We have been very busy since our last update, preparing for the 2014 Regional Contest. Last Sunday saw us take to the stage in Bedworth in the Fourth Section. For those of you who don’t know much about the world of contesting, the areas involve all bands playing the same test piece and being anonymously judged by two adjudicators (who have to sit all day in a small tent-like construction!). With a draw taking place for order of play, it is a brass bander’s version of the F.A. cup, only much more competitive. The top three bands, as decided by the adjudicators, qualify to play at the National Finals in Cheltenham.

The test piece we had to get our teeth into this year was Alan Fernie’s Three Spanish Impressions. It is a lovely work with a lot of mood and atmosphere. We had a lot of fun rehearsing this piece, thanks to our amazing M.D. Oli. He did so much hard work preparing for each rehearsal and organised for other conductors to take us for a few sessions. This really helped us gain a fresh perspective on the piece and massive thanks goes to Saphran Ali, Craig Stevens, David Hirst and our principal trombonist, Dave Deakin, who all helped out with rehearsals and performance feedback. A huge thank you also goes out to all the helpers who played with us in the contest (deps in banding terms!). In our eyes, they’re not really deps, they’re proper members of the band.

We had a couple of setbacks leading up to contest day, the most notable being a last minute illness to our 1st Horn player, Rob. Unfortunately for him and us, he had to have his appendix removed 2 weeks ago which meant he was unable to play with us at Bedworth. Most bands’ M.D.s would have had a near-breakdown with such an issue, but Oli took it in his stride and had rewritten parts dished out the next day!

So, we made it to the contest on Sunday and we are delighted to tell you we came third and are set to play at the National Finals!! It was a fantastic result for everyone involved and capped off what was an extremely enjoyable day. As nerve-wracking as playing in a contest was, the band still had lots of fun and a smiles were permanently on our faces as we took to the stage.

After the hysteria has died down of our great result, it will be time to begin preparations for all our jobs in the summer.  We’re all looking forward to putting together a really varied, enjoyable programme for our audiences around the Midlands. We hope to see you all at some of our gigs across the summer and you can find out where we’re playing on our website.

Keep checking our Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest goings on at Stourport Brass Band. If you play a brass instrument and fancy joining in, please come along on a Tuesday night for a blow. The more the merrier!