Upbeat AGM message as hard work of pandemic recovery starts to pay off

Now into her tenth year as president of the Scottish Brass Band Association, Carrie Boax delivered an upbeat address to the 2024 annual general meeting in Falkirk on Sunday.

“As we returned to banding after the pandemic and assessed its impact, we knew even more effort and determination was required to help us recover and last year saw this hard work really started to pay off,” she said.

“A more proactive approach by our association and member bands to establish and develop youth programmes has meant that even more young people are now accessing brass and percussion music making. There has been an increase in the delivery of quality workshops and masterclasses at contests and regional events across the country which have been digitally captured for all to see, inspiring and educating people of all ages and abilities.

“Having secured funding for 2024/25 from Creative Scotland, I look forward to continuing this good work in the future, creating more exciting musical experiences for our brass and percussion players in Scotland in areas where educational provision is under threat or sparse. Ultimately what we do will feed and strengthen the community brass band movement throughout Scotland and beyond.”

Carrie thanked SBBA officers, committee members, bands, volunteers, supporters and sponsors for helping to steer the movement through many successful and challenging times, all of which have “helped to shape the organisation that we care so passionately about”.

She told the assembled band delegates: “Since our last AGM, whilst we have toiled with the hurdles of inflation and the cost of living crisis, we have continued to provide the highest quality of events for our member and guest bands.

“The Scottish Championships last March saw 56 competing and non-contesting bands participate in an event which showcases the best of Scottish banding and then later, in November, at our Scottish Festival of Brass, more than 70 senior and youth brass and percussion bands graced the magnificent Perth Concert Hall stage over two festival weekends, making the occasion a real cause for celebration.”

Further highlights of the year include the role that SBBA has played in coordinating the National Youth Brass Bands of Scotland (NYBBS).  “Again through generous funding from Creative Scotland, we were able to hold two extremely successful NYBBS courses, firstly for our Reserve and Senior Bands at Easter, and then all three bands during the summer in Strathallan School, Perthshire,” Carrie continued.

“I cannot talk highly enough of the exemplary behaviour of our students. We squeezed so much into the summer week – some would argue we squeezed the life out of all 180 of them! Six concerts in two days saw our bands perform in Perth Concert Hall and at the Edinburgh International Festival, working with Nicola Benedetti, the GRIT Orchestra, John Wallace, Jack Nissan and collaborating with another 500 musicians, not to mention meeting Winton Marsalis and Prince Edward and appearing on GMTV!”

NYBBS plans for 2024 include an end-of-course celebration of the life and legacy of former conductor emeritus Richard Evans. Entitled ‘Strath in the Park’, the event will not only showcase the three current NYBBS ensembles and former all-stars, but those special bands Richard worked with south of the border and even internationally.

Carrie added: “Whilst we may have sadly lost heroes along the way, we have been blessed to know and learn from them. I look forward with enthusiasm and anticipation to all that this coming year holds, knowing that the brass band movement is a great one to be a part of in Scotland.

“I urge you to do your bit locally, regionally or nationally to positively support SBBA and the work it does and please get involved as we strive to make our organisation even better in 2024 and beyond. “

After being talked through the annual financial accounts by treasurer Julie Nicoll, the delegates voted on new committee members to serve for the next 12 months. They were Danny Harrison (Dunfermline City Brass), Brian Hutchison (Buckhaven & Methil Miners), Damian Martin (Bon-Accord), Pat Murray (Kirkintilloch), Lorraine Quinn (Galashiels Town), Jim Wishart (Brass Central Strathearn), Lesley Crumlish (Brass Sounds Inverclyde), Jim Milligan (Annan Town), Steven Gray (McTaggart Scott Loanhead) and Reece Gordon (Bon-Accord).

On a more poignant note, an In Memoriam segment featured those musicians who had been lost to Scottish and UK banding during the past year.

Bands of the year awards were presented to Whitburn (championship), Kirkintilloch (first section), Clackmannan District (second section), Selkirk Silver (third section) and Highland Brass (fourth section).

Whitburn was the 2023 Scottish championship band of the year. Below (from left clockwise): the other bands of the year were Kirkintilloch (1st section), Clackmannan District (2nd section), Highland Brass (4th section) and Selkirk Silver (3rd section)

Official business of the AGM concluded with Carrie making her President’s Awards for 2023. The award for Innovation went to NYBBS (below) for their ground-breaking appearances at the Edinburgh International Festival. The Performance of the Year accolade was won by Whitburn Band for its gala concert with trumpeter Mike Lovatt at the National Championship finals in the Royal Albert Hall last October.

Composer, arranger, musical director, player and tutor Alan Fernie (below) was presented with the Outstanding Achievement award for his service over more than 50 years in furthering brass music in Scotland with his prolific contribution of new compositions for youth and senior band repertoires.

There then followed a Learning Festival comprising five separate workshops.

* Apologies for the lateness of this report. It was due to a number of IT difficulties.