Report & Results: 2012 Queen's University Festival of Brass

1st Old Boys Silver rounded off a remarkable year of contesting success by winning the Queen’s University ‘Festival of Brass’ title in Belfast on the weekend under the baton of Stephen Cairns.

Double celebration

In fact, there was cause for a double celebration as their Youth Band also ended the season undefeated too. They took the Youth Section title at Whitla Hall in fine style under the direction of Jacklin Bingham, picking up the prizes for the best performance of an own choice march, the entertainment prize and the music prize along the way.

The senior 1st Old Boys opened their winning programme with ‘Agincourt Song’, followed by flugel soloist Morris Cameron on ‘Cry Me A River’ and the ‘Waltz’ from ‘The Jazz Suite’ by Shostakovich.

Eric Whitaker’s ‘Lux Arumque’ offered a lovely counterpoint in terms of style, before the band rounded things off with a rousing rendition of ‘Gaelforce’ to take the £185 first prize.

Challenge

It enabled them to repel the strong challenge of rivals Laganvale, who topped the music element of the contest adjudicated by Kevin Wadsworth by claiming the ‘Best Soloist’ Award with Dessie Neill’s fine rendition of ‘Over the Rainbow’ and the ‘Best March’ prize with a thumping ‘Army of the Nile’.

Water pistol

Meanwhile the younger ensemble took their title and £90 first prize with a programme that opened with the prize winning march, ‘The Villager’, before 9 year old Bronwyn Craig delighted the audience with ‘My First Solo’, which included numerous interventions from the band before she finally overcame the musical rowdiness with the help of a water pistol!

They rounded of their programme with a cracking whip through ‘Toccata in D Minor’.

2012 awards

2012 has seen 1st Old Boys claim the NIBA All Ireland Championship, as well as the BBL Valley Brass in Concert, BBL Spring Festival, BBL Band of the Year and the Festival of Brass Entertainments titles, whilst the Youth Band has winner’s silverware from the NIBA All Ireland Championship, BBL Spring Festival, BBL Solos & Quartet Championship, Belfast Music Festival Championship and the Festival of Brass Entertainment event.

Superb year

Mark Bingham told 4BR: "It’s been another superb year for both bands and to go through an entire season undefeated is a remarkable achievement.

We have long term plans to develop the 1st Old Boys organisation and we certainly have the musical talent to do so. We are all looking forward to building on this success in 2013."

Keen

Elsewhere, in a keenly contested Second Grade event CWA Brass just pipped rivals Third Carrickfergus by gaining the extra mark on musical content.

The band’s cornet soloist Jack Moore claimed the ‘Best Soloist’ Award for his fine rendition of ‘Don’t Doiubt Him Now’, whilst Third Carrickfergus took the ‘Best March’ prize for their rendition of ‘Ravenswood’.

Dungarvan Brass and 1st Larne Old Boys Silver was the solo entrants in the Fourth and Fifth Grade events, whilst the highly enjoyable Youth Section saw fine performances from runner-up Laganvale Youth as well as third placed Third Carrickfergus Youth and Laureldale Ensemble.