Haslingden & Helmshore Brass Band -

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23rd November 2003 - NWABBA Manchester District Contest

It was off to Wardle High school today for the Manchester District Contest. In an attempt to attract more bands to the contest, the District opened the contest to bands from other areas and also allowed bands to enter more than one section. Our conductor, who is getting on a bit now, had a bit of a brain fade and decided that as well as entering the 2nd Section we should enter the Open Section and compete against the Championship and 1st Section bands. Philip Sparke's London Overture was the piece we chose to play and many hours of practice have gone into playing a piece which is probably the most difficult we have ever chosen for a contest. We took to the stage in the 2nd Section, specially equipped with incontinence knickers for the players with cadenzas, and put on a good performance. The cadenzas went well, apart from one minor blemish which has earned John, our Solo Euphonium player, the nickname 'Split D', and on the whole we were pleased with our performance. Immense relief flowed through the band as we came off stage until we realised we had to do it all again in the Open Section. We thought the second performance went better than the first (nice D John!) but obviously we were competing against a higher standard of band. We were very pleased to be awarded 1st Prize in the 2nd Section and congratulations are also due to our Trombones, who won the prize for the best Trombone Section. In the Open Section, as we were the only 2nd Section band to make the step up, it was a bonus that we did not come last (4th out of 5). A very good day overall, last one to the Duke of Wellington buys the beer!

ps. special thanks goes to the players who did so well on the knee trembling cadenzas: Phil Shatliff (Trombone), Craig McFarland (Horn), Gwen McFarland (Cornet) and John Hamer (Euphonium).

31st October 2003 - (Another) Band Wedding

Congratulations are in order for two of the band, Flugel Horn Craig McFarland and Principle Cornet Gwenneth Powell, who tied the knot today. The couple joined the band approximately 20 years ago when they were 8 and 9 years old respectively (awwww!) but have only recently got together (if you ignore a brief fling as teenagers) and decided to get married. You may get the impression that this band likes to keep it in the family as Craig's brother, Andrew (Percussion) is already married to Gwenneth's sister, Melanie (Solo Cornet) (sounds a bit incestuous but we think it's legal), Gwenneth's father David conducts the band, her mother Andrea plays percussion, Craig's father Ian plays Bass Trombone and his mother Dorothy makes the tea. The wedding and reception took place at Northcote Manor in Langho and an excellent time was had by all, although not everyone will remember it (yes, Brian I am talking about you!) but never mind, the dvd will be out shortly and those people will be able to see exactly what they did.

26th October 2003 - Pontins Contest

Today was our annual trip to Wales to compete in the Pontins contest in Prestatyn. We left sometime in the middle of the night (actually 6.30am but it felt that way) and made a smooth trip over the border (the 100mph winds of last year were fortunately nowhere to be seen). The set piece was Oceans by Goff Richards and although the band went on stage quite confident, a few gremlins crept into the performance and unfortunately we could only manage 11th out of 20 bands. However, we are not down-hearted and we now look forward to our next contest, Manchester District, in a month's time.

1st September 2003 - Return of the 2nd Euphonium

Following a brief exit from the band to pursue numerous other commitments in his life, we are pleased to welcome back Matt Bailey on 2nd Euphonium. Whether his return is due to the fact that he just can't live without us, he has finally realised that nothing is more important in life than banding, or if as everyone suspects he is just losing his marbles, his return is excellent news for the band.

15th July 2003 - Vacancies

Following the retirement of Brian, one of our Eb Bass players, we are now looking for a new Eb Bass. Anybody interested in attending an audition for the position should either email us on info@haslingdenband.co.uk or ring Andrea Holland, our Secretary on 01706 210490.

14th July 2003 - Retirement

We are sorry to announce the retirement of one of our Eb Bass players. Brian Gilbert has been with the band for a number of years, starting on cornet helping out our youngsters on the back row, and then taking up Eb Bass to help the band when we were short in that position. As well as being an asset for his playing, Brian's excellent arranging skills have given the band any number of pieces for our concert programmes (and hopefully still will!) and he has always selflessly given up his time to help our conductor with the Learners Band. Brian will be much missed by the band, although I am sure we will see him at the bandroom from time to time (when he is not gallivanting around the world!).

16th June 2003 - Whit Friday Contests

Whit Friday again! We leave the bandroom at 3.30 under a blazing sun and the prospects for the evening are looking good (weather wise at least). The format is the same as last year, do as many contests as we can before 9.30 then stop for a much deserved drink and to listen to the bands at a pre-determined venue, which this year was Dobcross. We managed 8 contests before 9.30 and we felt we played consistently well all night. Fortunately, the adjudicators agreed with us and we came away with four 1st prizes (Denton, Droylesden, Broad Oak, Scouthead) and two 2nd prizes (Roundthorn, Greenacres) in the Second Section. A very successful evening indeed.

10th March 2003 - North West Area Regional Qualifiers

A morning kick off for the second section meant an early(ish) start for the band at this year''s regional qualifiers. Leaving Haslingden at 8am is one thing we have not missed since moving out of the 4th Section! Celestial Prospect by William Heaton was the test piece chosen for our section and the band was in an upbeat mood following good rehearsals over the past few weeks. Melanie, our contest secretary pulled draw number 12 out of the bag which meant we were last band on. After a mild berating by the band for ensuring our appointment with the bar had been put back 3 hours, it was agreed that the draw could have been worse and she was forgiven (partially). We took to the stage and gave a performance with which we were quite pleased but felt could have been better. Our final position of 5th out of 12 bands shows the strength of competition in this section does not allow any slips, but ensured we got a glass bowl awarded for a top 6 place in this competition for the 6th year running which is an achievement in itself.

27th January 2003 - Rochdale Contest

You don''t get long to relax in this game, do you! As soon as the Christmas period is over and the conductor is cracking his whip again. Don''t you love contesting!! Wardle High School was the venue again for the Rochdale Contest. From a draw of number 2 out of a small field of 3 we took to the stage to play Philip Sparke''s Diversions - Variations on a Swiss Theme. After the performance our Conductor said (I am documenting this because he does not do it very often!) ''That was the best I have ever heard you play on a contest stage.'' Needless to say the band was very pleased with the way we played and we were delighted to take 1st prize. Special mention needs to go to our Flugel player, Craig McFarland, who also won the Best Flugel Prize.

12th January 2003 - Happy New Year

The band has just completed the busiest Christmas period we have had in many a year. This included numerous concerts, lots of carolling and 5 consecutive nights helping Blackburn Drama Club with their production of Brassed Off at the Thwaites Theatre in Blackburn. After all that we thought we deserved a bit of relaxation so we decided to have a Band (After) Christmas Party. 34 people turned out for an hour of very competitive Ten Pin Bowling at the new bowling centre in Accrington. The scores will not be released to protect some members of the band from complete humiliation but we can say congratulations to solo cornet player Liam Blackburn for the highest overall score. The bowling was then followed by an excellent meal at Papa Luigi''s Italian Restaurant.