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National Champions B&R to play at historic church venue
The World Famous Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band, who are the current National Champions, will be performing at St Bartholomew’s Church, Marsden on Saturday 30th June 2012. The Band will be conducted by Garry Cutt and the concert will commence at 7:30pm.
B&R have won the National title for the last two years in a row and will be defending their title and looking to complete the hat-trick at London’s Royal Albert Hall in October; this concert will give their loyal supporters as well as first time goers the opportunity to see and hear why this Band is so successful and revered throughout the world.
There has been a church on the site of St. Bartholomew’s since 1433 but this will be the first time that it has hosted the National Champions.
Tickets for the concert are available from Duncan’s Barbers Shop in Marsden or by telephoning 01484 845622.
B&R appoint 14 year old bass player
National Champions of Great Britain, Brighouse and Rastrick Band are pleased to announce the appointment of Will Druiett to the position of double B flat bass with the Band. Born in Chichester West Sussex on 30th April 1997, now 14 years of age, Will is one of the youngest players to join the ranks of the Band for quite some time.
Will began playing tuba at the age of 10, when the family lived in Coventry. Progressing quickly, his musical studies and performing abilities dictated a move to the Birmingham Conservatoire Junior Department, followed very soon by an invitation to move to the prestigious Junior Guildhall in London. At the age of 12 Will was invited to join the National Children’s Orchestra of GB, holding the position of principal tuba player there for two years. He made his debut with the National Children’s Orchestra at the Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke and little did he know he would appear there again at one of his first concerts with Brighouse and Rastrick earlier this year.
Will became the youngest member of the National Youth Orchestra of GB joining when he was just 13 and is currently in his second year with the orchestra, having appeared at every major concert hall in the UK with them including performing at the BBC Proms last year.
Will is presently studying for his GCSEs at Honley High School, West Yorkshire, where Leigh Baker, an ex-player and the present composer-in-residence at B&R is Head of Music. Will also studies musical performance at the Junior Department of the Royal Northern College in Manchester.
With Leigh Baker as his head of music, the opportunity came along to attend a rehearsal with Brighouse and Rastrick Band, one rehearsal leading to another, then a concert, then another. Will is delighted now to be joining the current National Champions on a permanent basis. He comments that “to work with such skilled musicians under Professor David King is a huge honour”.
High Profile BBC Folk Awards Appearance!
The world famous Brighouse and Rastrick Band recently performed live at the hugely publicised BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ceremony at The Lowry in Salford. Hosted by Mike Harding and Julie Fowlis, the event went out live on BBC Radio 2 and on BBC iPlayer TV. The Yorkshire and National Champion Band of Great Britain were accompanying the Northumbrian Folk Group, ‘The Unthanks’ who had been nominated for no less than 4 awards at this prestigious ceremony. The Band, conducted by Associate Conductor Dr Chris Davis, appeared earlier the same day on BBC Breakfast TV when the awards ceremony was featured, showing the Band in rehearsal with ‘The Unthanks’.
This lastest link with The Unthanks follows the very successful ground breaking tour of 2011 when the combination played to sell out audiences at seven of the UK’s most outstanding venues including Durham Cathedral, London’s Barbican Theatre and The Lowry in Manchester. More dates are booked for the collaboration project in 2012 – see our Engagements Page.
‘The Unthanks’ and ‘B&R’ perform ‘King of Rome’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards:
Brighouse retain National Champions Title!
Brighouse and Rastrick Band travelled to London's Royal Albert Hall on Saturday as the reigning 2010 champions and left the same evening as 2011 champions retaining their title of Champion Band of Great Britain.
Approximately 3,500 people attended the contest which saw the top 20 bands in Great Britain compete for the movement's most prestigious title, each playing the test piece "Breath of Souls" composed by Paul Lovatt-Cooper. Dean Redfern, player and Chairman of B&R described the test piece as being "a hugely demanding piece technically which tested each member of the band but also extremely entertaining for the audience". The winning performance can he heard here courtesy of the BBC:
Drawn to play 16th in the contest the Band were conducted by their Professional Conductor Professor David King, who despite living on Australia's Gold Coast, prepares and conducts the Band for each of the 4 major contests each year. Professor King has been the Professional Conductor of B&R for two and a half years during which they have enjoyed their most successful period in recent times. The Band are also the Champion Band of Yorkshire a title which they also held in 2010.
When the results were announced at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, David Read MBE, spokesperson for the three adjudicators stated that "one band were clear winners by a considerable margin" and then the remaining 5 bands in the prizes were of an extremely close standard. Yorkshire Band Carlton Main Frickley Colliery were awarded sixth place. Unfortunately both Black Dyke Band from Queensbury and Grimethorpe Colliery Band failed to qualify for the finals and were not invited to London.
Paul Beaumont, President of Brighouse and Rastrick Band commented "this was the ultimate performance by B&R who stunned the audience by their detailed rendition of the test piece and also the huge contrasts of light and shade that they portrayed in this wonderfully descriptive music".
B&R will be hosting Fodens Band on Saturday 29th October when they will be presenting another of their hugely popular Huddersfield Town Hall "massed bands" concerts. These concerts have been held at the Town Hall every March and October since 1946. Tickets can be obtained from the Kirklees Ticket Outlets at Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Holmfirth, Batley, Cleckheaton and Lawrence Batley Theatre or by telephoning 01484 223200.
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