 | |||||||||||||
|
|
NEWS
Another great weekend! The third annual Heritage Gala Concert on Saturday
19th June was hailed by all as a great success. The band was delighted
to again welcome Martin and Karyn Mortimer as guests of honour.The
evening's guest soloist was Joe Cook, Black Dyke Band's legendary
tuba player. He gave a fantastic display of talent including his
version of the classic "Czardas" to a very different item entitled
"Fnugg", which can possibly best be described as beat boxing on
a tuba! Amazing! First March: Marsden Silver Prize The Calderdale Prize: Hebden Bridge Junior Band Lucky programme winner 101 Many thanks to all our supporters and sponsors - it couldn't happen without you! Next year's Heritage Weekend is provisionally scheduled for 18th/19th June. Interested bands are asked to contact Steve Gardner on 07813 110126 to reserve a place now.
2010 Heritage Weekend. The band is pleased to announce that their third Heritage Weekend is to take place on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th June. Thanks to the kind sponsorship of Croft Mill Apartments, guest soloist tuba legend Joe Cook of Black Dyke is to appear in the Gala Concert on Saturday 19th June at 7pm in Hebden Bridge Picture House. Sunday 20th June sees the 3rd March and Hymn Tune Contest in Bridge Gate and St Georges Square, Hebden Bridge. Admission to spectators is free and the contest will begin about 1.30pm. The march contest has been kindly supported by Hebden Royd Town Council, Calderdale Council, Lodge of Prince Frederick No 307 Hebden Bridge, and local businesses including Moyles Hotel & Restaurant, Shoulder of Mutton, White Swan, AJ's, Innovation, Pot Stop, Ryburn Estate Agents & Pennine Signs. NATIONAL FINALS HERE WE COME!!
After being awarded a fantastic 2nd place in the Yorkshire Regional Championships held at St George's Hall, Bradford on Sat 6th March, Hebden will now go forward to represent Yorkshire in the National Finals in September. Under new MD Roy Curran, the band produced a superb performance of Gustav Holst's "A Moorside Suite", beating such prestigious bands as Hammonds and Yorkshire Imps.In addition to this, the band's principal euphonium player, Ian Plant won "Best soloist" prize. This result means that the band will be promoted to the Championship section for 2011. New MD for band After a long and thorough round of auditions the band is delighted to announce the appointment of Roy Curran as the new MD. Many thanks to all applicants who auditioned for the position. Fantastic result at Butlins again!! Hebden's second visit to the 2010
Butlins Mineworkers Festival held at the
Skyline
Resort,
Skegness,on the weekend of 23-24 January proved to be a great success.Out
of a large entry of 24 bands in the first section, Hebden had
a fairly early draw of number 8, and gave a stunning
performance of Andrew Duncan's "A Hebridean Suite" with fantastic
playing from all the "corner men", especially Kelly on flugel and
Alex in his debut as principal cornet. Thanks must also
go to Roy Curran for preparing the band so thoroughly for the contest. More new players! We would like to welcome new players Aimee Twist to join Planty on euphonium and Alex Gibson on principal cornet. Change of Chairman After many busy years as being band chairman, increased work commitments have forced Ian Plant to step down as chair. He continues to do a sterling job as band's euphonium player. As a token of appreciation the band presented him with "a wee dram" at rehearsal. Steve Gardner will step into the hot seat, and Kelly Hayes takes over as Vice Chairman. DENNIS HADFIELD LEAVES MD POSITION AT HEBDEN Hebden Bridge Brass Band announces the departure of their Musical
Director, Dennis Hadfield. Due to a change in rehearsal nights
and personal circumstances Dennis has left the band after two years
at the helm. The band would like to thank Dennis for all his hard
work, commitment and enthusiasm over the last two years and wish
him every success
for the future.
