Smithills School and MD Chris Wormald are once more celebrating back to back successes for their Senior Brass and Senior Concert Bands at the National Festival of Music For Youth Finals held at Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

Double wins

Having qualified for the event for the fifteenth consecutive year, the Senior Brass Band came away with its ninth 'Outstanding Performance Award' on Thursday, whilst its Senior Concert Band, which first entered Music For Youth in 1997, came away with its third such award a day later.

Strong Fields

With very strong fields in both the School Brass Band and Concert Band sections, Smithills were especially thrilled to head back to Bolton with their wins, having been up at 5.00am and in school warming up for both days by 6.20am!

With very strong fields in both the School Brass Band and Concert Band sections, Smithills were especially thrilled to head back to Bolton with their wins, having been up at 5.00am and in school warming up for both days by 6.20am!4BR

Senior Brass Band

In the seven band school final Smithills gave a premiere of a new eleven minute arrangement by their MD entitled ‘Sinatra.’

The three man panel of adjudicators of Richard Jones, Keith Hewson and Chairman Eric Tebbett described the performance as, "...exceptional, stunning and irresistible from the first note to the last...", adding thet they "...couldn’t believe the quality of sound and absolute precision" of the performance.

New level

Eric Tebbett stated in his remarks that, "...from the very start, the quality of performance took the standard of playing to a completely new level. As judges, we naturally expected there to be a lull at some point but it never came, it was perfection, truly exceptional."

As a result, the 'Outstanding Performance Award' went to Smithills and the 'Highly Commended Award' went to Fred Longworth School, conducted by Helen Robinson, who incidentally was a member of Smithills School Senior Brass Band for five years back in the 1990s.

Senior Concert Band

The eight band final in the school Wind Band category was also a very close affair. Smithills performed a single item, a special eleven minute arrangement by the MD entitled ‘A James Bond Overture’.

Absolute quality

The three man panel of judges consisting of Malcolm Weale, Gwyn Parry-Jones and Chairman Peter Gane again heaped praise on the standard Smithills produced, describing their performance as, "...absolute quality — stunning, quite honestly it was inspirational."

All the hard work paid off with the announcement of the 'Outstanding Performance Award', whilst St Aidan’s from Harrogate came away with the 'Highly Commended Award'.