Foresters Brass 2017 - Contest Review

As we charge into 2018, I'm going to reflect over the past 12 months contesting with Foresters Brass.

It's been a mixed bag this year, as with most bands. Below is a brief overview of our contest endeavours.

January

Contest - Butlins Mineworkers Championships (Set piece)

Section - First Section

Piece(s) - Fantasy for Brass (Malcolm Arnold)

Placing - 11/24

Verdict - The first contest of the year for Foresters Brass, and our first Set Piece contest with conductor John Davis at the helm. An old fashioned piece. An extremely enjoyable weekend away with the band, despite a lower than expected result.

March

Contest - Midlands Area Contest (Set piece)

Section - First Section

Piece(s) - Land of the Long White Cloud (Philip Sparke)

Placing - 1/16

Verdict - John Davis leads the band to our first Midlands First Section title since 1994. This victory invites the band to compete at the National Finals later in the year and gives us a solid platform for the areas in 2018.

April

Contest - Victoria Farm's Brass on the Grass Contest (Debut Contest) (Entertainment)

Section - C (Top)

Piece(s) - Mambo; Lake of Tenderness; This is my Story (Steph Ayton Soloist); High Command and Procession to Covenant.

Placing - Best Overall Band plus Best Soloist (Steph Ayton)

Verdict - Even as the rain poured, the audience came outside to see Foresters Brass clinch title as well as Steph taking the soloist trophy. We will be returning to defend our title!

September

Contest - National Championship of Great Britain (Set piece)

Section - First Section Final

Piece(s) - Tournament for Brass (Eric Ball)

Placing - 15/17

Verdict - A bizarre result, but an extremely enjoyable weekend. We were drawn 1st, a tricky draw to gain a decent result from. We were incredibly proud to take the Foresters name to the National Finals.

October

Contest - Bolsover Festival of Brass (Entertainment)

Section - First Section

Piece(s) - Investiture Antiphonal Fanfares, Lake of Tenderness, The Summer Knows (Rob Wilshaw Soloist), Under the Boardwalk (Helen Parker-Bates Soloist) and Silverado

Placing - 6/12

Verdict - A busy entertainment season continues with 2 performances at Bolsover featuring Steph, Rob and Helen as Soloists.

Contest - Bolsover Festival of Brass (Entertainment)

Section - Championship Section

Piece(s) - Investiture Antiphonal Fanfares, Lake of Tenderness, This is my Story (Steph Ayton Soloist), Under the Boardwalk (Helen Parker-Bates Soloist) and Silverado

Placing - 12/13

Verdict - Showcasing Steph and Helen as Soloists, Foresters took part in the Championship section on the same day as First.

Contest - Wychavon Festival of Brass (Entertainment)

Section - First Section

Piece(s) - Investiture Antiphonal Fanfares, Lake of Tenderness, Midnight Euphonium (Ben Smith Soloist), Salsa Tres'Prado and Procession to Covenant

Placing - 10/12

Verdict - A programme not to the adjudicators taste, but a truly special performance from Ben Smith and the band as a whole

Contest - Wychavon Festival of Brass (Entertainment)

Section - Championship Section

Piece(s) - Sway, The Summer Knows (Rob Wilshaw Soloist), Mambo, Under the Boardwalk, Caravan

Placing - 9/18

Verdict - We took a lot of scalps in this section, beating a lot of the field to round off a busy October for the band.