A Good Day For Knight

Seventeen year-old Ross Knight of Carnoustie High School and Arbroath Instrumental Band carved his own special place in the history of the Scottish Solo and Ensemble Championships last weekend, taking top prize in the three solo events he was eligible to enter, as well as making his own valuable contribution to the winning youth ensemble.

 

With the event returning to its spiritual home of Livingston's Howden Park Centre, resplendent following its recent £8 million renovation, a large and enthusiastic audience enjoyed 85 solo and 28 ensemble performances over the two days of the event, supported by Besson and West Lothian Council, as well as an excellent gala concert by West Lothian Schools Brass Band (Nigel Boddice MBE) and the current Scottish champion, Co-operative FuneralCare (Gavin Lindsay), with guest soloists, Roger Webster (cornet) and Neil Gallie (trombone) both thrilling the masses with their virtuosic programmes.

 

With 15 qualifiers in each of the solo categories, all having qualified from the five regions in Scotland (almost 300 young soloists took part in total), competition was keen on Saturday, and the dividends currently being enjoyed as a result of Scottish Brass Band Association's (SBBA's) groundbreaking youth development programme meant that the prizes were spread far and wide geographically.

 

Success was also enjoyed by the groups from Williamston Primary in Livingston and the perennial favourites from Carnoustie, with each taking home Besson student cornets to help their continuing development and encourage new players to compete in the years ahead (Carnoustie must almost have a full set of cornets acquired here over the last few years!).

 

Sunday's event saw the first ever Scottish Open Slow Melody Championship, which attracted 20 entries to battle it out for the Archie Hutchison Trophy, which was later presented by the Dalmellington cornet legend himself. Performing the Romanza from the Concerto for Tuba by Vaughan Williams, Ross Knight took victory in an immensely enjoyable and close-run affair, with the Whitburn trio of Ian Fleming, Hayley Edmond and Charles Cullen filling the lower placings. Another innovation from SBBA this year was the Percussion Solo section, won by Lyndsey Paterson of Kingdom Brass, with the same band sponsoring tuition with Simone Rebello for the junior category winners - Craig Knight and Ruaridh Neil.

 

Those entered in the Open Solo section were faced with the prospect of Ross Knight on top form and performing Cappricio Brillante by Herman Bellstedt. Ross, who has now won at every level since this event was rejuvenated in 2003 and has the prospect of an outstanding musical career ahead of him, is due to leave Scotland to study in London in the autumn, but the impression he has made thus far has been considerable. Co-operative FuneralCare took the final award of the weekend in the Open Ensemble event, as well as the World of Brass Music Innovation Award for its performance of Peter Meechan's Break it Down.

 

At the end of the marathon event, the SBBA's Development Officer, Alan Edmond, commented to BB: "Once again, the young players in Scotland have put on an outstanding demonstration of what can be achieved when they are given an opportunity to perform in a great venue with an enthusiastic audience. We were also delighted with the two new contests on Sunday and many of those attending have commented that the Slow Melody Championship represented the most enjoyable couple of hours we've had at one of our contests for many years. It turned out to be a real duel between youth and experience and I can't believe that we've waited 115 years to establish this part of the event!"

 

The full results from the contest can be downloaded by clicking on this link.

 

 

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