The winners of the 4BR annual awards have been speaking about enjoying their extra Christmas presents this year.
One, two or six!
Philip Harper was certainly able to raise a glass or two (or six!) of champagne to toast his third 'Conductor of the Year' accolade for what has been a remarkable CV of achievements in 2016.
Cory were also the unanimous winner of the 'Band of the Year' award, their brilliant performance of 'The Triumph of Time' at the British Open took the 'Contest Performance of the Year' and their CD release 'War Memorials' with fellow Welsh band Tredegar won the 'CD of the Year' category.
Just to top things off, his star flugel player Helen Williams was 4BR 'Player of the Year', whilst his band also had a hand in helping composer Thierry Deleruyelle win the 'Test Piece of the Year' category as they performed his work in winning the European title in Lille.
"I think you can say that has made Christmas just a bit more special,"he told 4BR after being phoned the news. "It's an honour to conduct such a fantastic band and to work with a group of wonderful players.
All the credit goes to them. It has been a historic year for the band — right from the tour to the USA, but we are already planning to better it in 2017 if we can.
I'm also delighted for Thierry as his work has been such a welcome addition to the contest repertoire."
Thrilled
Meanwhile Helen Williams was equally thrilled when told the news that she had added yet another award to those already bagged in a 2016 to remember.
"What a year,"she said. "I've been very fortunate to play with an amazing group of players under a fantastic conductor.
Sometimes the banding stars align and you get that extra touch of luck with the pieces that you have to perform, but the support from Philip Harper and the rest of Cory Band also made the difference."
French champers
There were also celebrations over the other side of the English Channel as French composer Thierry Deleruyelle added the 'Newcomer of the Year' award to his 'Test Piece of the Year' success.
"My thanks go to everyone who enjoyed 'Fraternity': The response to the work has been amazing. It was a real honour to write it for the European Championship and then to hear so many wonderful performances.
I hope people will enjoy it again when it is used at the British Open Championship in 2017."
Lemonade Bolly
Although the majority of the members of Youth Brass 2000 will be just a bit too young to enjoy a bottle of Bollinger to celebrate their achievement in winning the 'Lower Section/Youth Band of the Year' award, it didn't stop their inspirational conductor Chris Jeans!
"It's the first time we have won the award and I'm sure everyone will find something to fill a glass with — including myself,"he said. "It has been a very special year and we are determined to do even better in 2017.
My thanks got to all the players and all the supporters who work together to make Youth Brass 2000 such a fantastic organisation to be a part of."
Clean sweeps
For the second year in arrow there was a brace of clean sweeps in the annual 'CD of the Year' categories, with 'War Memorials' by Cory and Tredegar Bands and 'Fantasy' by Philip Cobb adding the 4BR awards to those already picked up from Brass Band World and British Bandsman magazines.
"It's the icing on the cake,"the Principal Trumpet of the London Symphony Orchestra told 4BR when we caught up with him.
"I've always wanted to do a CD that was something of a thank you to Wynton Marsalis for inspiring me all those years ago with his breathtaking 'Carnaval' release. So many people contributed to its success, including Wynton himself, so credit and thanks goes to all of them. It was a real joy to make."
Meanwhile, Tredegar MD Ian Porthouse also thanked the team effort behind them picking up the 'CD of the Year' for a second successive year.
"It's great to be recognised in this way again — and to be part of yet another CD, this alongside Cory that breaks musical boundaries.
The response to it from both inside and outside the brass band world has been remarkable, so my thanks go everyone involved, especially Paul Hindmarsh whose brainchild it was and who produced it."
Special celebration
Finally, the highly respected Carole Crompton also reflected on her 4BR 'Special Award', which was given in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the brass band movement through their excellence over a significant period of time.
"It was a wonderful surprise and I am honoured to join such a remarkable list of former winners. My work has benefited from the help of so many other people over the years — and I must thank them all.
2017 will see a new chapter in my banding career which I hope will enable me to contribute even more to the brass band movement."
