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!)
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! |
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March 2024
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