Mon 27 Feb 2012
An unfortunate result... but we'll be back!
Not the best result for us yesterday at the Regional Championships in Blackpool. Unfortunately we left our best performances in the rehearsal room and only achieved 10th place out of 11 in the Championship section.
This means that from 2013 we'll be back in the 1st section. However, we still have a number of contests to go this year as a Championship band so we will be striving to improve and gain good contest experience so that when we do hit the 1st section we go into to it strong, confident and in winning form with the aim of regaining Championship status as soon as possible.
Onwards & upwards...
6 Days To Go....
On Sunday the band will be taking part in the annual North-West Regional Championships at Blackpool Winter Gardens.
As a Championship section band we will be competing against eleven of the very best of the North-West's bands including Fodens, Faireys, Leyland & Wingates and its not going to be an easy battle.
This year's test piece The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Derek Bourgeios is possibly one of the hardest test pieces the band has had to play and we are working hard with extra rehearsals all this week to prepare ourselves for a good performance when it counts on Sunday.
We need a good result (ideally 7th place or higher) to guarantee our place in the Championship section next year, but the most important thing is that we do ourselves proud knowing that we played to the best of our abilities.
Wish us all luck and we will report back after the contest (and probably report on it throughout the day through our Twitter account).
Wed 11 Jan 2012
UPDATED...Rehearsal Schedule
Rehearsal Schedule for the run up to the Areas:
Tues 10th Jan: Horn sectional (7.30pm)
Thurs 12th Jan: Trombone sectional (8.15pm)
Tues 17th Jan: Full Band (8.15pm)
Thurs 19th Jan: Cornet Sectional (8.15pm)
Tues 24th Jan: Full Band (8.15pm)
Thurs 26th Jan: Bass Sectional (8.15pm)
Tues 31st Jan: Euphs & Baritones (8.15pm)
Thurs 3rd Feb: Full Band (8.15pm)
Then normal Full Band Tuesday & Thursday rehearsals
Week before the Area:
Sun 19th Feb: Possible Rehearsal (Time TBC)
Mon 20th Feb: Full Band (8,15pm)
Tues 21st Feb: Full Band (8,15pm)
Thurs 23rd Feb: Full Band (8,15pm)
Fri 24th Feb: Full Band (8,15pm)
Sat 25th Feb: Full Band (Evening - 5pm?)
Sun 26th Feb: BLACKPOOL
Fri 16 Dec 2011
Looking back over 2011
The Festive Period is heading towards its climax, New Year is just around the corner and the band played its final full Christmas Concert of the year last night for our friends over at the Green Room in Wilmslow (although there is still a little Christmas gig for a small group to do in Tony’s pub next week!), so it seems right to reflect on the band’s past year, say a few “Thank You’s” and see if we can tell what the new year holds in store!
This year the band has had a total of 17 concerts (including a World Premiere performance of Jonathan Taylor’s The Anson), 3 contests, a recording for BBC Radio 3, a CD Recording,2 weddings (Kevin & Sarah, and Katie & Steven) and 2 births (Jessica Grace Dawson & Duncan Harper).... so it’s been quite eventful.
The band has also said sad goodbyes to a number of players throughout the year and we would like to say thank you to them all for the work that they have put in with the band during their time with us. They are:
Andy Lawton
Sarah Dawson
Pete Weaver
Helen Moore
Loic Losey
Karl Price
Dale Hitchen
Karen Hitchen
Andy Crossland
We, of course, must also mention the departure of Kevin Gibbs who was our MD for a number of years and say a special thanks to all the work he put in to get the band back up into the Championship Section.
We are very fortunate that even with so many departures from the band this year we are very nearly back to full strength and with the appointment of our new MD Colin Short we are looking forward to the New Year.
So what will the New Year bring for the band?
We are looking forward to a brand new set of uniforms due soon in the New Year (many thanks to the Vernon Building Society for the funding towards these and, of course, for their usual generous support for the band). We are hoping to enter a few different contests this coming year, and perform well enough at the Regional Championships to retain our Championship Section status, and we hope to put on more concerts for you, our wonderful audience... without you all coming to our concerts and supporting us the band really wouldn’t have a purpose.
