Russell Gray started what will be a busy musical year with a recent visit to work with Woodbridge Excelsior Band in Suffolk.

Formed in 1846, the London & Southern Counties organisation has a proud history and is currently looking forward to its appearance in Stevenage in March where they will tackle the Fourth Section Area set-work, 'I Daedelus' under Alan Duguid.

Impression

A packed day saw Russell put the band through its paces, as well as developing more general ensemble and performance skills — the results of which certainly made an impression on members of the band.

The event with the Yamaha Artists was organised by Tom and Jackie Walker, who told 4BR: "Russell gave us all plenty of fantastic ideas and things to work on. We all left buzzing and can't wait to put them into practice.

One of the players told us that they were amazed that how a simple tweak to your mindset and thought processes could make such a huge impact on sound and ensemble."

Reinvigorated

They added: "Russell was asked to get us to appreciate the basics of good band playing and how that would then be reflected in our music making. The results or us were incredible. His methods were simple to understand but had instant impacts on the sound and balance of the band.

We did work on the area test piece and the difference was so marked. We can't wait to start putting Russell's ideas into action — he really has reinvigorated us all. It has been the best workshop day we have had.

I'd thoroughly recommend any band having Russell to do a workshop with them."

We did work on the area test piece and the difference was so marked. We can't wait to start putting Russell's ideas into action — he really has reinvigorated us allWoodbridge Excelsior Band

Great start

In response, Russell said: "It was a great start to 2025 making the trip to Suffolk. Woodbridge are a great group of musicians who really did everything they could to deliver what I was asking for — even keeping me well fed with great coffee and cakes.

Focusing on developing solid ensemble techniques is key to making quality performances time and again. It's not a secret, but its good for ensure we keep in command of them on concert works, solos and test-pieces.

He added: "I wish the band all the best under Alan at Stevenage and I hope it's not too long before I can visit them again."