Amington Band

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Christmas Celebration 2011

Our second Christmas Celebration event was a resounding success once more.
The concert, which was a sellout almost two weeks before the date featured contributions from the Salvation Army Timbrels, the Lichfield Players, tenor Richard Lloyd-Owen and of course the Amington Band. The packed audience showed their appreciation for all the participants and left full of the Christmas Spirit.
The date of next years event has been fixed for December 15th 2012.

Historic Concert Monday 17th Oct 2011 - Amington Bandroom

As part of its twice-yearly series of Bandroom concerts, Amington Band recreated an historic concert given in 1921 in the Amington Schoolroom.
The concert marked the presentation of the Crystal Palace Cup, which was the first major contesting prize won by the band. J.H.Iles, the foremost figure in Brass Band contest promotion at the time, made the journey from London especially in order to make the presentation himself, and the concert was attended by many Tamworth dignitaries including Sir Robert Peel.
The date of the 2011 concert (Mon Oct 17th) was 90 years almost to the day of the original, and the band presented the concert in its entirety after a first half featuring more modern repertoire and a set from its Youth Band.
The bandroom was packed to capacity and an appreciative audience, including the Mayor of Tamworth, heard "March - The 20th Century", "The Bohemian Girl", "I'l Trovatore" (the 1921 test piece), "Cornet Solo - Titania" (originally played by the bands' Professional Conductor in 1921, Mr William Pollard, but given here in great style by our Principal Cornet, Rebecca Stonehouse) and "A Military Church Parade", before finishing the evening as did the 1921 audience, by singing "Auld Lang Syne" and The National Anthem.

Leicester BBA Solo, Duet and Quartet Competition

On 9th October, a number of band members travelled to Groby to compete in the Leicestershire BBA Solo, Duet and Quartet Competition. Keeping up a fine tradition of results in both the open and junior categories, we are proud to announce the following results, and commend all involved for representing Amington and themselves so well:

Junior air varie (ages 15-18) - Lottie Groves - 1st
Junior duet - Abbey Watson and Emily Watson - 2nd
Junior slow melody (ages 16-18) - Emily Watson - 2nd
Junior sight reading (ages 16-18) - Emily Watson - 2nd
Open quartet - Becky Stonehouse, Peter Groves, Braden Stonehouse, Lottie Groves - 2nd
Open duet - Peter Groves & Becky Stonehouse - 2nd
Open slow melody - Becky Stonehouse - 2nd
Junior duet - Lottie Groves & Braden Stonehouse - 3rd
Open slow melody - Peter Groves - 3rd

On Sunday 25th September, Amington Band travelled to Cheltenham for the annual National Brass Band Championships. This was the band's reward for finishing second in the Midlands regionals in March, and our first Nationals appearance as a 3rd section band since 1986, although we have appeared more recently in other sections.

An 8.15am rehearsal at a local village hall had everybody ready bright and early, and it wasn't long into the rehearsal before the draw was made - with Amington drawn 15th out of 16 bands, there would be maybe six hours to wait.

By the time Amington took to the stage, a reasonable audience had developed in the Centaur building. After running our way through the test piece, 'Darkness Visible' by Richard Grantham, by the time the band came off stage, went through official photographs, and made their way back to the main hall, it was time for results.

13th out of 16 might not have been the result the band were hoping for, but there was the consolation of still being the top Midlands band on the day. The band are looking forward to their promotion to the 2nd section in January, regaining a position the band have not been in for over a decade. Amington will have a preview of their competition at the WMBBA concert in Pershore (20 November), where the band intend to enter in both the 3rd and 2nd sections.

Whit Friday 2011

On Friday 17 June, Amington Band made the trek up north for the annual Whit Friday band contests. After winning the 3rd Section at Lydgate last year, the band were looking for another strong result.

