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Brilliant brass in Brighouse

10th Festival of Brass proves to be a roaring success for Lions Charity.

 

The 10th Brighouse Festival of Brass, organised by the Brighouse Lions provided brass at its best for many local charities on the weekend.

Friday evening’s opening celebrity concert in the Central Methodist Church got this annual brass spectacular off to a great start.

2008 Brighouse Champions, Marsden Silver, under guest conductor, Paul Andrews, played to a full house with a programme of exciting music, whilst guest soloist's Richard Marshall and Helen Williams delighted the audience.

...the first Brighouse Youth Solo Championships in Bailiff Bridge where a very friendly atmosphere helped to encourage the young people to show their talents4BR

Youth Solos

Saturday morning saw the first Brighouse Youth Solo Championships in Bailiff Bridge where a very friendly atmosphere helped to encourage the young people to show their talents.

This event sponsored by Kershaw’s Garden Centre of Brighouse and Brigitte Matthews of Holmfirth saw a very good standard in the three classes.

Results:
Under 11:

1. Charlotte Horsfield (trombone)
2. Nadia Long (Tenor Horn)
3. Alex Smith (Euphonium)
Youngest player: Aaron Kerwin (Euphonium)
All members of Clifton & Lightcliffe Juniors

Under 14:
1. Lewis Bettles (Trombone) Stannington Brass Band
2. Alexander Crisp (Tenor Horn) Clifton & Lightcliffe
3. Joseph Martin (Cornet) Knaresborough Silver Band

Under 17:
1. Jonathan Bates (Tenor Horn) Carlton Main Frickley Colliery
2. Alexander Crisp (Tenor Horn) Clifton & Lightcliffe
3. Lewis Bettles (Trombone) Stannington Brass Band

Adjudicator Roy Curran gave a talk on the art of lyrical playing and praised all the competitors for their efforts which were rewarded with Certificates of Merit.

Evening Concert

The Evening Gala Concert featured Easington Colliery Band under Roy Curran, with a programme of popular music which delighted a full house.

There were many musical highlights, whilst Carl Jenkins, a Brighouse resident, who was the Channel 4 'Secret Millionaire' with Easington Band chosen as his favourite charity, was present to chat with band secretary Scott Meikle during the concert.

A nice gesture by the band was to donate their fee for the concert to The British Heart Foundation (Scotland) in memory of Scott Meikle’s mother Helen, who recently passed away.

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Alex McGee

MA BMus PGCE
Conductor & Composer


               

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