So we would like to wish all our supporters a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Hopefully we will see you all at a concert or contest soon!
NEW CD NOW AVAILABLE!!!!!!
Vernon Building Society (Poynton) Brass Band is pleased to announce that its new CD 'The Anson' will be available to purchase at our concerts this weekend.
The CD features some of the band's fine soloists in action as well as musical arrangements written specifically for the band, audience favourites from recent performances and a recording of 'The Anson' by Jonathan Taylor which was commissioned by the Anson Museum to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the internal combustion engine and premiered by the band at the museum earlier this year.
A perfect Christmas present for anyone who likes good music!
Vernon Building Society (Poynton) Brass Band
Recorded in 2011
Conductor: Mr Grenville Moore
Price £10
Summon The Dragon P.Graham
Caravan J. Tizol arr. S. Sykes
The Girl With The Flaxen Hair C. Debussy arr. H. Snell
Flugel Soloist: Sarah Johnson
Paint It Black Jagger/Richards arr. A. Horn
Nicea arr. W. Himes
Cry Me A River arr A. Morrison
Trombone Soloist: John Anderson
Serenade D. Bourgeois
Born Free J. Barry arr. A. Catherall
An Untold Story P. Lovatt-Cooper
Tenor Horn Soloist: Helen Moore
The Anson J. Taylor
On With The Motley R. Leoncavallo arr. R. Farr
Soprano Soloist: Tim Brocklehurst
Salute To Sinatra arr. P. Harper
Myfanwy J. Parry arr. A, Horn
Dundonell (from Hymn of the Highlands) P. Sparke
Show Me The Way To Go Home I. King arr. A. Horn
Tue 29 Nov 2011
Band Christmas Diary Download
For the band members....
Please find attached a document containing all he details for our Christmas concerts.
christmas diary 2011.pdf
Wed 16 Nov 2011
CD Due Out December 10th... Have a quick listen here!
If you would like a sneaky listen to some clips of the bands new CD 'The Anson' (due to be released on December 10th) then use the audio player on our CDs page to skip through excerpts from the tracks.
http://www.poyntonband.co.uk/recordings/
New CD due out soon...!
Our new CD 'The Anson' - named after a new work written for the Anson Engine Museum by Jonathan Taylor and premiered by the band - is due out soon. A peek preview of the CD cover can be seen to your right.
The album will also feature the band's fine soloists, arrangements that were written specifically for the band and many fan favourites from the last couple of years concert programmes.
More details to be announced soon.
Welcome to our new MD
Following his work with the band for the Bolsover and Wychavon contests, we are delighted to announce that Colin Short has accepted the role as the band's new Musical Director.
With a number of faces departing the band due to family, work and study commitments we are looking forward to filling these seats soon and having Colin mould the band into a fighting fit Championship section band once again. With 8 performances in the run up to Christmas and the Championship Section of the Regional Contest to work towards in February (the set work is Derek Bourgeois's The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea), the band has a lot to look forward to, and will be using Colin's enthusiasm and expertise to the full.
We would like to thank our previous MD Kevin Gibbs for all the work he did with the band over the last few years and hope that it won't be too long before he makes a full-time return to banding (either as a conductor or player!). We would also like to thank Grenville Moore for stepping in and conducting the band over the Summer months, through our BBC Radio 3 recording and soon to be released CD recording (keep watching the website for details..!).
Welcome Jessica Grace!
Congratulations to Sarah and Stephen Dawson on the birth of Jessica Grace Dawson born at 4.03pm on 10th October. Sarah and Jessica are both doing well. We hope to see them at the bandroom some time soon so Jessica can get her first taste of banding!
Sarah is currently taking a well earned break from her role as Principal Euphonium with the band (she has been with the band well over 20 years!), but we hope that it won't be too long before she is back in the bandroom.
Congratulations to you all!
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