Building on our experience from last year, we decided to head straight to Saddleworth and try to cover as many contests as we could (and before the predicted bad weather set in...) Over 6 hours of playing, queueing and travelling meant that we were able to play at six venues - Scouthead, Delph, Diggle, Dobcross, Greenfield and Lydgate.

Although not all of the full results have been announced, the band's best result so far was in Diggle, where we finished a creditable 18th overall out of 50 bands. This left us second out of all 3rd Section bands, just missing out on another trophy to add to last year's.

In Memoriam - Dave Foster

Amington Band have been saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Dave Foster, our 1st Baritone superstar in the late 80s. Known affectionately as 'Fozzy' he is remembered fondly by all that knew him. Our thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends at this sad time.

Success at the Midlands Regionals!

On Saturday 12th March, Amington Band travelled to Bedworth for the annual Midlands Regional Championships. A lot of practice had gone into this year's test piece, A Little Light Music by Philip Wilby - this being the one contest every year that determines whether bands are promoted or relegated between sections.

A solid performance after an early draw left the band to sit and listen to the rest of the contest, and after the usual nervous moments, the results were definitely worth waiting for - 2nd place for Amington!

Not only does this result take the band to the National Finals in Cheltenham on Sunday 25th September, it also takes them up into the 2nd Section from January 2012! This will be the first time in over a decade that Amington have been in the 2nd Section - the competition will be tougher, but the band are up for the challenge. However, first there's the small matter of the National Finals..

A quick thankyou to everybody who has been using the easyfundraising and easysearch links on our website, as they have helped Amington Band raise £27.52 between October and December 2010.

This lifts our total money raised to over £60, which is a great result for doing everyday things online like using a search engine & online shopping - keep it up (or join in!)

Butlins Mineworkers Contest, 22 January 2011

Another trophy for the collection...

For the second year in a row, Amington Band made the trek north to Skegness for the Butlins Mineworkers National Open Brass Band Festival, an event with a big reputation to match its big official title..

On the back of a 3rd-place finish last year, and having finished 2nd at Leamington in November playing the Butlins test piece (Hungerford Town by Darrol Barry), hopes were high for 2011. The band were drawn to be 5th on stage out of 15 bands, and a rehearsal at a nearby school on the Saturday morning set the band up for the performance. A final result of 11th was not what the band were hoping for, but there was at least some consolation.

For the second year running, Amington were awarded the N.U.M. Challenge Trophy for the highest placed mining band, which was satisfying recognition of the band's heritage. As for the overall result, there's always the next contest...

Website online again!

Apologies to anyone who tried to access our website between Saturday 8th and Monday 10th Jan, this was due to our transfering our website to another ISP. Thanks for your patience...

Christmas Celebration Concert

Amington Band and special guests helped to fill Tamworth Assembly Rooms for the first of what we hope to be an annual Christmas Celebration concert.

As a letter to the Tamworth Herald put it, from the moment the concert started with a lone drummer on stage, gradually joined by the rest of the band for Christmas Bolero, the audience knew they were in for something different. The concert also featured opera tenor Richard Lloyd-Owen, the Birmingham Citadel Timbrel Brigade, and two friends of the band from the Lichfield Players who recited scenes from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. There was even room for a visit from one of Santa's Little Helpers, who played a solo before being allowed to sit in the handily-free Solo Horn seat...

By the time of the final massed carol singing (and encore), the audience were on their feet and full of the joys of Christmas. The event was such a success that the venue has already been booked for Saturday 10th December 2011 - please help us to make it as much of a success as 2010!

Podium place at WMBBA Contest

A solid performance of the forthcoming Butlins Mineworkers 3rd section testpiece, 'Hungerford Town' earned the band a 2nd place at the WMBBA contest on Sunday 21st November. With confident performances from all the soloists and generally throughout the band, adjudicator Chris Wormald remarked that the playing had 'much to commend and admire'. We now look forward to a good weekend at Butlins in January and then onward to the Area's - sectionals on the Area's testpiece have already begun...