Brilliant Band social! Instead of the usual post Christmas party, The annual Band Dinner was held as a Midsummer Madness "do" organised by our social secretary , the one and only Emma Shaw (front row). In addition to the usual awards, Emma devised a few of her own, such as "Band member with the spikiest hair" (Jack), "Smelliest band member" ( Ian C - although Rick was a popular choice!),"Celebrity Couple" (Dayle and Ann), "Blonde of the Band" (Kelly), "Band Legend" (Les), and "Best Dancer" ( a close contest between Sam and Connor, with Connor emerging victorious after Sam became overcome with an uncharacteristic fit of shyness). Silly games with peashooters were followed by a limbo contest organised by Sam, Dom and Connor, utilising high tech equipment of several chairs and a sweeping brush. After a dramatic contest, Jenny (2nd Baritone), much to the delight of all the men, managed to produce a fantastic performance to win! Welcome! We would like to welcome two new players, Robert Wood on Eb bass and his son Dominic on 3rd cornet. We look forward to working with them. Hebden the giant killers at Whit (WET)Friday 2009 Anyone who took part in the 2009 Whit Friday March
Contest will testify that the weather was nothing short of horrendous – in
fact it was described by many as “the worst on a Whit Friday
in living memory”! Full results: Broadoak 1st out of 41 7th overall in Tameside!!!!!! Scouthead 28th= -oops!! To view the band's winning performance at Broadoak click here.
Hebden to host its second Heritage Weekend After the success of last year's Heritage Weekend, the band have decided to repeat the events this year. On Saturday June 20th there will be a Gala Concert at the Hebden Bridge Picture House. This year we have managed to secure international percussion star Simone Rebello as guest soloist so it is set to be a fantastic concert. Tickets are priced at £8 for adults and £5 for children and are available from the Pot Stop and Ryburne Estate Agents in Hebden Bridge or by calling 07813 110126. To read more about Simone please click here. On Sunday 21st June there will be a March and Hymn Tune Contest in Bridge Gate and St George's Square. Details of the event can be obtained from Steve Gardner on 07813 110126. An entry form for the march contest can be found here to print off and send. In the prizes at Butlins Hebden achieved another great result when
it competed in the 2009 Butlins Mineworkers Festival held at
the Skyline Resort, Skegness,on the weekend of 17-18 January. A
mammoth
entry of 26 bands in the first section prompted the contest organisers
to split the section into two separate contests each containing
13 bands, and the top 3 from each section went into a play-off
for the final placings. Playing off a late draw of number
12 of 13, Hebden gave a stunning performance of Richard Grantham's
"Hostile Skies". Adjudicators Frank Renton & Paul
Norley decided that the performance was one of the top 3 in the
section, and Hebden were through to the play-off. After drawing
6 out of 6, Hebden had another tiring wait before having to play
a repeat performance of the test piece in the final. Although it
had been a long day, the players still managed to put on another
thrilling performance, and were rewarded with a excellent placing
of 4th out of 26 bands. MD Dennis Hadfield declared it an excellent
result in a very strong line up of bands.
Hebden's debut in the Championship section Another early start was the order of the day for the band when it competed in the Leicester Brass Band Association contest. Again the band drew the dreaded number 1 and so had another 8am rehearsal, this time down in Leicester! Although the band gave another fine performance of Eric Ball's "Wayfarer", they missed out on the prizes, coming in 5th out of 12 - still a creditable result. Next the band had a long wait as it was also competing in the Open section and had drawn number 7! After 71/2 hours(!) the band finally got on stage to play "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Peter Graham - a formidable test! Again everyone played well, with some fine solo efforts as well as magnificent commitment from the band. Everyone came off stage with a real buzz. M.D. Dennis Hadfield was thrilled at what the band had been able to achieve in such a short time (less than two weeks of rehearsals on the piece). He was a little disappointed at the result (8th out of 10) although for the band's first time competing in the Championship Section for many years it was still a great achievement.
