| The best things come to those who wait .... |
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| Monday, 28 November 2011 10:53 |
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In fact Sandhurst know all about waiting, having waited for nearly six hours after their final rehearsal for the Leicester (Loughborough) Open Contest to finally present their performance of John McCabe's 'Cloudcatcher Fells' on Sunday 27th November. Drawn 13th of 14 bands in the draw, the band had plenty of time to enjoy the performances of the other competing bands, which set a very high standard with an intriguing mix of test pieces for the popular own choice contest, which we were attending for the very first time. For Sandhurst the contest also represented a form of 'mini areas' type test, as amongst the other competing bands were local rivals Friary Guildford, Wantage Silver, Medway and Aveley & Newham, as well as established bands from 'north of Watford' which included Ratby Co-operative and Soverign Brass. So it was to be a tough test for the band against great opposition. In a day which started with a jouney to Leicester at 9am, the band finally got to the stage at just short of 9pm to give their performance. However the wait seemed to agree with the band, as we gave an assured performance of the test piece with excellent contributions from all sections - right from the first notes from the horn section, to the tricky cornet work in 'Striding Edge' towards the end of the test, which showed absolute accuracy and tenacity of playing. In his summary of the performances on the day, the adjudicator (Malcolm Brownbill) said that the winning band's performance was 'so musically assured and balanced with excellent dynamic contrast and colour' and that 'the winning band on the day had been a very easy decision to make, where the top 4 performances were significantly above the rest of the field'. After that summary it came to the results - and Sandhurst were delighted to be announced as Leicester Champion Band 2011, picking up a certificate, the Leicester Challenge Shield and some very useful cash for band funds too! All of which made the journey home - which was very long and very late - all the more enjoyable. The band is now looking forward to the concert season for Christmas, starting this weekend with a 'double header' concert with Surrey Heath Choral Society at High Cross Church, Camberley - and our own concert on Saturday 17th December. Plus - look out for us playing carols over the weeks leading up to Christmas, in Basingstoke and of course Sandhurst on Christmas Eve! Full results (Courtesy of 4 Bars Rest): 1. Sandhurst Silver (Ian McElligott) - 192
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... and wait, and wait, and wait!