Leicester BBA Solo, Duet and Quartet Competition

Amington Band were well-represented at the recent Leicestershire Brass Band association contest in Groby, Leicestershire, as this has become a regular fixture for a number of our players. But it wasn't just a case of quantity for us, as the below results show the quality of the individual players that make up the band:

Open Quartet - 1st place (Rebecca Stonehouse, Peter Groves, Kate Brookes and Wes Kendrick)[left]

Open Duet - 1st place (Rebecca Stonehouse & Peter Groves) [right]

Junior Under 18 Air Varie - 1st place (Lottie Groves) [left]

Junior Under 18 Duet - 2nd place (Lottie Groves & Braden Stonehouse) [right]

Open Slow Melody - 2nd place (Rebecca Stonehouse)
Open Air Varie - 3rd place (Rebecca Stonehouse)

The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted our MD Wes Kendrick as an interloper in the quartet... Sadly a number of our players were involved in a car accident on the way to the event, from which they all thankfully emerged unscathed. This meant that one of our quartet players (Steph Morris) was unable to make it to the contest. Rather than pulling out, Wes gamely stepped in once he'd located a spare horn, and showed he can do more than just stand at the front and wag a stick!

An excellent set of results again then, well done to all.

Wychavon Festival of Brass 2010

Amington Band headed to the Wychavon Festival of Brass in an optimistic mood, after our impressive second place in the contest last year. The contest rotates between three different towns, and this year was held in Evesham.

A late draw of 7pm meant a sensible start time for once, with plenty of time for a Sunday lunch, rehearsal and then 'getting ready.' As this was an entertainment contest, we got well into the spirit of the event by going for a 1935 theme with our music and dress.

We played a set of five pieces of music, all related to 1935 - either the pieces were written then, or the performers were born in that year. With a combination of black dresses, Brylcreem, pencil moustaches and cravats, we certainly stood out..

We came away from the contest with a fourth-placed finish, sadly just outside of the prizes, but there was one big consolation. Our flugel player Bekah Noons [left] was rewarded with the best soloist prize for her rendition of 'Summertime' - well done!

The sun shone on Amington Band today as we played in Tudor-built Middleton Hall for the second year running. Surrounded by the Peel Society's display of classic MG Motor Cars we played a programme well appreciated by an audience that continued to grow as the concert went on. Today was also our Solo Horn player's debut performance of her new solo - Steph Morris played 'Over the Rainbow' as her first ever standing solo with the band, which was received well despite her trouble with a pesky loose music stand...

We look forward to playing at this same event next year!

Steve Hill leaves

It is with sadness that we now say goodbye to our former Principal Cornet, Steve Hill. Steve was obliged to resign from his Principal Cornet seat earlier this year due to work commitments, but other circumstances have now combined to make it impossible for him to maintain any further role in the band and he is leaving by mutual agreement.
Steve leaves the band much stronger than he found it, and this is due in no small part to his dedication and leadership, he leaves us with our thanks and best wishes.

Amington Band recently played at the prestigious Canwell Show, one of the largest one day agricultural shows in the Midlands. Rain during the first of the band's two sets failed to put off the audience, who were treated to a programme of music including Verdi's 'Grand March "Aida"' and Handel's 'Entrance of the Queen of Sheba.' Solos from Kate Brookes (euphonium) and Bekah Noons (flugelhorn) kept the audience entertained, and the crowds showed their appreciation as we rounded out the day.

Our thanks again to the deps from other bands who helped us out on the day.

Tutbury Music Festival 2010

The weather was kind and held out for us as we played at Tutbury Music Festival on the evening of Sunday 11th July, just as it did in 2008 when the event was last held. We played a short programme including a solo; ‘Summertime’ by Flugel player Bekah Noons and also ‘Ave Maria’ – a Euphonium and Baritone feature, played by Chris Banks, Kate Brookes, Roy Marrison and Bob Godfrey. The audience were very responsive and enjoyed our performance, as did we! No doubt ‘the next two years will fly by and we’ll find ourselves there again!’

