A busy time ahead for the City of Chester Band

Ahead of a busy round of performing at local fetes and on the Shrewsbury Quarry Gardens bandstand during June and July, the City of Chester Band is preparing for two major events.  The first is the Band’s first ever foray into France, to compete in the French Open Brass Band Championships, held between 6 and 8 June 2014 in Amboise, a small market town with much history, situated in the Loire Valley.  This will be the 20th year this event has been staged and it goes from strength to strength.

The Band will be competing in the third section, led by musical director Malcolm Peach.  The competition comprises three parts: playing a contest march (own choice) on a square within the town, then playing the test-piece “Episodes for Brass†by Gareth Churcher in the Beaumarchais Theatre.  [Gareth Churcher, a Cornishman, is a trombonist, composer, performer and teacher who is happy working across the music spectrum.]  The final “trial†is an alfresco concert of light music selected by each band.   All three tests take place on Saturday 7 June.

The tour has been organised by Band member, Andrew Smithson, who came across the event whilst on a motor-cycling holiday in France in 2012.  Andrew will be a relieved man come midnight on Wednesday, 4 June when he’s checked all members are present, and their instruments and accessories are loaded on the coach which will drive through the night to catch an early morning ferry from Dover.  The Band return to Chester on Sunday, 8 June.

The following Friday, 13 June, the Band will be on its travels again, this time only as far as “the pan handle of (old) Cheshire†and the borders of Lancashire and Yorkshire, these days the boroughs of Tameside and Saddleworth.  This is to compete in the Whit Friday march competitions held in towns and villages within the area, part of a tradition dating back to the 19th century when churches and chapels celebrated Whitsuntide with a holiday during which religious parades were held during the morning involving local brass bands.  Later in the day the bands would compete against each other, travelling from village to village.  In the 1980’s the development  of the motorway network opened up the area to bands from further afield.  Bands from across Europe regularly compete and this year, indeed, a band from Japan (Neo Brass) will be taking part.

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On Sunday 18 May the City of Chester Band will be performing on the bandstand in Vale Park, New Brighton, starting at 2:30 pm.  Wielding the baton on this occasion will be Derek Mitchell, former musical director, deputising for our current MD, Malcolm Peach, who is unable to conduct on this occasion.

Vale Park is in Magazine Lane,Wallasey, CH45 1ND.

In connection with the staging of the Chester Half Marathon a number of roads in and around Chester will be closed for periods of time on Sunday.  Details can be found at:

 http://www.yourwestcheshire.co.uk/NewsArticle/%7B683B544F-1730-4123-97D2-17D9CA43C9B7%7D

At the recent annual general meeting of the Band two new awards were made to members in recognition of their contribution to the Band in terms of their efforts, be it their musicianship, commitment or their personal qualities.  These awards followed a donation to the Band in memory of a former member.

One award, the Didier Chupeau Bandsman’s Award, was voted for by senior band members.  Fittingly, the first recipient was Julian Ablett.  In the past four years, as Band Secretary, Julian has worked hard to improve the Band’s efficiency in terms of boosting revenue from paid engagements (the Band is self-supporting) without unduly increasing members’ time commitment .  He is also an accomplished amateur musician who has contributed towards the Band’s recent contest successes.

Present to make the initial presentation of the Didier Chupeau Bandsman’s Award was Nerys Jones, who was Didier’s partner until his tragic death last year.

The first recipient of the Musical Director’s Award was Daniel Peover, aged 12.  In making the award, Musical Director Malcolm Peach noted Daniel’s enthusiasm and the improvement in his playing since joining the senior band a year ago.

See the Photo Gallery for pictures.

