2006 Victorian Championships

Retrospective: Junior Grade

The Junior Bands are always a delight to watch, and this contest was no different.

Given the population base of this area of Australia, it would have been reasonable to expect more bands in the junior section, however.  It is a concern that only 4 junior bands competed this year - two from Melbourne, one from Bendigo and one from Box Hill. Are there more young brass players out there coming through the system that for whatever reason weren't involved this weekend?  We had better hope so, otherwise the sustainability of the brass band is in big trouble.

The junior band standard, on the whole, was terrific. 

Results:
Junior B Grade:
Test, Concert, March
1. Boroondara Youth Brass 78, 42, 40
2. Whitehorse Brass 76, 41, 38
3. Hyde Street Youth 70, 32, 35

Junior C Grade:
Test, Hymn, March
1. Bendigo Youth Brass 75, 38, 35

Adjudicator Bruce Armstrong is pictured here with the winning conductor of Boroondara Youth Brass, Danny van Bergen

Junior C Grade
Adjudicator:  Bruce Armstrong
Test:  Castles of Scotland, James Pembleton

Bendigo Youth Brass Band
Conductor:  Matt Cutler
Hymn:  Deep Harmony, Handel Parker arr. Colin Moore
March:  Celebration March, Martin Cordner

Bendigo Youth Brass

Matt Cutler, MD of Bendigo Youth Brass Band, directed his band with precision and control.  The band was obviously very young, but extremely enthusiastic and absolutely loved playing every single note - this could really be felt. 

The ensemble was very tight and tuneful. There was the occasional tendancy for the players to get a bit carried away and start to rush groups and the tempo but Matt Cutler soon gathered his troops together and got them back under control.

The Hymn tune was played very well indeed.  The basics established - the band could stop and start together, and attention to dynamic markings was evident.

For the march, again the group was very well controlled.  The tempo may have been a tiny bit on the slow side and perhaps more emphasis on the first of each bar would have helped to achieve a more effective march style.

This is a band with a very promising future.

Junior B Grade
Adjudicator:  Bruce Armstrong
Test:  St Andrews Variation, Alan Fernie

Boroondara Youth Brass
Conductor:  Daniel van Bergen
Duet:  Tell Him, Foster arr. Gander Woulde
Concert:  Crocodile Rock, Bernie Taupin arr. Fernie

Boroondara Youth Brass perform Tell Me

Small in quantity but certainly not small in quality.  What a surprise little bundle this band was!  When 17 players, including only 1 tuba took to the stage, the immediate thought was, how could they possibly be competitive. Any doubts were immediately dismissed once the baton of Danny van Bergen's came down.

This band were well prepared and well trained.  Intonation was good, dynamic difference was wide, the ensemble was very much together and well controlled. 

The bass player, Brenden McKee, deserves the highest accolades, as well as some more friends for the next performance - what an amazing effort to balance up to, which he did, the other 16 players.

Given that the simple number of players on stage was significantly less than its closest competitor, Whitehorse, the ensemble sound was clearly different, and so much of the chordal richness was, at times, just not there.  It was quite feasible for this group not to be placed first.  However, adjudicator, Bruce Armstrong gave the band the nod in all pieces.

One of the highlights of this section was the duet performed by Jen Magoulas and Josh Rogan - Tell Him.  These two 'stars of the future' showed a performance maturity beyond their years - a skilled and artistic display.  Not forgetting to mention the valiant efforts of percussionist Gabrielle McNeice, whose speed across the stage was spectacular to watch.

The other concert item, Crocodile Rock, was played in perfect style.  The sop work by the broken fingered, Alex James, was especially good.

This band is a quality group, destined for a great future.

Hyde Street Youth Band
Conductor:  David Redding
March:  Northern Festival March, Stuart Johnson
Concert:  Bohemian Rhapsody, F Mercury arr. Darrol Barry

Hyde Street Youth Band

Here was another very young band with plenty of spirit and determination.  David Redding, in his first contest as MD, handled the task very well.  The band did struggle at times to come to terms with the some of the basics such as note production, intonation, and starting and stopping together.  One of the most essential tasks of the players, watch the conductor, just didn't happen often enough.  The potential, though, is obviously there.

Bohemium Rhapsody was arguably the piece which had the most impact.  There was some fine playing from trombone, euphonium and cornet and the style was most appropriate.

To finish the program, the well chosen march Northern Festival March, we heard possibly some of the best playing by this group on the day.

It is reasonable to think that this band could benefit from dropping a grade.  Incoming new MD, Mark Fitzpatrick, is keen to get working with this band. He certainly has plenty of talent within this band to work with.

Whitehorse Brass
Conductor:  Alwynne Strenitz
Concert:  Herbie Fully Loaded, Frank Bernearts
March:  The Victorian Rifles, Wilton Roche

Whitehorse Brass

This band was superb.  With a full complement of players in all sections, the sound produced was warm and full despite the age of the players.  If this band can be sustained, brass banding in Box Hill is looking good!

The march commenced the program.  Playing was very well controlled with great march style. 

Although there were intonation problems during the test, the playing on the whole was very musical and the attention to detail was impressive.  The slow sections showed good control.  At times, some clarity in the faster passages was lost.

Herbie Fully Loaded was great fun.  The band obviously loved it, the style was great, and was again well controlled.  The piece became very repetitive - but thats Bernearts!  The finish - very effective.

Whitehorse Brass came close to winning this event.  In fact, and by no means intending to detract from Boroondara's win, we would not have been surprised if Whitehorse had been given the edge over Boorondara - primarily due to the difference in sound based on player numbers.   

Congratulations to all junior bands.  Our future is in good hands - we just need more of you!    

Amanda Casagrande