Adjudicator Stan Lippeat and Band contest secretary Colin Burnett after the results at The Guild Hall
The Skelmanthorpe Band got the New Year off to a flying start in Preston after winning the Championship section of the Brass at the Guild Hall competition on Sunday 2nd February 2014. This was the first time on stage for the band under the direction of new Musical Director, Martin Hall and the daunting task of performing the incredibly difficult test piece, ‘St Magnus’ by Kenneth Downie, was overcome with some conviction. Drawn to play first, the band produced a solid performance to convince adjudicator, Stan Lippeat, they deserved to be placed first. Principal cornet Sharon Swales, was also awarded the best soloist of the day. St Magnus is the set test piece for the forthcoming Yorkshire Regional finals in Bradford.
Listen to Skelmanthorpe Band play ‘St Magnus’ on YouTube:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T40UcE_-pHY&ns=1&o=U]
The newly named Skelmanthorpe Prospect Brass, also travelled to Preston to compete for the first time as a second section band, after their promotion from the third section at the beginning of the year. Performing Chaucer’s Tunes, by Michael Ball and under the direction of MD Philip Garlick, they were placed a creditable fifth and have gleaned some valuable stage experience before their own appearance at the Regionals in March.
Full results were:
Championship Section
- Skelmanthorpe (Martin Hall)
- Pemberton Old Wigan DW (Stig Maersk)
- Blackburn & Darwen (Nick Sheppard)
- Foresters Brass 2000 (Peter Collins)
Second section
- Eccleston Brass (Daniel Brooks)
- Delph (Jonathan Davies)
- Besses Boys (James Holt)
- Pemberton Old Wigan DW ‘B’ (Peter Ashley)
- Skelmanthorpe Prospect Brass (Philip Garlick)
- Farnworth & Walkden (Peter Ashley)
