A Wet Wet Bank Holiday Monday!

Verwood Concert Brass turned out in force not only to lead the procession but also to parade a Training Band float with a Mexican theme which won 2nd prize.

The A & B band played the marches and the Training band played Tequila. Everybody got soaked to the skin on the day that was a bit of a washout, but we still smiled - at the end!!

Allendale Centre Concert 7th May

The A band gave a rousing performance of varied music from famous film scores with the help of 5 percussionists who were kept very busy all evening. The audience were thrilled by the whole event and the inclement weather could not dampen their spirits.

This was the first performance from the latest and youngest member of the percussion section Chris Dunster, who did a great job.

Spring Concert at the Hub

At the end of the hottest April on record we had a very successful concert at the Verwood Hub.  The house was packed and the audience loved the programme.  The B band started the show with a couple of Big Band numbers and then Jo Hewin gave his first solo performance of ‘The Closest Thing to Crazy’ on Soprano Cornet.  He did a brilliant job and received rapturous applause – definitely a soloist in the making.  

Paul Coward was presented with a wee dram as thanks to him for being band Chairman for the past 5 years.  Paul has now given up the post due to work commitments but did a first class job.

The Training Band made a dramatic entrance marching down the aisles to Ian Harris’ arrangement of ‘I Wish I Knew How’ and performed a very entertaining set.

The A Band played a fabulous second half and Steve Dunster was a great hit with the audience.  This was Steve’s first outing at the Hub and everybody was very pleased with his style and choice of music.  A great time was had by all.

Bank Holiday Car Boot Sale

The pictures say it all.  The biggest problem on the day was trying to keep the clothes rail from blowing over in the wind.  We challenged each other to sell certain items.  The demonstration on the pogo stick, however, did not result in a sale as the stick embedded itself in the ground on the first jump!

It was pretty cold but hot coffee and hot dogs soon warmed us up and we did manage to sell quite a lot, thanks to Angela and her seasoned sales pitch.  Bring on the next one!!

Wimborne Minster

A small group of players performed outside the Minster in Wimborne on St George's Day to promote their forthcoming concert "Music from the Movies" at the Allendale Centre, Wimborne on Saturday 7th May. The concert is promoted by Wimborne in Bloom who were handing out roses to passers by to celebrate our national saint's day as the band played in the beautiful bank holiday weather. A small group will be playing in the Minster again next Saturday morning (30th April) and outside Waitrose in the afternoon. See our home page HERE for information about ticket for the concert.

The Regional Final, Torquay, March 12th 2011

We had a great weekend in Torquay.  Nearly the whole band (both A and B) stayed in the same hotel and we were very well looked after.

Verwood B Band was in the second half of the 4^th Section draw and played 15^th.  We had a disappointing result, coming only 19^th, but actually played much more confidently than last year.  Unfortunately our intonation let us down.  The band is just 18 months old and Adrian Clarke has only been MD for four months so we have much work to do and look forward to the challenge.

The A Band was drawn 12^th in the First Section.  We all thought Ian Harris’ euphonium solo was brilliant and the band gave a great performance.  We would have preferred a higher result than 10^th but considering Steve has only been A Band MD for 6 weeks and we had a very demanding concert in February, nobody could be that disappointed.

The remarkable thing about our weekend in Torquay was the great atmosphere and friendliness that existed amongst all the players, conductors and families.  The results weren’t great on paper but we showed the world that Verwood can survive the set back of losing two MDs at once and grow stronger as a result.  We really enjoyed our weekend and the Saturday evening curry was first rate!

'A' Band delight their Audience with Steve Dunster at the Helm

Their first outing under the baton of Steve Dunster proved a great success in Corfe Mullen last weekend.  The audience were entertained from the very first bar of the opening number, ‘All That Jazz’ and enjoyed a fantastic evening of well known music including ‘Batman the Movie’ and ‘Gaelic Blessing’.  The percussionists had to be on their toes for the very demanding programme and ‘Where Eagles Dare’ went down a storm.  Andrew Johnson shook the room with those bass trombone entries.  The next 'A' Band concert will be in the Allendale Centre in Wimborne on Saturday 7^th May.

Cream Teas in January!

Some would say a very unseasonable event but Verwood B Band had a good turn out for their afternoon concert in the Verwood Memorial Hall at the end of January with a cream tea during the interval.  This was the first concert the band have performed under the baton of Adrian Clarke and it was greatly appreciated by the audience.

 

Hats, Wigs and Masks – A band social where many were unrecognisable!

Following a successful January afternoon concert in the Verwood Memorial Hall, Verwood Concert Brass enjoyed a presentation evening attended by over 100 people.  A superb time was had by all, including the babies and young children who had plenty of nannies for the evening.  Some excellent disguises left us guessing the identity of the mystery person underneath.

Cups were awarded to the most outstanding member of each band.  These were won by Jan Tiller, Solo Cornet, A Band, Ann Mayo, Flugel Horn, B Band and Fraser Smith, Flugel Horn, Training Band.