We're very happy to report that Lydney Town Band came third in the WEBBA Regional Championships held in Torquay yesterday!!! This means that the Band have also qualified for the National Championships for the first time in eight years. We would like to pass on our congratulations to Verwood Town and Nailsworth Silver Band who took first and second place respectively.
Enormous thanks to our Musical Director, Thomas Dunne, for all his hard work and dedication over the last few months to get us here. Shout out to our brilliant Contest Secretary, Julie, for all her work on securing rehearsal venues and making sure everyone knew where they had to be at various times! Also, massive thanks to our fellow banders, and the families and friends who’ve supported us as we prepared for this weekend! Our thanks also to WEBBA for another well organised, well-run contest. In addition, we would like to note that the Town Band included nine members who initially started with Lydney Training Band! Today marks International Women's Day! Lydney Town Band is immensely proud of having so many wonderful and committed women who contribute to our organisation, particularly in Lydney Training Band and the Starter Group, where they continue to set a superb example for the next generation of musicians who are coming through the ranks.
The Lydney Town Band Monthly Prize Draw has been a key fundraising tool for the band for many years. In recent times it has contributed funds towards the purchase of the Band's storage unit and its new band jackets, which we were able to debut at the 2023 WEBBA Regional Finals. The draw enjoys support from band members, their families, as well as friends and supporters of the band (even a cat...) and has a guaranteed prize of at least £30/month (see below for last year's winners).
New entrants are always welcome and can join at any time of the year from as little as £1/month. For further details of how to join, please contact Kerry Ford (Band Secretary) Last night we celebrated an incredible twelve months of progress and success at our Annual Achievement Awards, held at Watney Hall, Lydney. Band Chairman, Kevin Ford, opened proceedings welcoming members of the Starter Group, Training Band and Town Band with a recap of what each ensemble had achieved over the last year before moving onto the awards!
The band's newest members in the Starter Group and Training Band received achievement certificates recognising the hard work and progress before we moved onto the Training Band awards. The winners were:
This weekend we hosted the second rehearsal of the Forest of Dean Youth Band (18yo and under) at Lydney Bandroom. Players of all skill layers were invited and it was a great opportunity to meet other young brass players from across the Forest. Thank you to the band's conductor, Anri Adachi, for her expertise and time!
We would like to wish you Merry Christmas from everyone at Lydney Town Band and Lydney Training Band! Enormous thanks to everyone who has come out and supported the band over the festive period. We hope you enjoy this video.
Thanks to Niki for this lovely photo of Lydney Training Band at the St Mary’s Church Christmas Concert last night! Many thanks to the organisers too, it was great to play to such a large audience.
The carolling season began for Lydney on Saturday morning as we entertained the shoppers outside Lydney Tesco.
We've had some changes to our Christmas plans! Next Wednesday, a Band ensemble will be performing carols at the Azalea Memory Cafe held in Lydney Community Centre, Naas Lane from 1:30 - 2:30pm.
On Saturday 16th December, unfortunately our 'Carols 'n' Things' event at the Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop has had to be cancelled but we will instead be performing at the Rising Sun, Moseley Green from 5:00pm! Come along, grab a drink and enjoy some festive cheers with us! Many thanks to Chepstow Male Voice Choir for inviting Lydney Training Band to be part of their Christmas concert last night! It is always such a well supported event and one of the biggest audiences the Training Band have performed to this year!!!
Next up: Lydney Town Band will be performing a Christmas Concert at the Mount of Olives Church, Coleford on Sunday 10th, starting at 4pm. There will also be an ensemble of players performing/collecting at Tesco, Lydney on Saturday morning from 10:30am - come along and say hello! Lydney Training Band provided some festive entertainment as part of the Lydney's Christmas Light Switch-On event on Friday evening.
Christmas is nearly upon us and we’ve got another fabulously busy season ahead of us!
the first time in four years for a Christmas Concert in Chepstow. The Town Band is returning to the Mount of Olives Church, Coleford on Sunday 10th December! You may remember that last year’s concert was cancelled due to snow so fingers crossed Jack Frost stays away this time. We hope we get chance to see you at one of our events next month. Lydney Town Band and Lydney Training Band both returned to the Gloucestershire Brass Band Association (GBBA) Contest on Sunday for the first time in four years...and both bands enjoyed great success!
First up was the Training Band, led by Kevin Ford. They performed a five piece set which opened with Concert Overture and was followed by Irish Blessing, which featured a quintet of players from across the band. Next up were two well-known classics - Beyond the Sea and Bohemian Rhapsody before the band finished with Kenilworth March. The band on stage featured a number of new players who've joined the band over the last twelve months, who were taking part in their very first contest. Their brilliant performance was recognised when the Training Band received a Gold Award from the Adjudicator, Stephanie Binns. Next, the Town Band took to the stage for the March and Test Piece Contest. They opened their set with Swan Road, the march composed by Thomas Dunne for the Band's 130th Anniversary in 2022 and based on Camille Saint-Saëns' The Swan. For the test piece, Philip Harper's magnificent Kingdom of Dragons was chosen - a piece which has special resonance for many players in the band including those who performed it with Gwent Youth Brass Band in 2010. We were elated to take home The Maxie Cup for Best March (Third Section), The AR Watkins Cup for Best Test Piece (Third Section) and the Haydyn Evans Trophy for Best Percussion Section! Players from Lydney Town Band and Lydney Training Band came together this morning to take part in the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, St Mary's Church.
One of the highlights of our Celebration Concert earlier this month was the Training Band's phenomenal performance of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, featuring individual solo moments from the front row cornet team: Dougie, Herbie and Sadie! (...many thanks to Krysten for this brilliant recording!)
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March 2024
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