Ossie Stephens Tribute Concert

Chalford Academy & Nailsworth Bands
Stroud Subscription Rooms
Stroud
Sunday 31st January

In the final season of the 45 year Stroud Brass Band Festival, it was fitting that local bands should combine to pay tribute to its co-founder, the late Ossie Stephens.

40 year echo

Echoing a similar joint concert given at the same venue just over 40 years ago, Chalford Academy and Nailsworth Bands took to the stage at Stroud Subscription Rooms in a musical expression of gratitude to Ossie, his co-founder Harold Gardiner and all the other volunteers who have kept Stroud at the heart of brass banding in the UK for such a long time.

Ossie and Harold's grand-daughter, Naomi Moth (nee Stephens), played her baritone as a member of Chalford Band and other members of the family were in the audience.

Fine performance

Some of the bandsmen on stage had taken part in the combined concert back in September 1969, including the festival's final president, Trevor Picken, who conducted a fine performance of the ‘ODS’ march written by Roy Newsome in appreciation of Osmond Donald Stephens 20 years ago.

Under the baton of MD Steve Tubb, Chalford Academy opened the varied programme with the ‘National Anthem’ followed by  ‘Clog Dance’, ‘I Will Follow Him’ and the ‘Post Horn Galop’, with Andy Brazneill as soloist. Andy played in the 1969 concert. Then came ‘Deep River’ and ‘Ticket to Ride’.

Nailsworth, conducted by MD Stephen Rockey, were also in good form with the Sousa march ‘The Thunderer’, ‘Blow the Wind Southerly’, ‘Mood Indigo’, ‘A Swinging Safari’ and ‘Kalinka’.

Combined bands

After opening the second half with the ‘ODS’ march, the combined bands played two items featured in the 1969 concert – ‘Duo for Euphoniums’ (this time with Alan Bruton and 13-year-old Luke Hulford as duettists) and the concert march ‘Bandology’.

This was followed by ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘Yellow Submarine’, ‘Shenandoah’ and ‘Singing in the Rain’. The ‘Radetzky March’ made a rousing encore with the audience clapping in time and the two MDs sharing the conducting.

Stroud future

Stroud Brass Band Festival has put on more than 400 concerts in the last four and a half decades, bringing some of the best bands in the land to the town. It has encouraged public appreciation of brass band music and the training of young players, of whom there were so many on stage.

The final gala concert will be given on June 19th by Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

President Trevor Picken summed up everyone’s feelings: “Naturally presiding over our final season is tinged with sadness but I personally believe and hope that the vacuum created will encourage some organisation or individuals to consider promoting brass band concerts in Stroud in the future.”

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