Very well done to Finn Bryan who has passed his Grade 4 cornet exam with a distinction. Finn who has been with the band for a while now, studies with music teacher Peter Dalton. Hard work and determination by both teacher and pupil have made this grade possible. So Well done to both. Tony

An innovation for 2014.  Members of the City of Chester Band are currently nominating a bandsperson who they believe has been an example to all.  As Secretary Julian Ablett said: "This doesn't have to be (based upon) the standard of playing but may be their commitment, friendship or just being a nice person".  The award has been made to commemorate a former member, the late Didier Chupeau, and will be presented at the band annual general meeting on Wednesday 7 May.  The award will be presented by Nerys Jones, Didier's partner. In addition a further award will be made: the Musical Director's Award which will be awarded by Malcolm Peach.

The City of Chester Training Band wishes to appoint a conductor to replace Matthew Birkett who has had to finish due to work commitments.  The Training Band, established in 2000 as a feeder band to the City of Chester Band (Third Section finalists 2014), undertakes a number of engagements in its own right throughout the year.  The conductor is assisted by two instructors who give personal tuition. The mixed-ability Training Band comprises young people aged 7 to 70.  Rehearsals are held on Mondays in term times between 18:00 and 19:30 at St Luke’s Church, Huntington.  Several former Training Band members now play in City of Chester (main) Band. For further information please contact: Tony Blain, Training Band Co-ordinator, whose e-address is [email protected]

The Training Band would like to say a big THANK YOU to the gentleman who has generously donated £1000.00 to the band . The donation has come as a big surprise and came out of the blue. The man in question has asked for no fuss but i can tell you he has been a very good supporter of the Training Band since it began back in 2000. I can assure you the donation will be put to good use. Tony

The City of Chester Band will be heading to the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain in September following their gaining second place in the north west regional qualifying competition for third-section bands, held in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens on Sunday 9 March. This is the second year in succession that the Band have qualified for “the nationalsâ€. Last year a registration problem meant that the Band were unable to take part in the national event. No problems this year! Winning the regional title for the fourth section in 2013 meant that the Band were promoted to the third section for 2014, and to be in the prizes in the higher section at the first attempt is a great achievement. But that’s not the end of the story. After leading the Band to victory in the fourth section in 2013 Phil Mottershead retired as musical director and handed over the baton to Malcolm Peach. In only his second contest with the Band, and just 12 months after taking over, Malcolm has guided them to second prize in the third section winning The Ethel Beahan Memorial Shield and a cash prize of £100. For Phil Mottershead yesterday, there was the added satisfaction of playing in the winning band. The set test-piece was “Partita for Band – Postcards from Home†by Professor Philip Wilby, English composer formerly of Leeds University. In four movements, the pieces depicts: 1 Towers and Chimneys, 2 Churches: Lord of the Dance (based upon the Shaker melody), 3 Pastorale: Sunday afternoon, 4 Coronation Day Parade. For the band 6 months of hard work lie ahead: practising to improve musical standards and raising a not inconsiderable amount money to attend the national finals which for lower section bands will mean playing in the hospitality suites of Cheltenham Racecourse on 20-21 September while Championship bands (the likes of Foden and Brighouse & Rastrick) will compete in the Royal Albert Hall, London in October. The major costs are coach travel and hotel accommodation. However, before the national finals in September there is the small matter of City of Chester Band competing in the French Open Brass Band Championships, being held in Amboise in the Loire Valley on 7-9 June. This will be followed a week later by the Whitsun Friday march contests in villages in the Tameside and Saddleworth areas. Much of the Band’s success can be attributed to the City of Chester Training Band, a number of whose former players took key positions in Sunday’s winning band. The Training Band is open to folks of all ages and anyone interested in playing a brass band instrument is invited to contact Tony Blain, Training Band Co-ordinator, on 01244 398468 for further information. Attached is a photograph of City of Chester Band performing in the Empress Ballroom, in the Winter Gardens during their performance of the test-piece on Sunday. This picture is reproduced by kind permission of John Stirzaker, a photographer engaged to take photos of the contest.

This months Player of the Month award goes to our newest member Maddie for her hard work and commitment.(Photo on Gallery page)