A record 39 bands have entered this year’s Brass in the Park contest, which takes place in the tented village at Newtongrange Park on Saturday 5th September.
March & Hymn
22 bands have entered the March & Hymn Tune contest for senior bands.
The entrants are:
Bathgate
Broxburn & Livingston,
Callander Brass
Campbeltown Brass
Dalmellington
Dalmellington Junior
Deveron River Brass
Dundee Instrumental
East Coast Brass
Hawick Saxhorn
Jedforest Instrumental
Langholm Town
MacTaggart Scott Loanhead
Newmilns & Galston
Peebles Burgh
Penicuik Silver
Renfrew Burgh
St David’s Brass
Sanquhar & District
Selkirk Silver
Shotts St Patricks
West Calder
In addition to the March & Hymn Tune contest, all of the senior bands have been given the option to perform a short programme at a new venue at St David’s, Main Street, Newtongrange and to participate in a separate Marching Deportment Contest.
Payments
Payments of £100 are being made to every band performing a programme and a further £100 is earned by each band which takes part in but fails to win the prize in the Marching Deportment Contest.
The day will see a total payout to bands of around £6,500.
17 bands have entered the Youth Band Contests which will also take place on Saturday 5 September.
The day will see a total payout to bands of around £6,5004BR
Development Section
The entrants in the Development Section are: Campbeltown Juniors, Hawick Saxhorn Juniors, Loanhead Brass Roots, Perthshire Youth, Selkirk Youth and St Ronan’s Future Band.
Novice Section
The largest entry in the Youth Contests is in the Novice Section whiuch has a terrific entry of 11 bands: Abbey Brass (Jedforest), Coalburn Bronze, Creetown Silver Juniors, Dunfermline Youth Brass, Kingdom Brass Youth, Langholm Town Juniors, Levern Valley Community Brass, Loanhead Brass Rootlets, Newtongrange Juniors, Peebles Juniors and St David’s Budding Brass.
Terrific entry
Brass in the Park President, Alan McLaren, commented to 4BR: "We are absolutely delighted to once more have such a terrific entry in the Youth Band Contests. This is yet another indicator of the massive growth in the youth and training band sector in Scotland in recent years and reflects the terrific development work going on at grass roots level in bands the length and breadth of the country."
He added: "We are very concious of the fact that, for many of the players in the Novice Section in particular, this will be their first experience of a brass band contest. We shall therefore be doing everything we can to make this an enjoyable and memorable occasion for all concerned.”
Gala Concert
Brass in the Park 2009 opens with a Gala Concert on the Friday evening and the final day of the event on Sunday 6th will see a range of bands and ensembles of varying types join with brass bands to provide a wide variety of musical entertainment.
The organisers are hopeful that attendance levels will once more reach at least 5,000 over the weekend.
More information
More information, including travel and ticket sales details, are available from the Brass in the Park website www.brassinthepark.org.uk.
