time to avoid disappointment.

Help us to celebrate in style by bringing your own blanket, picnic hamper, a bottle (or two!), or even tables and chairs. Don’t forget your flags – no Last Night of the Proms is complete without a sea of Union Jacks being waved enthusiastically to the patriotic classics such as Rule Britannia, and Land of Hope and Glory. There will also be a raffle on the night with an array of great prizes, so be sure to get there early to buy those tickets and be in with a chance to take one home. The Gardens will be open from 6:30pm, with the concert commencing at 7:30pm.

Following the huge success of last year’s event, the band is looking forward to what promises to be an equally special occasion. All fingers and toes are crossed hoping that the weather will be kinder to us this year, however the amazing atmosphere last year proves to us all that come rain or shine, it will be a truly memorable evening.

They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice, but rain certainly does, as we found out on Saturday 28th July at our second Last Night of the Proms concert – our second WET Last Night of the Proms! With the unpredictable weather this summer, the rain was perhaps not a surprise, but once again the brave Sidmouthians and visitors from further afield battled the elements and armed themselves with brollies, bin-liners and blankets. During the second half, the rain stopped as the flag waving commenced, and overall it was another successful concert.

In the first half, the band commenced the programme with Henry VIII’s “Pastime With Good Company”, followed by the popular overture to Verdi’s “Nabucodonosor”. Bass player Graham Pollard then joined forces with flugel player Anna Dimond in “Love’s Old Sweet Song”. Next came the surprise of the evening, as Councillor Tom Cox came to the stage to present Harold Curtis with a plaque to celebrate his 60th year with the band. The surprises didn’t end there, as Adrian Harvey explained to Harold that the band had been lying to him for some time. Our next piece, “A Diamond Celebration” by Darrol Barry, had been commissioned by the band to honour Harold’s achievement, and next year we hope many other bands will be playing this piece throughout the country. Following this emotional performance it was the turn of Val Howels who delighted the audience by singing the beautiful classics “Panis Angelicus” and “Rusalka’s Song to the Moon”, before the band finished the first half with the stirring “Highland Cathedral”. Cold, wet, but fun so far!

Helping the audience enjoy themselves was the brilliant compère, Roland Sanders, whose perfectly judged wit and commentary ensured the evening ran smoothly, and the Lions Club of Sidmouth were also on hand to help make the evening such a success. Our huge thanks to everyone who helped. We don’t know who won the star raffle prizes (including a digital camera and a meal for two at the Riviera) but we hope you’re enjoying them!

The second half of the concert included the traditional Proms classics “Fantasia on British Sea Songs” (complete with 3 car horns!), “Nimrod”, “Jerusalem” and “Pomp & Circumstance No. 1”, with Val in her stunning patriotic dress and headdress. Apparently she’s promised to wear an even wackier outfit next time! And we hope that next time, whether it’s 2008 or 2009, the sun will also make an appearance!

On a much brighter note, we are delighted to welcome Steve Belli to the band. Steve, who works for EDDC, played Eb Bass for 15 years with Blaenavon Town Band in Wales and we hope he enjoys his new playing career in East Devon.

On Saturday 3rd November, we took part in the SWBBA contest at the Riviera Centre in Torquay. As this would be our last contest before we move up to the 3rd section next year, we wanted to go out with a win, and that’s exactly what we did!

The test piece was “Lydian Pictures” by Simon Dobson. Our performance on stage was good, with just a few nervous slips, and the adjudicator’s comments can be seen below. The full results were:

1.	Sidmouth Town Band 191 points

2.	Pendennis Brass 190 points

3.	Okehampton Excelsior 188 points

Adjudicator’s comments:

I

Opening bright and with good attack, excellent dynamics and a real sense of energy.
C fine troms
D atmospheric, delicate glock
F Great care taken in note lengths - well done and a fine finish

II

Such a good start, fine solo cornet - so expressive
J well done 1st baritone
K sweet euph and such a good effect in backrow cornets 16 before L. Sweet ending

III

Well defined percussion, and firm rhythms all round, a joyful moment
P Well controlled flugel, fine ensemble 8 before Q
Q exciting
S well attacked

This was such a musical performance, you never sacrificed the music to technique and all responded. A fine band with a most sensitive conductor.
(W. Relton)

After playing, we were able to enjoy the rest of the day in Torquay, heading into town for lunch. During the afternoon, Hilary threw a drink all over Graham and Harold mistook him for an ambulance, but we think he still enjoyed himself! In fact the Bass Section (including Steve “I can’t believe that band did well, I slept through their performance” Belli in his first contest with the band), won the cup for the Best Bass Section too, so they deserve an even bigger well-done. Especially as we are currently a bass short (that’s not a reference to Harold’s stature) – we do have a vacancy for a Bb bass if anyone’s interested…

Before the results, we listened to the top section perform a variety of own-choice test pieces. Adrian, our conductor, was playing with the Bodmin Town Band, and we are delighted to say that they came 2nd – a fantastic result for the band, and one they very much deserved. Players from Bodmin have helped us out in recent years when we have been short of players, so it was great to see friendly faces doing well.

Now we are looking forward to our 3rd section debut in March, with the gorgeous test piece “The Dark Side of the Moon”.