Good result at Pontins Contest It was an early start for the band when they competed in the Pontins Brass Band Championships. After unfortunately drawing to play number 1, the band needed to be at Prestatyn to rehearse at 8am!! The band were on stage ready to play shortly before 10am, and after a confident rendition of the National Anthem, the band gave a very self-assured performance of Sinfonietta - The Wayfarer by Eric Ball. Tuning and intonation were excellent and all detail came through clearly. However, unfortunately soloist slips cost the band and they just missed out on the prizes and they were placed 6th. However MD Dennis Hadfield was very pleased with the band performance and declared it an excellent result, especially considering the number 1 draw and the number of competing bands. Success for the first Hebden Bridge Heritage Weekend The picturesque village of Hebden Bridge Village was geared up and ready for its first heritage weekend this weekend – a magnificent two days of brass with a Heritage Gala Concert and march contest for all to enjoy. The Hebden Bridge Heritage Gala Concert took place on Saturday at the Picture House, New Road, Hebden Bridge. Hebden Bridge Brass Band hosted a magnificent evening with guest soloist Phillip McCann. The programme of music celebrated the band’s strong connections with the Mortimer family with pieces including Cyril Jenkins’ Life Divine and Harry Mortimer’s arrangement of Sousa’s The Thunderer and a fantastic rendition of Echoes of Savoy. The evening was a triumph with special guest Martin Mortimer, son of Harry Mortimer. The fantastic weekend of brass continued on Sunday, with the first Hebden Bridge Heritage March Contest. Despite downpours, when the first band formed up in St Pol car park, the clouds parted, the rain stopped, the sun shone and Hebden Bridge was ready for a wonderful afternoon. The march contest was open to all bands from Championship down to Youth and the adjudicator for the contest was Brett Baker. Bands marched down Bridge Gate street to the bustling St George’s Square where each band performed a contest march and hymn tune. Eleven bands competed in this years contest and the results are as follows: Championship / 1st Section 2nd Section 3rd Section 4th / non-registered section Youth Section Best Hymn Tune – United Co-op Milnrow Deportment – Boarshurst Silver Next year's Heritage Weekend will be on 20th/21st June 2009. GREAT RESULTS AT WHIT FRIDAY After a couple of relatively lean years for prizes
at the Whit Friday march contests, this year Hebden were back with
a vengeance. With only a couple of borrowed players (a contrast
to many bands out) the band headed off towards Saddleworth. Results for the night were: BRILLIANT RESULT FOR HEBDEN AT AREAS Hebden Bridge travelled to St George's Hall, Bradford, to participate in the Yorkshire Regional finals on Sunday 9th March 2008. Playing off an early number 5 draw, the band put in a superb performance of James Cook - Circumnavigator and adjudicators Robert Childs and James Scott awarded the band a very creditable 6th out of 14 first section bands. Well done band!! HEBDEN BRIDGE ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST HERITAGE WEEKEND GALA CONCERT AND MARCH CONTEST
Pennine Brass Festival - update. Due to the untimely withdrawal of the Elland Silver Band from the Pennine Festival, Garry Hallas with the Emley Band will be representing the third section. Hebden Bridge Band would like to thank them for stepping in at such short notice and hope that the experience will be helpful in their contest preparations. Pennine Brass Festival 2008 The concert begins at 6pm and will feature all of this years test pieces by bands competing in every section of the Yorkshire Brass Band Championships in March. As well as promising to be a fantastic night of entertainment, the evening will also provide the bands with the opportunity to play their Yorkshire Area test pieces in front of an audience only a week before the big day! Each band will also play a hymn tune. Listening intently at Halifax Parish Church will be adjudicator Malcolm Brownbill who will present his comments on the bands performances, which will be of great value to each of the bands in the final week of preparation. There will be performances from Friendly Band (Section 4) who will play 'Four Cities Symphony' by Rodney Newton, Elland Band (Section 3) performing 'The Dark Side of the Moon' by Paul Lovatt-Cooper, Slaithwaite Band (Section 2) will play 'Three Part Invention' by Kenneth Downie, Hebden Bridge Band (Section 1) will perform 'James Cook - Circumnavigator' by Gilbert Vinter and finally YBS Band (Championship) will perform 'Festival Music' by Eric Ball. Tickets cost £3 on the door and the event is with the kind permission of the Churchwardens and P.C.C. CLEAN SWEEP AT LEICESTER CONTEST FOR HEBDEN Hebden Bridge made the journey "down South" on Sunday
