Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band

WSL band's regular Wednesday evening practices resumed at the Neville Hall on 4th January, diving straight into work on two programmes for the Macmillan concert in Hurst on 25th February, and the 125th anniversary CD recording on 24th/25th March.

Among other pieces, we are eagerly sinking our teeth into the theme from Zulu, while the MD is delighted that the band's requests list for the CD included the antique novelty piece The Fairy on the Clock.

The band earned more than £3,000 from concerts and carolling in December, a significant increase compared with 2010. Appearances included the concert at St. Mary's Church in Twyford, the Ipsen Biopharm staff lunch at Wentworth Golf Club, and the Bud Club's annual fund-raising luncheon at the Royal Lancaster Hotel.

Tesco's, Wokingham, was a successful new venue for static Christmas carolling, and the three appearances shared with Maidenhead Round Table at the local Waitrose store also went very well.

The audience at Carols Round the Pound on 21st December proved to be smaller than usual, despite the much milder weather this year; nevertheless, a good time was had by all, and Father Christmas says he'll try to make it again in 2012.

Street carolling was organized differently from previous years, with the band splitting into three groups on several nights in order to cover the ground on fewer nights or shorter routes. This proved popular with the band and succeeded in terms of fundraising. We were also fortunate as far as weather is concerned, with only a couple of slightly damp nights. This income will fund the traditional OAP meal at the Neville Hall, probably in April.

The Draw Club prizes were drawn monthly throughout the year, with bumper prizes as usual in November. With membership of 82 holding 89 draw numbers, the regular prize pool amounts to £45, while November's total was £175.

Last but by no means least, we should note that 2011 saw a number of regular members join the band: Malcolm Moye and Ben Midgley, both on Eb bass; Ben Eade on cornet; Danielle Evans on tenor horn; Tom Torley on euphonium; and James Cade on cornet. Finding the night he chose to turn up for a blow taken up by the AGM was not enough to put James off!

If you are a bass or tenor trombone player looking for a band, we'd love to add your name to the newcomers of 2012.

The four-day tree festival at St. Mary's Church, Twyford, featured a full Christmas Concert by WSL band on the evening of 1st December. All around the church were dozens of trees decorated by various local organizations.

The concert programme included a number of traditional festive pieces, such as Leroy Anderson's Christmas Festival Overture and Sleigh Ride, Gordon Langford's Christmas Fantasy and Howard Blake's The Snowman. Upbeat numbers included Johnny Marks's Rocking Round the Christmas Tree and Sandy Smith's Santa Claustrophobia. Ted Cull played the Peel Gallop on posthorn from the pulpit, and the flugel solo A Winter's Tale was played by Jane Lynn.

The band programme closed with an arrangement of Bizet's Farandole, following which the band and audience joined for Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

The band Annual General Meeting on 16th November heard in reports from the chairman, MD, secretary and treasurer that it had been another very busy year, though despite the high number of engagements it was still drawing on reserves. Uniforms, instruments and equipment were expensive to maintain and replace, and safekeeping of them needed to improve.

Membership numbers were keeping up, with 29 regular attenders, and four new members had joined in the preceding year, while two had left.

Natalie Harvey had volunteered to take over as librarian, and band officers and committee were elected as follows:

Committee posts

Chairman: Jane Lynn

Secretary: Chris Bennett

Treasurer: Geoff Cleeton

Librarian: Natalie Harvey

Ordinary committee members

Clair Williams
Steve Saunders
Ann Zebedee

Non-committee posts

Musical Director: Derek Holland was reappointed in this position

Deputy Bandmasters: Ann Zebedee, Dave Rothery, Keith Penton

Equipment officers: Richard McKay, Howard Lunn

November sees the special edition of the band's Draw Club prizes. Lots were drawn on Wednesday 16th November at the bandroom after the AGM, and the lucky winners share a total of £175 in prizes.

See the Fundraising page for details of winners and ways you can join the Draw Club, which is both a signficant source of income for the band and a fun way for friends of the band to give their support.

As always, the band turned out for three ceremonies on Remembrance Sunday, which proved to be bright and very warm for the tieme of year.  The day started with a march down The Street in Waltham St. Lawrence to the war memorial, where the two-minute silence was observed. The scheduled bugler being unable to attend through illness, Gerry Townsend stood in, or rather sat in, playing the Last Post from a wheelchair following a visit to A&E the previous evening.

In Bray, the band led the short Royal Legion's short procession from church to war memorial, where Peter Yates played the Last Post, and then transferred quickly to Holyport for another short ceremony there.The band were very grateful to the British Legion for the sandwiches, chips and restorative fluids laid on at the George on the Green after the Holyport ceremony.

WSL band played three sets at the Autumn Music Festival, a Thames Hospicecare fundraising event, at Taplow Court on 30th September. This excellent hall was full to capacity for the event, which featured choirs, soloists and a duet as well as the band.

The band started the evening's performance with Grafulla's march Washington Greys, followed by Boieldieu's Caliph of Baghdad. The seasonal theme was adhered to with an arrangement of Joseph Kosma's  Autumn Leaves, and the first set rounded off with the Grand March from Verdi's Aida.

The second set started with Goff Richards's Fanfare for a New Age, followed immediately by Hanssen's bouncy Valdres March. More autumnal mood music with Misty, a soprano cornet solo from Gerry Townsend, was followed by Eric Ball's Indian Summer - an unexpectedly appropriate choice, given the record temperature for the date. Goff Richards provided the closing piece for the set, his classic Doyen.

