Brass in the Park 2006
One of Scotland‚Äö?Ñ?¥s most popular annual brass band events will take place at Newtongrange on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd September with the tenth annual staging of Brass in the Park. The venue for the event will, as normal, be a huge tented village specially erected in Newtongrange Park, a few miles to the south of Edinburgh.
When the event began in 1997 little did anyone know how it would grow in terms of size and popularity with both bands and the general public. In 1997 Brass in the Park was a one day event attracting a handful of bands and a relatively small audience. Today the event is staged over three days. The contest is amongst the best supported in Scotland with this year an entry of 23 bands. Audiences have grown steadily over the years resulting in Brass in the Park drawing by far the largest attendance of the general public at any annual brass band event in Scotland. The organisers are hopeful that, once more, record attendance figures will be achieved, surpassing the figure of around 6,000 who attended last year.
The event opens on the evening of Friday 1st September with a Gala Concert featuring host band Newtongrange, conducted by Guest Conductor Nigel Boddice. This year‚Äö?Ñ?¥s Guest Soloist is Steve Sykes. Steve is the latest in a line of world class brass soloists who have appeared with Newtongrange Band at Brass in the Park with the likes of Alan Morrison, Russell Gray, Sheona White, Alex Kerwin and David Childs having taken part in previous years.
Saturday 2nd September is contest day at Brass in the Park with bands in the open contest each required to perform a march, a hymn tune and an item featuring a soloist. Steve Sykes will be adjudicating the bands in the main contest where the bands entered are:- Abbey Brass (Cameron Mabon), Barrhead Burgh (Chris Bradley), Campbeltown Brass (Craig Anderson), Coalburn Silver (Gareth Bowman), Dalmellington (Archie Hutchison), Dalmellington Juniors (Ian Taylor), Hawick Saxhorn (Robert Hume), Irvine & Dreghorn (David McKellar), Jedforest Instrumental (Alan Fernie), MacTaggart Scott Loanhead (Alan Fernie), Newmilns & Galston (Craig Anderson), Peebles Burgh (Iain Fleming), Penicuik Silver (Frank Culross), Queensferry Community Brass (James Anderson), Renfrew Burgh (David Hutchison), Sanquhar & District (Jim Love), Selkirk (Richard Duff), Tayport Instrumental (TBA) and Tullis Russell Mills (David Spence). The total prize fund this year is a record £3,500.
Three years ago Brass in the Park introduced a separate Development Section contest for junior and training bands with an upper age limit of 16 years. This has proved to be a resounding success with many of the participating bands going on to take part in the revived Scottish Youth Brass Band Championships at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Four bands, Broxburn & Livingston Juniors (TBA), Langholm Juniors (A. Calvert), Loanhead Brass Roots (Alan Fernie) and Loanhead Brass Rootlets (Alan Fernie) have entered this year and all bands in this section can be assured of a warm welcome from the large and supportive Brass in the Park audience. The Development |Section bands will be adjudicated by the experienced David O‚Äö?Ñ?¥Connor.
A particular success of the event in recent years has been the Sunday afternoon programme which involves a combination of brass and other musical styles. The organisers hope to build on that success this year with the biggest ever Sunday line-up featuring Celtic folk rock band Scocha, one of Scotland‚Äö?Ñ?¥s leading pipe bands Dysart & Dundonald plus the locally based Newtongrange Pipe Band, big band Sound of Seventeen, swing band Alternative Medicine, the Paisley Accordion Orchestra, the 15 piece jazz band Opus One from nearby Lasswade High School and the West Telferton Caledonian Ceilidh Band plus brass provided by host band Newtongrange Silver, St Ronans Silver and Loanhead Brass Roots. The Sunday programme will once more feature the extremely popular ‚Äö?Ñ??Praise in Brass‚Äö?Ñ?? concert performed annually by Newtongrange Band and, as has now become a tradition, will conclude with the massed brass and pipe bands, joined this year by Scocha, playing some well known favourites.
In addition to the various musical offerings over the three days, the event will feature a Community Fair with a variety of local organisations, charities and public services staging displays, a mini fairground, children‚Äö?Ñ?¥s entertainers, a beer tent, a variety of catering outlets, trade stands and various stalls and sideshows.
Brass in the Park 2006 will be supporting Brass Band Aid and representatives of the charitable appeal will be making their fist official visit to Scotland with a presence at the event over the three days. Organisers hope to persuade everyone attending the event to buy and wear one of the Brass Band Aid pin badges.
The Brass in the Park Association and Newtongrange Band express their thanks to everyone who has helped or contributed in any way in the huge logistical exercise required to stage this event. Particular thanks are due to The Len Thomson Charitable Trust, The Scottish Coal Industry Special Welfare Fund and the Dean Tavern Trust, which have all provided generous grants and to Midlothian Council which has provided tremendous support from the very beginning of the event in 1997.
Brass in the Park is a unique event. Nowhere else in the UK will you find brass band concerts, brass band contests for both senior and youth bands, solo contests, massed brass bands and contributions from many other types of musical ensembles all within the one event, not to mention a full programme of children‚Äö?Ñ?¥s entertainment and many other attractions designed to entice a family audience which would never usually consider attending a traditional band concert or contest. Tickets may be purchased at the gate each day and there is free car parking on site. Further information from Alan McLaren 0131 440 3830.