Photos of this event including numerous photos of the Band and individuals can be seen and are available for purchase at the official photographers website: Autumn House Photography

SURPRISE! For Bob

On Saturday 10th July Bob Godfrey walked into the Amington Band Rooms wondering why the front door had been left open.

Little did he know that he had just walked into his own party! All of his Amington friends were there to help him celebrate his 80th birthday, complete with banners, balloons, cake and the Phoenix Big Band who provided excellent entertainment for the evening.

Later in the evening the Band’s M.D Wes Kendrick gave a “short” speech in which he recognised Bob’s ‘cuddly’, ‘forthright’ characteristics, but also Bob’s unquestionable efforts and devotion to the band; a speech with which we all certainly agree with!

Special thanks to Jenny Morris, Rebecca Stonehouse and Elaine Clay for organizing the party and for managing to keep Bob in the dark and keeping it a surprise!!

A very enjoyable evening for all and by the smile on Bob’s face all night, he enjoyed it too!

Whit Friday Marches - Another Win!

The weather was kind, if a little cool, and we managed to visit six contests, starting at Aldwinians Rugby Club (Tameside), where we played two bands after the mighty Fodens, who were starting a marathon attempt on eleven contests in an attempt to defend their title as Reigning Champions. This was a bit of a practise run for us as at least two of our players had not practised marching, or in the case of one of them, even played the contest march! Not a bad performance, but we left with some improvements in mind...

Crossing over to the Saddleworth district, we arrived next in Scouthead (photo upper left), where the contest was well under way. A much better performance this time and we felt more confident as we arrived at our next venue, Delph (well known for its appearance in the film, Brassed Off). Inspired by the surroundings and the encouragement of the crowd, the march was a great, if brief, experience (photo centre left). Following that we entered the contest arena, which was crammed with spectators and had a naturally good acoustic, and delivered what many of us felt was our best performance of the march "Victors Acclaimed" (photo lower left).

Visits to Diggle, where we played on the side of a windswept hill, and Dobcross, (where we observed some of the well known characters from the now famous Dinington Colliery Band arriving as we waited to play), followed next, with the band maintaining a high standard of performance throughout.

Finally, as night fell and the temperature dropped, we arrived at what was to be our last venue, Lydgate. We stayed on the coach as long as we could in order not to freeze to death, but as we waited, we watched one of the 'scratch' bands coming down the hill after their performance, their members wearing all sorts of strange attire, including one who was naked except for a pair of football shorts and trainers. He had the George Cross painted on his chest, maybe thats what was keeping him warm!
Eventually our turn came and with the members of the Birmingham Conservatoire band waiting behind us, we gave one more performance of "Victors Acclaimed". The adjudicator must have liked it, because the next day we learned that we had won the 3rd section at Lydgate, a great result from what was a very tiring but entirely enjoyable days banding.

Many thanks to our deps, we couldn't have done it without you!

Whit Friday Marches

After enacting the scene in Brassed Off where Grimley Colliery Band take to the Saddleworth Moors to compete in the Whit Friday Marches, Amington Band is to do it for real on Friday May 28th. We hope to visit around 8 villages on the contest circuit in the course of the evening, and if possible pick up a couple of prizes en route. We hope, however, that there won't be a repeat of last year's weather (when the event was renamed Wet Friday!)

'Brassed Off' - Garrick Theatre, Lichfield April 13th - 17th 2010

On Tuesday 13th of April, Amington Band made their debut performance as Grimley Colliery Band in Lichfield Players' reproduction of the hit 90's movie "Brassed Off". Months before the job in hand the band rehearsed solidly with the actors at the Glass House in Curborough and also at the Lichfield Garrick. Prior to this, we spent the afternoon of March 27th in Lichfield city centre to promote the production with a very successful outcome. On the opening night the band achieved a standing ovation and the audience loved our performance. Throughout the week all the performances were outstanding and the band got lots of good reviews in the Lichfield, Tamworth and Birmingham papers, with a 5-star verdict from the Birmingham Mail.

