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! We're really excited to share an update about two members of the Band who are at very different points of their musical journey and have recently both celebrated a fantastic achievement! We believe that music should be fun and that individuals should be rewarded and recognised for their achievements. The development programme for our players produces well rounded performers including Alasdair and Rhys!
Alasdair, who we recently we bade a fond farewell to as he headed to University, has just achieved a Grade 8 Distinction on his Trombone! He has been a member of the Band since he was just eight years old and over time has become a superb and well rounded musician. Just at the very start of his musical journey, we have Rhys, who is the youngest member of the Training Band. He recently received his Silver Achievement Award from the Band and this weekend, he will be taking part in his first contest alongside his mum and sister who also play in the Training Band! Success involves time and effort and we are so proud of these two young people and can't wait to see what they achieve next 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.
Lydney Town Band returned to the Wychavon Festival of Brass following our success at last year's contest. This time, we came with a nautical themed set of original music composed and arranged by our Musical Director, Thomas Dunne and Malcolm Hannaford-Waddingham. The audience's voyage aboard 'The Good Ship Lydney Town' started with Out of Portsmouth, a new march composed by Malcolm and dedicated to Clare Rawlyk. Our Solo Horn, Samantha Ford performed a wonderful solo as part of Ar Lan y Môr, a traditional Welsh love song, before there was swashbuckling drama in A Lofty Ship to Lee - featuring Herbie on telescope and Louise on pirate flag! Next, Thomas' arrangement of Felix Mendelssohn's Calm Sea brought some music needed peace to proceedings before we ended our set with a rip-roaring arrangement of the sea shanty Johnny Come Down Hilo - drunken sailor/trombonist included!
We were really pleased with our performance and absolutely thrilled to get third place! In addition to this our Principal Cornet, Kerry Ford, received the Dave Hodgetts Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Contribution - a well deserved recognition!
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!)
We had an absolutely incredible time on Saturday evening at our 2023 Celebration Concert. Lydney Town Hall once again played host to this fabulous event which brought together both the Lydney Town Band and Lydney Training Band.
The Town Band's opening set featured the world premiere of five brand new pieces written by our Musical Director, Thomas Dunne, and local composer, Malcolm Hannaford-Waddington. This nautically themed set included a lovely arrangement of Felix Mendelsohn's Calm Sea and the toe-tapping, fun-filled sea shanty Johnny Come Down to Hilo (drunken sailor included!) Next up, the Training Band featured a number of the upcoming talents within their ranks, including Emma and Ruth performing the Whitney Houston hit One Moment in Time, and George and Sadie with Sunshine of your Smile, before the band closed their set with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody! During the second half, the Town Band entertained the audience with a range of highlights from their summer concert programme including the manic Baggy Trousers, the sublime Hymn to the Fallen and the majestic finale of Kingdom of Dragons. The bands then came together for their massed band finale closing the show with The Proclaimer's 500 miles! We'd like to say a massive thank you everyone who was involved in the organisation of the show both in preparation and on the day, and a thank you to everyone who came along - there's something very special about playing to a home audience! There’s only three days to go until our Celebration Concert at Lydney Town Hall on Saturday evening!
Lydney Training Band will be playing alongside the Town Band and they’re going to be offering an opportunity to see the fabulous upcoming talent that resides within their ranks, including those pictured below who will be taking on starring roles of their own! Emma and Ruth (not pictured) will be taking on a Whitney Houston classic, Sadie and George (not pictured) will slow things down with a wonderful and soothing classic from 1913, before the Dougie and Herbie help bring things to close with one of the biggest musical hits of the last 50 years! It promises to be an incredible night of entertainment and music, so don’t miss out! Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start, with a retiring collection. We can’t wait to see you there! Lydney Training Band performed at the Forest Showcase Food Festival this morning, entertaining the crowds who had come along to enjoy the good weather and great food on offer at the Speech House.
Well done to our soloists who helped add an extra special element of star power to today's performance - including Dougie, Sadie, Emma and Louise and the Horn Section! On Friday night, the Town Band and Training Band had a joint rehearsal in the Town Hall ahead of next week’s Celebration Concert. It was a great opportunity for the two bands to practice the massed band finale and for the players from the Training Band to hear the Town Band in action - and vice versa!
The Celebration Concert promises to be a fabulous evening of entertainment, showcasing a whole host of talents from around both bands! Doors open at 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start next Saturday - there will be a raffle, with refreshments available from the Town Hall bar, and a retiring collection We had a rather special delivery at the bandroom this morning!
Following months of planning, fundraising and preparation, we finally took possession of the external storage unit that has been an ambition of the band's for a long time. Our current bandroom, which dates back to the 1950s, serves us brilliantly as the home of the Town and Training Bands as well as the Starter Group. Unfortunately, in recent times, its storage areas have reached capacity and items have started encroaching into corridors and teaching spaces. This new addition will allow us to continue the work that the Band undertakes in developing and teaching the next generation of brass musicians in a much more comfortable, less cluttered and relaxed space This afternoon we've started putting the finishing touches to the programme for this year's Celebration Concert! We're going to be celebrating the successes and progress of the last twelve months at a very special concert in Lydney Town Hall on Saturday 14th October!
It'll be an opportunity to see both Lydney Town Band and Lydney Training Band perform a range of pieces, including several world premieres and some old favourites, before we finish the evening with a massed band finale! Doors open at 6:30pm, for a 7:00pm start. Entry is free, with a retiring collection - the Town Hall bar will be open for refreshments and we'll have a raffle with a range of fabulous prizes on offer! We had a great time at St Mary’s Church last night! It’s such a fabulous venue to have the opportunity to play in and we received a very warm welcome at yesterday’s fundraiser.
Thank you to everyone who came along, got involved with the activities and enjoyed the music! All in all, £280 was raised for the Forest Food Bank and Lydney Training Band - an incredible amount! We’d like to thank the organisers for inviting us along, the volunteers who were on hand at the interval with tea and some lovely cakes, and to Tom and David for this brilliant photo of us! We've got a new addition to this autumn's concert schedule! On Sunday 8th October, Lydney Training Band will performing at the Forest Showcase Food Festival at the Speech House, right in the middle of the Forest! This is a really vibrant event that we've had great fun performing at in the past, with loads of food and crafts stalls available - perfect for a well earned post-concert snack!
Last year, Lydney Town Band and Lydney Training Band came together for a very special concert to celebrate the band's 130th Anniversary and it was an incredible night. It was an absolute thrill to perform in Lydney Town Hall to a full house!
On Saturday 14th October, we're returning to the Town Hall with a special Celebration Concert. We'll be looking back and celebrating the successes of the last twelve months including our second place finish at the Wychavon Brass Festival and the ongoing work of Lydney Training Band to develop the next generation of brass players! This year, entry is free with a retiring collection! The concert starts at 7:00pm with doors open from 6:30pm. There will be a raffle and the Town Hall bar will be open for refreshments! |
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May 2024
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