Impressive show of brass music making at Scottish Championships despite the Covid restrictions on players

Half of the Scottish Championships weekend is complete. The first day of competing for the honour of representing Scotland at the National Finals later this year started at 9.30am yesterday with Kilmarnock Concert Brass in the Third Section and ended at 9pm with Lochgelly in the First Section.

In between, 27 bands took to the stage in what was 11.5 hours of impressive music making considering the one-metre distancing that had been mandated between players in Perth Concert Hall.

Taking the honours in the First Section were Bo’Ness & Carriden, who adjudicators Sandy Smith and Sheona Wade considered had put in the best performance of Gilbert Vinter’s Spectrum.

Runners-up and in third place were Dalkeith & Monktonhall and Granite City Brass respectively.

In the Second Section, it was Campbeltown Brass playing The Aeronauts by Goff Richards, who caught the ear of adjudicators Sheona Wade and John Doyle, followed by Tullis Russell and Renfrew Burgh.

Facets of Glass by Gordon Langford was the test piece in the Third Section and it was the version of newly-promoted Kilmarnock Concert Brass, playing off the no.1 spot, that appealed most to judges Sandy Smith and Helen Douthwaite. In second place was Arbroath followed by Dysart Colliery.

Before the commencement of the First Section the JM Ten brass ensemble took to the stage to provide a little light entertainment.

The group was formed in January by Nigel Durno of Just Music as a response to not only getting back to playing together after the Covid pandemic, but also performing some of the best classic ten-piece brass repertoire available.

The full list of contest results is as follows:

First Section

Test piece: Spectrum (Gilbert Vinter)

Adjudicators: Sandy Smith and Sheona Wade

1. Bo’ness & Carriden - Charlie Farren (189 pts)

2. Dalkeith & Monktonhall - James Chamberlain (188)

3. Granite City Brass - Bruce Wallace (186)

4. Coalburn Silver - Gareth Bowman (185)

5. Newmains - Mike Marzella (184)

6. Bathgate - Craig Anderson (182)

7. Lochgelly - Paul McKelvie OBE (181)

8. Dunaskin Doon - Paul Drury (179)

9. Annan Town - Andrew Warriner (177)

10. Newmilns & Galston - Mark James (176)

Second Section

Test piece: The Aeronauts (Goff Richards)

Adjudicators: Sheona Wade and John Doyle

1. Campbeltown Brass - Stephanie Mitchell (188 pts)

2. Tullis Russell - Ray Munday (186)

3. Renfrew Burgh - Steven Craig (185)

4. Irvine & Dreghorn - Lewis Bettles (183)

5. Broxburn & Livingston - Alaistair Gibson  (182)

6. Jedforest Instrumental - Philip Rosier (181)

7. Clackmannan District - Paul Drury (180)

8. St Ronan’s Silver - Simon Railton (179)

9. St David’s Brass - John A Dickson (178)

10. Perthshire Brass - George D Annan (177)

Third Section

Test piece: Facets of Glass (Gordon Langford)

Adjudicators: Sandy Smith and Helen Douthwaite

1. Kilmarnock Concert - Scott Walker (182 pts)

2. Arbroath - Audrey Bird (180)

3. Dysart Colliery - Kenneth Letham (178)

4. Shotts - Andrew Shaw (177)

5. Langholm Town - Chris Shanks (175)

6. Whitburn Heartlands - Stephen Duncan (174)

7. Selkirk Silver - Colin Kemp (173)

8. Kirkton Brass Bathgate - Simon Railton (172)

9. Penicuik Silver - Douglas Anderson (170)

The adjudicators’ remarks and results were livestreamed on the SBBA YouTube channel.

Today it will be the turn of the Fourth Section bands from 9.30am with Argos by Stephan Hodel followed by a unique part of the Scottish Championships – Section 4B which showcases the talents of youth and non-contesting bands. In this section there will be three bands: Abbey Brass, Brass Central Strathearn and Clackmannan Youth and Development.

Bringing the weekend to a close will be the Championship Section, in which there are ten bands vying to take the top crown and represent Scotland in the Royal Albert Hall in London.

This is the line-up for Sunday:

Fourth Section – 9.30am Sunday 13 March, Perth Concert Hall

Test piece: Argos (Stephan Hodel)

Adjudicators: John Doyle and Sandy Smith

Bon-Accord B (Jennifer Cook)

Buckhaven & Methil Miners (Steven Craig)

Dundee Instrumental (Bob McDonald)

Hawick Saxhorn (Stuart Black)

Inverclyde (Joshua Parkhill)

MacTaggart Scott (George Cameron)

Peebles Burgh (David Robb)

Stranraer Brass (Angela Miller)

Section 4B

Music: 15-minute own-choice programme

Adjudicator: John Boax

Abbey Brass

Brass Central Strathearn

Clackmannan Youth and Development

Championship Section

Test piece: Contest Music (Wilfred Heaton)

Adjudicators: Sandy Smith and Sheona Wade

Bon-Accord Silver (Adam Cook)

Dalmellington (Erik Janssen)

Johnstone (Mark Good)

Kingdom Brass (Ian Porthouse)

Kirkintilloch Kelvin (Thomas Wyss)

Newtongrange Silver (Anne Crookston)

the cooperation band (Russell Gray)

The Kirkintilloch Band (David Roberts)

Unison Kinneil (Raymond Tennant)

Whitburn (Prof Nicholas Childs)

Livestreaming will be on the SBBA YouTube channel for:

·       4th Section Results - https://youtu.be/K83hDHSibQk

·       4B Live Broadcast - https://youtu.be/3HcarOKAisc

·       Championship Section Results - https://youtu.be/X-eYUR1kts4

Congratulations and well done – as well as a huge thank you – to all bands who took part, or are about to, in this weekend of brass extravaganza, especially as many have endured the pain, inconvenience and difficulties of Covid in not just getting to Perth but also during their preparation of the test pieces.

Round-up of photos in a separate post