The Flowers Band has just returned from a memorable Gala Concert appearance at the 10th Festival Brassband en Bourgueillois in the Loire Valley in France.

The event brought together several French brass bands hosted by Brassband du Pays Bourgueillois, with the Gala Concert seeing them and Flowers round off a packed weekend of music making that also included performances from Exo Brass, A Tours de Brass and Paris Brass Band.

Masterclasses

The band arrived on the Saturday and following a wonderful lunch saw Paul Richards, Emily Evans, Rob Wilshaw, Matt Rowe and Coco Chan work with the players from Brassband en Bourgueillois at a local music school whilst the rest enjoyed a trip to a local winery.

Solo stars

In the evening Flowers performed in the Gala Concert where the packed audience enjoyed the wide variety of music provided under MD Paul Holland — including outstanding solo performances from principal cornet Josie Allen (who stepped up from her usual repiano chair for the trip) and sop star, Paul Richards.

Despite the late finish the band was taken for another wonderful meal and an Anglo/French challenge match of boules at 3.00am in the morning! The trip was rounded off with an outdoor concert in front of an audience of around 2,000 people in the midday heat the following day.

The popularity of the concerts was incredible. It was a real honour to be the first UK band to perform here and we really can't wait to returnFlowers Band

Memorable

A Flowers spokesperson told 4BR: "It really was a memorable trip for the band and a great way to make new connections and friends in the French brass band movement.

The popularity of the concerts was incredible. It was a real honour to be the first UK band to perform here and we really can't wait to return."