The line up of 80 bands taking part in the 92nd Spring Festival Brass Band Festival at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on the Saturday 12th May has been released by the organisers.
Cut price and cut throat
There is an exciting day of cut price as well as cut throat competition in store for brass band supporters and the neutral listener, with tickets less than a tenner to enjoy three keenly contested sections.
Grand Shield
20 bands that can’t usually be separated by a sheet of Bronco paper will surely provide plenty tension, anxiety and high class Grand Shield entertainment in the Opera House.
Peter Graham’s ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ is the immense test that needs to be overcome to claim the brace of qualification places on offer to get to the British Open at Symphony Hall in September.
Senior Cup
Meanwhile, the Pavilion Theatre provides the intimate surroundings for the 20 competitors in the Senior Cup.
Martin Ellerby’s elegiac ‘Elgar Variations’ will test the 20 rivals all looking to book themselves on of the four qualification places on offer.
Senior Trophy
The same will apply in the Senior Trophy which will take place in the vast expanse of the Ballroom, where 20 bands battle it out on Martin Ellerby’s wonderfully filmatic take on Errol Flynn at his brilliant best, with his wonderfully colourful ‘Chivalry’.
A batch of new bands take what they hope will be their first steps towards an eventual appearance at the British Open, as City of Cardiff (Melingriffith), Drighlington, Lochgelly, Oldham (Lees) and Tylorstown make their appearances in the Senior Trophy.
Judges
As always there is an eclectic mix of adjudicators, with Dr Robert Childs making a quick dash back from the European Championships to join David Read MBE, Malcolm Brownbill, Ian Brownbill, Paul Andrews and John Doyle in the various boxes.
4BR will be there to bring you the action throughout the day, as well as pics, twitter, live comments and post contest analysis.
Tickets available on the day Adults £9 Concessions £6
There is an exciting day of cut price as well as cut throat competition in store for brass band supporters and the neutral listener4BR
The Grand Shield:
Opera House
Draw: 9.30am
Start: 10.30am
Test Piece: On the Shoulders of Giants (Peter Graham)
First Prize: £800 plus framed pennant presented by Centre Stage Uniforms
Second Prize: £600
Third Prize: £400
Fourth Prize: £300
Aveley & Newham (Nigel Taken)
BTM (Phillip McCann)
Co-operative Milnrow (Marieka Grey)
Exchange Communications Whitburn (Ian Porthouse)
Flowers (Paul Holland)
Freckleton (Paul Dalton)
Hepworth (Russell Gray)
Jaguar Land Rover (Dave Lea)
Marsden Silver Prize (Glyn Williams)
Mount Charles (Simon Dobson)
Newstead Brass (Duncan Beckley)
Pemberton Old Wigan DW (Mark Bentham)
Redbridge (Jeremy Wise)
Seindorf Beaumaris (Gwyn M. Evans)
Skelmanthorpe (John Roberts)
Staffordshire (Nigel Seaman)
Thoresby Colliery (Garry Cutt)
Tongwynlais Temperance (Philip Harper)
Wingates (Andrew Berryman)
Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel (David Nesbitt)
The Senior Cup:
Pavilion Theatre
Draw: 9.00am
Start: 10.00am
Test Piece: Elgar Variations (Martin Ellerby)
First Prize: £600 plus framed pennant presented by Centre Stage Uniforms
Second Prize: £400
Third Prize: £300
Fourth Prize: £200
Aldbourne (David Johnson)
Ashton Under Lyne (Simon Stonehouse)
Blackburn & Darwen (Nick Sheppard)
Bo’ness & Carriden (Bryan Allan)
Co-operative Funeralcare North West (Jef Sparkes)
Dalmellington (Archie Hutchison)
Derwent Brass (Keith Leonard)
East Yorkshire Motor Services (Alan Morrison)
Felling (Stephen Malcolm)
Fishburn (Huw Thomas)
Friary Guildford (Chris King)
Hammonds Saltaire (Morgan Griffiths)
Kingdom Brass (Andrew Duncan)
Laganvale (Metal Technology) (Ernest Ruddock)
NASUWT Riverside (David Roberts)
Northop Silver (Thomas Wyss)
Ratby Co-operative (Michael Fowles)
Unison Kinneil (Russ Young)
Unite the Union (City of Sheffield) (Derek Renshaw)
Woodfalls (Dr Nicholas Childs)
The Senior Trophy:
Ballroom
Draw: 10.00am
Start: 11.00am
Test Piece: Chivalry (Martin Ellerby)
First Prize: £600 plus framed pennant presented by Centre Stage Uniforms
Second Prize: £400
Third Prize: £300
Fourth Prize: £200
Barton Town (Richard Evans)
Bon-Accord (Alan Duguid)
Bournemouth Concert (Major David Barringer)
Burry Port Town (Michael Thorne)
City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) (Gareth Ritter)
Drighlington (Jim Davies)
Easington Colliery Brass (Chris Bentham)
Hade Edge (Simon Wood)
Hatfield Colliery (Graham O’Connor)
Johnstone (Paul Kiernan)
Lochgelly (Allan Ramsey)
Longridge (Mark Peacock)
Newtongrange (Paul Drury)
Oldham Lees (John Collins)
Sovereign Brass (David Maplestone)
St Dennis (Darren Hawken)
Tylorstown (Gary Davies)
Wakefield Metropolitan (Michael Howley)
Wantage Silver A (Phil Bailey)
Wrexham Brass Glyndwr (Stephen Curtis)
