Musical magic at memorial contest

Dalmellington Band is set to hold its 72nd annual Cecil Oughton Memorial Slow Melody Contest this weekend.

The dinner and concert will take place on Saturday ( February 11) in Dalmellington Community Centre, starting at 3pm.

The adjudicator for the contest is Helen Minshall, brass tutor, conductor and founder of the Astley Youth Band.

Tickets are £ 15 for adults, £ 10 for under- 18s and under- fives are free.

A spokesman said: “Support the soloists – new starts, intermediates, youths and seniors as they battle for the prizes,

“This will be followed by dinner, short concert and awarding of the prizes. There will be a licensed bar.”

Those interested can book tickets now from Jan Murray, the band secretary, on 01292 264194 or email: dalmellington_ band_ secretary@ yahoo. co. uk for details.

It has been a busy for months for the band, as in early November, a mix of senior and junior players took part in another very successful joint concert with the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra.

This was quickly followed up by a superb performance by the senior band at the Scottish Open Band Championships in Perth. The band finished second in a strong field of contenders.

As a result, Dalmellington have shot up the global brass band rankings. The website www. brassstats. com places them at number 23 “in the world”.

December was a busy month with lots of carol playing, fundraising and marathon Christmas concert day. All were very successful and the band thanked those who supported them.

The senior band are now hard at work preparing for the Scottish Championships in Perth on March 12. Guest conductor Richard Evans has already been to spend a full weekend rehearsing with Dalmellington.