Proms Success As Sun Shines

After waking up to torrential rain, the band sighed with relief as the sun came out to make last Saturday’s Last Night of the Proms concert the best yet.

Although we have learnt from previous years that the people of Sidmouth will turn out in their hundreds come rain or shine, the dry and sunny weather certainly helped to make the evening one to remember, as once again the picnic tables, candelabras and red, white and blue flags were all out in force.

There is once person that the Proms would not be the Same without, so we were delighted to be joined again by the very talented Val Howells. Val not only sings beautifully, but her enthusiasm and amazing outfits never fail to rouse the audience and add a touch of sparkle to the evening. A big thank you to Val, to our brilliant compère Nick Agg-Manning who keeps the evening running so smoothly, and to Sidmouth’s Lions Club for all their support on the day.

With the Proms over for another year, we’re down to the serious business of rehearsing for the National Finals being held in Cheltenham on the 25th September. Once again we’ve enlisted the help of Steve Sykes, who will be joining us for a couple of rehearsals in the near future to put us through our paces.

Hot Cross Buns

The sun shone in Sidmouth yesterday morning for one of the bands’s favourite engagements of the year - the annual Hot Cross Bun Giveaway. After two consecutive years where an alternative wet weather plan has had to be put into action, it was nice to return to the Bedford Lawn Car Park to take part in this tradition that has been running for over 100 years.

In addition to rehearsing for the forthcoming summer season of concerts in Connaught Gardens, we have been preparing for a special one-off event taking place on 29th April to mark the Royal Wedding. Organised by the town’s Chamber of Commerce, the street party is due to run from 4-7pm, with the band playing between 5:50 and 7pm. We will be joined by the talented soprano singer Val Howells for a rousing, patriotic ending to the event. If you can’t make the street party, have a look at our engagements list (www.sidmouthtownband.co.uk) to see where and when you can hear the band in the near future.

Title and Promotion!

The band is back on Cloud Nine this weekend after being crowned West of England Third Section Champions at the Regional Championships in Torquay for the second year running.

After last year’s win and a good result at the National Finals in September, confidence was high as we set to work in January on Philip Wilby’s ‘A Little Light Music’. Featuring ‘Cardiff Bay Ice Cream’, a technically difficult movement that would challenge bands in the Second or First Sections, we knew we had our work cut out if we were to even come close to repeating the success of 12 months previous. Luckily, hard work is something this band is not averse to, and over the following weeks the piece started to come together. If there’s one thing that the band has in abundance it’s imagination, and this was proved once again as ice cream, clog dancing, seagulls, sprinkles and Mr. Whippy all played a part in our story-telling approach to contest preparations! With rehearsals having gone well, we left for Torquay early on Saturday morning hopeful that we would be able to put in a good performance on stage. Not only were we looking to try and book our place at this year’s National Finals, but we also knew that a placing in the top 4 would guarantee us promotion into the Second Section in 2012 - a feat that hasn’t been achieved by the band for over 60 years.

Not long after arriving at our rehearsal venue, we learned that we had been drawn to play 10th out of the 11 bands competing on the day. With several hours to go until we would play, we had a short practice before heading to the Riviera Centre to do something else that we are good at - waiting! You could argue that our approach to waiting is not the most conventional (just ask the bands who are within earshot when our ritual humming begins...), but that time spent together is proving to be an important part of our pre-performance routine. With the waiting and humming over, it was time to take to the stage. Although there were odd bars here and there that we knew we could play better, we came off stage very happy with our overall performance. With only one band left to play after us, it wasn’t long before we were back in the hall awaiting the results. If we thought we were nervous before we played, that was nothing compared to the nerves we felt sitting and waiting for the top 6 places to be announced. With finger nails getting increasingly shorter, it came as a huge relief when those words we had dreamt of hearing - “ In first
place, the band drawn number...ten!” - were read out. Our cheers, grins, and a few tears were a good indication of how delighted we were with the result! Congratulations must also go to Downtown Band, who claimed second prize.

Being crowned West of England Third Section Champions for the second year running is a fantastic achievement for the band, and we very much look forward to returning to the National Finals in September to see if we can equal or better our result last year. The icing on the cake (or in this case the sprinkles on the ice cream) is gaining promotion to the Second Section in 2012 - the year that the band celebrates its 150th anniversary. This achievement is a testament to the tireless enthusiasm and ambition of Adrian, our Musical Director, and the hard work and dedication of the entire band.

A Little Light Music

With less than three weeks to go until the Areas contest in Torquay, the band is working hard trying to get to grips with Philip Wilby’s challenging test piece ‘A Little Light Music’. The five section suite, which was commissioned by the Welsh Brass Arts Festival, is very different to last year’s more traditional test piece ‘Labour and Love’. With each movement posing its own challenge, it will no doubt be the bands that are able to best capture all of the contrasting styles featured that will be successful on the day, from the opening and closing fanfares, to the steady ‘Clog Dance’, the slow and melodic ‘Lady of the Fountain’, and the tricky but likeable ‘Cardiff Bay Ice Cream’. As always, the band is working hard to try and master all of the musical and technical requirements, but with only 10 rehearsals left, that inevitable pre-contest mixture of nerves and excitement is starting to kick in.

The band had a welcomed break from contest preparations at the weekend, when it joined forces once again with the River City Chorus for the Lions Club of Sidmouth’s charity concert at the Manor Pavilion. It was an enjoyable evening and one that we hope raised lots of money for two great causes - the British Heart Foundation and the Devon Air Ambulance Appeal.

Happy New Year!

One of the band’s busiest and most successful years in recent history ended in typical fashion, with plenty of carols, mince pies and festive fun.

December always flies past, and this one was certainly no exception. It seemed like no sooner had we dug out the gloves, scarves and carol books ready for Sidmouth’s late night shopping on 3rd December, we were in the Volunteer just before midnight on Christmas Eve ready to hang up the tinsel and sleigh bells for another year. On 5th December we once again joined forces with the Exeter Police and Community Choir for their annual charity Christmas concert at St. Peter’s School in Exeter. Just five days later we were back on stage, but this time at the Manor Pavilion in Sidmouth for our own Christmas concert. Tickets for the concert had sold out well
in advance, and those people who had brought their tickets early were treated to an evening of festive music from both the senior band and the training band. With a packed out theatre and a fantastic atmosphere, the concert was a fitting way to end what has been a great year for the band. As we reflect on the successes of 2010, we head back to the bandroom with plenty of enthusiasm that 2011 will be even better.

We would like to take this opportunity say a big thank to each and every one of our supporters throughout year, and to wish you all a very happy new year! Keep an eye on our engagement list for 2011 (www.sidmouthtownband.co.uk) to find out when you can see and hear the band over the next 12 months.