Summer Season Ends in Spectacular Style

Award winning Newstead Brass ended their Summer concert season in spectacular style playing to an estimated 1,500 plus crowd at the annual Ripley Music Festival and entertaining hundreds more at a National Garden Scheme ‘Open Gardens’ event.

With financial support from the Midlands Cooperative Society, the Ripley Music Festival ‘Picnic in Crossley Park’ took place on Saturday July 17th. Families and groups of all ages enjoyed a 3 hour ‘‘Brass Spectacular’ featuring Newstead Brass and the Swing Band and ‘Imperfect Fifth’ saxophone quintet from South East Derbyshire Music Centre. The evening ended with a spectacular fireworks display, provided by ‘Big Bang’ fireworks, as Newstead Brass played music from Jeff Wayne’s ‘Eve of the War’ and Holst’s ‘Mars (the Bringer of War)’ from the famous Planets Suite.

On Sunday (July 18th) an ensemble from Newstead Brass played for the hundreds of visitors to a national garden’s scheme event at Woodside Cottage in Newstead village, with proceeds from the afternoon supporting Nottingham Breast Cancer Trust.

A band spokesperson added, “This weekend has been a great end to the concert season and probably one of our most successful seasons of concerts ever. Saturday night was a great advert for what we as a band can now achieve.”

The two events concluded a busy summer season for the band, with 10 events over the last 6 weekends. After a short break the band will start preparations for the autumn which includes concerts across the east midlands and beyond and the ‘Bolsover Entertainments Challenge’ and Pontin’s Brass Band Championships.

The band are also planning to make a CD and individuals or companies who would like to ‘sponsor a track’ to help meet the costs of this project should contact 0115 952 7435. Details will be on the website shortly.
[Photo above by Kevin Sherlock].

Newstead Brass declare ‘It’s War for Ripley’

‘It’s (musical) war for Ripley’ as Newstead Brass announce the music which will accompany the Firework Finale at the ‘Picnic in Crossley Park’, part of the Ripley Music Festival, on Saturday July 17th.

Newstead Brass will perform music from Jeff Wayne’s ‘Eve of the War’ and Holst’s ‘Mars (the Bringer of War)’ from the famous Planets Suite as a ‘live’ musical accompaniment to the ‘Firework Finale’ as dusk falls across the park.

The ‘Picnic in Crossley Park’, supported by the Midlands Cooperative Society, starts at 7.30 pm and Newstead Brass, the north midland's leading brass band, will be joined by the Swing Band and other young musicians from South East Derbyshire Music Centre.

Admission is free but the audience should bring their own chairs / blankets to sit on and picnics are encouraged. Food will also be on sale from a ‘burger’ stall run by the Ripley Lions’ club with proceeds going to charity.

Conducting Notes

Congratulations to Newstead's principal euphonium, Lynden Cooper, on being appointed as Musical Director of the Whitwell Brass Band.  The appointment gives Lynden the opportunity to further develop his conducting skills (having been conductor of the non contesting Crich band for several years) alongside his playing and bandmaster responsibilities at Newstead and we are sure the move will benefit Lynden and both the Newstead and Whitwell bands.

Our congratulations also go to friend of the band Russell Gray on leading the Fairey (Geneva) Band to first place in the 2010 English National Brass Band Championships on 26th June.  Russell appeared as guest cornet soloist in our 2009 Christmas Concert at Hucknall Parish Church, the same venue that the band were appearing at as part of the International Byron Festival when news of Russell's success was received!