It has been a historic year for the band — right from the tour to the USA, but we are already planning to better it in 2017 if we canCory MD, Philip Harper
4BR Award Winners since 2001:
Band of the Year:
2016: Cory
2015: Cory
2014: Black Dyke
2013: Cory
2012: Foden's
2011: Brighouse & Rastrick
2010: Tredegar
2009: Cory
2008: Cory
2007: Grimethorpe Colliery Band
2006: Grimethorpe Colliery (UK Coal) Band
2005: Black Dyke
2004: Yorkshire Building Society
2003: Yorkshire Building Society
2002: Foden's Richardson
2001: Yorkshire Building Society
Conductor of the Year:
2016: Philip Harper
2015: Philip Harper
2014: Nicholas Childs
2013: Philip Harper
2012: Allan Withington
2011: David King
2010: Ian Porthouse
2009: Robert Childs
2008: Robert Childs
2007: Allan Withington
2006: Allan Withington
2005: Nicholas Childs
2004: Ray Farr
2003: David King
2002: Russell Gray
2001: David King
Player of the Year:
2016: Helen Williams
2015: David Childs
2014: David Childs
2013: Glenn Van Looy
2012: Steve Stewart
2011: Glen Van Looy
2010: David Childs
2009: Mark Wilkinson
2008: Peter Moore
2007: Hans Gansch
2006: Katrina Marzella
2005: David Childs
2004: David Childs
2003: Martin Winter
2002: Morgan Griffiths
2001: Peter Roberts
CD of the Year:
2016: War Memorials — Tredegar Band & Cory Band
2015: Dark Arteries — Tredegar Band
2014: Gaia Symphony — Eikanger Bjorsvik
2013: When Worlds Collide (The Music of Nigel Clarke) — Brass Band Buizingen
2012: Masquerade — Foden's
2011: Only for You: The Music of Paul Lovatt-Cooper — Black Dyke
2010: Romeo & Juliet — Eikanger Bjorsvik
2009: Maestro — Foden's
2008: New Music for Brass Band — Foden's
2007: Vienna Nights — Black Dyke
2006: Heaton: Volume 4 — Black Dyke
2005: Tales and Stories — Eikanger Bjorsvik
2004: Music of the Spheres — Yorkshire Building Society
2003: Bourgeois in Brass — Yorkshire Building Society
2002: The Heaton Collection — Black Dyke and the ISB
2001: Butterworth — Black Dyke
Solo CD of the Year:
2016: Fantasy — Philip Cobb
2015: Parallel Realities — David Thornton
2014: The Symphonic Euphonium — David Childs
2013: Stories of Life — Glenn Van Looy
2012: Diamonds — Steven Mead
2011: Dreaming of the Masters — Jens Lindemann
2010: Moto Perpetuo — David Childs
2009: Salt of the Earth — Les Neish
2008: Audacious — Steven Mead
2007: Eminence — Richard Marshall
2006: The World of the Euphonium: Volume 5 — Steven Mead
2005: Blaze — Richard Marshall
2004: Legend — Peter Roberts
2003: A Winters Tale — Martin Winter
Lower Section/Youth Band of the Year:
2016: Youth Brass 2000
2015: Ebbw Valley
2014: Manger Skulemusikklag
2013: National Children's Band of Great Britain
2012: National Youth Band of Great Britain
2011: Bjorsvik Brass
2010: Hazel Grove Band
2009: Oldham (Lees) Band
2008: Smithills Schools Senior Band
2007: Sellers International Youth Band
2006: Pennine Brass
2005: Marsden Riverhead Brewery Band
2004: Smithills School Senior Band
2003: Smithills School Senior Band
2002: St. Dennis Band
2001: Peter Hawke Garages Lindley Band
Newcomer of the Year:
2016: Thierry Deleruyelle
2015: Dark Arteries — Rambert Ballet and Tredegar Band
2014: The Band of the King's Division
2013: Korpsfiksert! — Eikanger Bjorsvik tevelvision series
2012: Brass in Concert
2011: Venezuelan Brass Ensemble
2010: Exit Brass
2009: Lucy Pankhurst
2008: Paul Duffy
2007: Proms Brass Day
2006: English National Championships
2005: Brass Band Aid
2004: The National Children's Band of Great Britain
2003: Emma Farrow
2002: Simon Dobson
Test Piece of the Year:
2016: Fraternity (Thierry Deleruyelle)
2015: The God Particle (Rolf Rudin)
2014: Vita Aeterna Variations (Ed de Boer writing as Alexander Comitas)
2013: Of Distant Memories (Music in an Olden Style) (Edward Gregson)
2012: Goldberg 2012 (Svein Henrik Giske)
2011: Breath of Souls (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
2010: Saint Saens Variations (Philip Sparke)
2009: Titan's Progress (Hermann Pallhuber)
2008: The Dark Side of the Moon (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
2007: Music for Battle Creek (Philip Sparke)
2006: Vienna Nights (Philip Wilby)
2005: Eden (Dr. John Pickard)
2004: St. Magnus (Kenneth Downie)
2003: Festival Music (Eric Ball)
2002: Masquerade (Philip Wilby)
2001: Albion (Jan Van der Roost)
Contest Performance of the Year:
2016: Cory — The Triumph of Time (British Open Championships)
2015: Cory — Spiriti (National Championship)
2014: Brass Band Bugermusik Luzern — Trance (Swiss National Championship)
2013: Tredegar — Arabian Nights — Fantasy on Rimsky Korsakov's Scheherazade for Brass Band (British Open Championship)
2012: Foden's — Daphnis et Chloe (National Championship)
2011: Cory — Red Priest (British Open Championship)
2010: Fairey (Geneva) — Eden (English National Championships)
2009: Fountain City Brass Band — Dreams (Scottish Open Championship)
2008: Eikanger Bjorsvik — Riffs & Interludes (Norwegian Championship)
2007: Brass Band Oberosterreich — Titan's Progress (European Championship)
2006: Black Dyke — Vienna Nights (British Open)
2005: Black Dyke — Journey to the Centre of the Earth (European Championship)
2004: Black Dyke — Montage (British Open)
2003: Buy As You View Cory — Revelation (European Championship)
2002: Yorkshire Building Society — Concerto Grosso (European Championship)
2001: Foden's — Les Preludes (British Open)
4BR Special Award:
2016: Carole Crompton
2015: Philip Wilby
2014: Mike Shenton
2013: John Berryman
2012: Howard Snell
2011: Philip Sparke
2010: Scottish Brass Band Association
2009: Ian Williams
2008: Norwegian Band Federation
2007: Peter Roberts
2006: Markus Bach
2005: David Gallaher
2004: David Read
2003: Salvationist Publishing and Supplies Ltd
2002: Frank Hodges
2001: Alan Jenkins
