Under the spotlight: Bon-Accord Silver
RETURNING to the Scottish Open in 2015 is the Bon-Accord Silver Band, the latest competitor to go under the spotlight. The Aberdeen band triumphed at the Scottish Challenge Shield in 2014 and enjoyed a successful return to the top flight after a third place finish at the Scottish Championships earlier this year.
Here is some more information on the band from the north east of Scotland...
Soprano cornet: Craig Beattie
Principal cornet: David Cooper
Flugelhorn: Sarah Saum
Solo horn: Karen Cooper
Solo baritone: Karen Crozier
Solo trombone: Mark Boyd
Solo euphonium: Richard Kidd
Solo Eb bass: Paula Kidd
The Bon-Accord Silver Band was formed in June 1962 by Stewart Watson MBE to provide youth players, who were leaving school with an opportunity to continue playing. The band went from strength to strength through the years and in 1980 the band formed its 'B' Band to provide a training band to feed into the main band.
Bon-Accord Silver Band represented Scotland in the European Brass Band Championships in Linz, Austria in 2010, and managed to beat the French and Danish representatives in the own choice section of the contest.
The band have significantly benefited from moving to its own rehearsal space in 2013. The building was custom renovated to the band's own requirements and provided Bon-Accord Silver with its own band hall for the first time in the organisation's 51 year history.
Since then the band has become increasingly successful, winning the Northern Counties Open Contest, the Scottish Challenge Shield and First Section Band of the Year in 2014. The also gained promotion back to the Championship section in Scotland in 2014/15 and came third in the Scottish Brass Band Championships in 2015.
Bon-Accord Silver is looking forward to putting on an impressive performance at the Scottish Open.
