It’s nearly February 2018 already - where does the time go to?

 

After a busy Christmas period and a fantastic Christmas Concert with the Blaenavon Male Voice Choir at the Forest Theatre, it’s contest time again.  We are now busy preparing our test piece for the regional contest in Torquay on March 11th where the band will be conducted by Glyn Williams and we will be performing a new piece for us, ‘Odyssey’ by Kevin Norbury.  There are 13 bands in our section so we have plenty of competition and last year’s winners, Woodfalls from Wiltshire, will be there to defend their title.

 

Unfortunately our concert at St. George’s Hall in Bristol on February 25th has had to be postponed because the refurbishment work to the hall will not be complete.  The band, conducted by Ian Holmes, was due to perform Liz Lane’s Innovation 216 (the code name for the last Concorde to be built), but hopefully we will have a new date for this performance later in the year.

 

The big event for the band this year will be our third ‘Proms in the Park’ at the Speech House on Saturday 30th June  -  click here for details.  It should be a great afternoon and evening and with support from Arts Council England we are able to keep the admission price to £10 per head, with children under 16 free of charge.  I hope you can come along with your families and enjoy an afternoon and evening of entertainment with a firework finale.

 

The band will be supporting two charities with this event; Great Oaks Hospice and the Royal British Legion, as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

 

The band will also be performing at the finale of the Wye River Festival in Llandogo on 19th May and Malvern Bandstand on Sunday 10th June.  Our own band fete this year is on Saturday 14th July at Lydbrook House, Lower Lydbrook.

 

We are pleased to welcome two new members to the band; Ellie Goacher on Cornet and Bob Williams on Eb Bass.  We hope they enjoy being part of the Lydbrook team.

 

The Training Band will also be busy during the summer months performing at the Wye River Festival on The Tump at Lower Lydbrook on Bank Holiday Monday 7th May, The Scarr Bandstand on Saturday 16th June and Highnam Court on Sunday 8th July in aid of the Great Oaks Hospice.

 

More news on the way in the coming months.

 

Robert Morgan 

Secretary