18th November to compete in the 1st section of the Leicestershire
Brass Band Association Contest. The band had chosen to play Edward
Gregson's
"Dances and
Arias", a testing piece of music with solos on cornet, horn, Eb
bass, euphonium and, unusually, featuring a duet section for two
flugel horns,
where the repiano cornet changes from cornet to flugel for that
section. GOOD SHEPHERD CONCERT REVIEW Sunday 23rd September saw the band performing at the Church of the Good Shepherd. This was the first local concert with Dennis as MD and what a night it was! The evening opened with the band’s signature tune – The
Hebden Bridge march, followed by the Overture “The Beautiful
Galathea”, both very much appreciated by the audience. Principal
cornet, Grant Taylor (introduced as “a bit of a smoothy”)
then gave a beautiful performance of “Love on the Rocks” which
was quickly followed by “Pastorale”, also featuring
Grant. The second half opened with March Praise followed by a rousing
performance of Festive Overture. Audience participation was called for in the next piece and Dennis’
infectious enthusiasm made for several “volunteers”,
including Father Gott, to join the percussion section. A carnival
atmosphere was certainly produced throughout this performance of “Brazil”. The programme ended with Peter Graham’s “Shine as the Light”. A grand finale indeed. The concert was very much enjoyed by the audience and one lady
was prompted to write to the Hebden Bridge Times to let everyone
know what a good night it had been. An excerpt from her letter
reads: MORE HEROES!
Two of Hebden Bridge Band's young players, Sam Gardner
and Kate Salter, have been selected as Future Heroes by Northern
Orchestral Enterprises Ltd.
Schools from all over Calderdale were asked to nominate students
who they thought were particularly musically talented. They all
then had to audition and seven were selected to join the project.
N.O.E.L's chief executive, Liz Wilde said: "This is about giving
kids with real talent the opportunity to make the most of it so
they can enhance their development and hopefully go on to fulfill
their dreams." WALKING WITH HEROES
The band's solo horn player, Steve Gardner achieved
one of his dreams at the weekend when he was asked to play
with the Black Dyke Band at a concert in Norwich. Their regular
horn
player, Alison Childs was unable to attend due to recording
commitments at the National Finals, and so Steve was more than
happy to sit
in the hotseat! According to inside sources, he put on a fine
show and didn't let Hebden Bridge down!
DENNIS HADFIELD TAKES MD POSITION AT HEBDEN
Hebden Bridge Band is delighted to announce that Dennis Hadfield
has accepted the position of Musical Director. As a player Dennis played EEb Bass with Fairey, Leyland and Wingates where he also was resident conductor, however, he says that seems like a lifetime ago. “I have had a great time over the last few months and it is a great honour to take over as Musical Director. The band has a great atmosphere and it is a pleasure to see so many full seats at each rehearsal. I feel the best is yet to come for Hebden and relish the challenges ahead of us,” said Dennis. Current MD Brett Baker will become the band’s Associate Conductor. Brett’s busy schedule as Black Dyke’s Principal Trombone, Senior Tutor at the Yorkshire Youth Brass Band and his role as a clinician for Michael Rath Musical Instruments Ltd, means he needs more time to pursue his many commitments. The band continues to welcome Brett’s dedication and support. Dennis is looking forward to working with Brett during the busy Christmas period and the focus will be on the preparation for next year’s area contest. There are currently vacancies for a Solo Trombone and Flugel Horn; anyone interested in this position should contact Ian Plant on 01422 252908 or 07831 833479. Victory at The Hobbit! The Halifax and Calderdale March Contest. Another
weekend when the weather looked grim - it had been raining all
morning
and still
didn't look promising when
we
were
due to practice. Dennis decided against practicing indoors, and
instead we practiced under a railway tunnel in Sowerby Bridge,
to the bemusement of the taxi firm next door! We must have set
a trend, as after we had finished, there were another four bands
waiting to practice! Congratulations to all involved in organising such an efficiently run contest, and here's to next year!
|
"Ok,
you can take it off now, we've finished!!"