We had a great experience working with such lovely people; it was tiring, and a huge commitment of time and effort, but very rewarding at the end of the week. This picture shows the band rehearsing at the Glasshouse, with Steve Brunton, who played 'Danny'.

Leicestershire B.B.A. Solo, Duet and Quartet contest Sunday April 11 2010

Members of Amington band successfully competed for the third time at the Leicestershire Brass Band Association Slow Melody, Air Varie, Duet and Quartet contest on Sunday April 11 2010. The band was represented in the Open Slow Melody, Junior Air Varie, Open Duet, Open Quartet, Junior Slow Melody for 11, 12, 13 & 15 years of age and Open Air Varie contests.
Emma Morris (Flugel Horn) picked up the first medal of the day winning the Junior Slow Melody with a very musical performance of "Concierto D'Aranjuez". This was a fantastic achievement as , at 12 years of age, Emma was one of the younger entrants and this was her first solo contest.
A silver medal was achieved in the Open Duet section with Peter Groves and Rebecca Stonehouse (Cornets) taking this placing for the second time with their performance of "A Better World".
Finally a bronze medal was collected by Stephanie Morris, Rebecca Stonehouse, Emma Lock and Kate Brookes in the Open Quartet section, who performed Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia".
Other competitors included Charlotte Groves, Wes Kendrick and Ria Whyman who all played superbly and were good ambassadors for the band.
Thanks to the L.B.B.A. for a well run and enjoyable day, we are looking forward to competing again in October!

Butlins Mineworkers Contest 28th Jan 2010

A cold rainy weekend in Skegness, but rewarded by yet another 'Podium' place!

"The high standard of playing from the main prizewinners was also shown with the warm sounds from Amington who claimed third place. With admirable ensemble detail and control their musical picture was well paced and complimented with clean solo lines from solo cornet through to Eb bass." (4barsrest.com)

A trip to Skegness may not be uppermost in most peoples minds in January, but that is exactly what Amington Band did on the weekend of January 22nd to 24th, to compete in the Butlins Mineworkers Contest 2010. Travelling by coach on the Friday evening, we arrived at the venue late in the evening to find that we had a long walk in the rain from where the coach was allowed to drop us to our chalets on the other side of the complex. Not a good start, but we maintained our good spirits and soon we were settled in and enjoying a late (but not too late) drink in one of the bars.

The next morning saw us up bright and early to rehearse at a local college before returning to Butlins to await our turn to perform. The piece had taken a great deal of careful rehearsal in the leadup to the contest and we were confident we could put up a good reading. After our performance, the composer, Tom Moss, was on hand to congratulate us (as he did with every band) and we retired to await the results. 3rd place in a contest with a selection of bands from all over the country was a result we were very pleased with.

The rest of the weekend was a great social experience for us,and we returned home on Sunday after listening to a fantastic Championship Section entertainment contest in the morning. Altogether a great weekend and one which we may very well repeat.

Leicester BBA Solo and Quartet Competition

Our second visit to this well run competition and our youngsters (and one or two not so young) do well once more.

The prizewinners show off their prizes!

On the 4th of October 2009 several of our youngsters (and one or two not so young) made their second appearence in the prizes at Leicestershire Brass Band Association’s solo, duet and quartet competition! Once again the Quartet (Emma Lock, Rebecca Stonehouse, Kate Brookes and Steph Morris) took 1st prize in their section. Amington also had victories in the open duet section. Emma Morris (aged just 11!) and Helen Turburfield’s flugel duet won 1st place, followed by Rebecca Stonehouse and Peter Groves' cornet duet achieving 2nd place! Success all round for Amington!

Midland Regional Contest, 2008.

After 2 years of top 3 finishes without getting the main prize, today at Bedworth it finally happened - "In first position with 179pts, the band that played 21st, Amington", CHAMPIONS!