Fingers crossed summer events go ahead
THINGS in the brass band scene are stirring with all kinds of venues being used by bands anxious to get their players back playing, particularly those bands who have qualified for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.
Tylorstown Band managed to get the band together on June 3 at the Tylorstown Welfare Hall ensuring the safety of their players adhering to all government restrictions.
The photograph of the band rehearsing under their musical director, Gary Davies, shows the necessary spacing required for bands to get together safely, as does the photo of the City of Cardiff M1 in rehearsal under MD Christopher Bond.
However, it seems that the light that started to appear at the end of the tunnel is being dimmed once again by a further outbreak of the pandemic!
The message to bands must be to take extra care and just cross your fingers and hope that events which have been organised and have been given the green light will still take place.
The British Brass Band Open Championship should take place on Saturday, September 11, and I sincerely hope that conditions are as safe as possible as I have managed to get two tickets for the contest which takes place at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham.
Meanwhile, the finals of The National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain have been organised for the Championship Bands to take place at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, October 2, still subject to government guidance.
The 20 competing bands are: Black Dyke; Bon Accord Silver; Brighouse & Rastrick; Camborne Town; Carlton Main Frickley Colliery; City of Hull co-operation; Cory; Desford Colliery; Fairey; Flowers; Foden’s; Friary; GUS; Hepworth; Llwydcoed; NASUWT Riverside; Tredegar Town; Whitburn; and Zone One.
The lower section bands finals take place at The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse on Saturday and Sunday September 18 and 19.
The Welsh bands taking part in these finals are in the First Section BTM and Tylorstown, in the Second Section Abertillery Town and Taff
Vale, in the Third Section Usk and Beaumaris and in the Fourth Section Cross Keys Silver and Cwmtawe Brass.
Elsewhere, the Brass in Concert Championships returns to the Sage, Gateshead, with all the normal weekend events taking place just on Saturday, November 20.
The 10 top bands taking place are: Brighouse & Rastrick; Carlton Main Frickley Colliery; Cory; Flowers;
Foden’s; Friary; Grimethorpe Colliery; Hammonds Saltaire; NASUWT Riverside; and Tredegar Town.
Tickets cost from £17 to £35.
The Youth Brass in Concert has five outstanding youth bands with Elland Silver Youth, Enderby Youth, Houghton Area Youth, Lions Youth Brass and Youth Brass 2000.
Tickets for the Youth Brass in Concert cost £12.