On completion of their second set, the band were joined on stage by other performers for a hearty "Last Night of the Proms" round of Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia (with MD Derek Holland flanked by two sopranos) and Jerusalem.

The evening was brought to a close with the national anthem, in the Gordon Jacobs arrangement including fanfare. The event was clearly enjoyed by everyone involved, all the more so for having raised a good deal of funds for this very good cause.

The summer's string of wet weather weekends continued for the WSL Village Show on Saturday 17th, with some heavy showers in the course of the afternoon. Fortunately the organizers had the foresight to attach the sides to the tent erected for the band outside the Neville Hall venue, and the rain did not deter people from visiting the show.

The audience's appreciation was clear both from the applause for some of the pieces, and from comments to members of the band.

Following up last year's appearance at White Waltham airfield at the show marking the 70th anniversary of its wartime role, WSL band was invited to return for the West London Aero Club's members day on 3rd September.

The band played an hour's programme in the interval of the air show, which was raising funds for the Berkshire air ambulance. There was a five-minute pause at 2.40 for a fly-past by an RAF Spitfire.

The band played two sets at the Littlewick Show on the afternoon of August Bank Holiday Monday, playing as usual under canvas with a sizeable audience in a neighbouring tent. Though not a sunny day, it didn't rain at all, something of a change for this summer season.

The annual show of Hurst Horticultural Society got off to an unpromising start at 1.30 p.m., with the band playing the first of its three half-hour sets to a very sparse audience amid a heavy downpour. Those people that were around responded with enthusiastic applause, however.

The weather improved as the afternoon progressed, and by the time the band was playing its final set, it was positively sunny, and the crowds had built up.

This was the third summer fete engagement to be hit by rainy weather this summer.

The Forbury Gardens bandstand engagement on Sunday 14th August was favoured with a perfect summer afternoon, which brought a good audience out into the park. WSL band put on an excellent performance, reflecting the thorough preparation in the bandroom.

The programme opened with R.B.Hall's New Colonial march, and featured another classic march from early in the 20th century, Johannes Hanssen's Valdres March, to open the second half.

Solos were delivered by Ted Cull (cornet), playing Gordon Langford's arrangement of My Love is Like a Red Red Rose, and Gerry Townsend (soprano) with Erroll Garner's classic Misty.

Among originals for brass band were Goff Richards's Doyen and Reginald Heath's London River. From the classical repertoire came Suppe's Poet and Peasant and Verdi's Grand March from Aida, and the concert's rousing finale, Siblelius's Finlandia.  

The audience's enjoyment was evident, and a number of people made complimentary comments about the performance.

The band played an hour's programme as the first half of the concert to mark its 125th anniversary at the Loddon Hall in Twyford on Sunday 17th July, then joined the audience to enjoy a performance by Looking After Elvis, the tribute band starring local lad Ben Portsmouth.

The band put on a cracking show, including Suppe's classic Light Cavalry, several arrangements by the late lamented Goff Richards, and a sparkling solo performance of Spanish Eyes from Gerry Townsend on soprano cornet.

For the second time this summer, the event shelter (plus a gazebo) came into the picture, as the band played for the White Waltham and Shottesbrooke fete on the cricket ground at White Waltham on Saturday 16th July. Despite the heavy rain showers, the fete was quite well attended, and the band put on a full programme of music, which was clearly appreciated by the public.

The band made its first appearance in Wokingham's "Sunny Saturdays" concert series on 9th July, though sunny was not exactly the word. Playing outside the Old Town Hall from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m., the players carried on through several rain showers in the first half of the programme, and were asked to take music pads home to dry off the affected parts.

Despite the weather, the town centre was bustling, and there was an appreciative audience both among passers-by and people who sat on benches to listen for longer. For the band, it was an enjoyable concert in a setting with very good ambience.

WSL band enjoyed the hospitality of Cookham Riverside nursing home along with the residents' guests on a sunny Sunday afternoon on 3rd July, playing bakground music for the annual tea party.

The band secretary received a letter of thanks for the band a few days afterwards, noting how much the playing had been enjoyed and making an early booking for next year's party.

The band's second playout this year in the Woodley shopping precinct enjoyed much better weather than on 7th May, to the extent that we retreated to the shade of the pagoda, whilst leaving room for the eager buyers at the charity sale that was the official occupant. 

WSL band played for the first time at the 2-day Hurst Show on Sunday 26th June. Sandwiched between sets by the Morris dancers, the band played a one-hour and a half-hour programme in the main arena. The event shelter again provided welcome protection, this time from the sun rather than the rain.

Our resident MD was unavailable for the engagement, and the band played under the able direction of Anton Gwilt, a former conductor of Reading Spring Gardens band.

The band were very grateful for the shelter from the hot sun at the Wokingham and District association for the elderly day centre fete on Saturday 25th June. It was an enjoyable afternoon's playing, and the centre's dedicated following were an appreciative audience.

A gap on trombone was filled with a welcome special appearance by Jon Newton, who is on a banding career break to deal with bringing up the twins.

In place of the usual Wednesday evening rehearsal, on 15th June the band performed a concert at St. Mary's Church, White Waltham, in aid of the church's Project Rainbow, which aims to create facilities there for young people's activities.

The programme included a wide range of pieces, among them a world premiere of Bells of St. Lawrence. This composition by Derek Broadbent was commissioned by the band in memory of Jim Clark, who left the band a generous bequest in his will.

Lighter music included the opening march Cornish Cavalier, 12th Street Rag, Sway and Goff Richards's Disney Fantasy, while the first and second halves closed with the solid sounds of the theme from Zulu and Finlandia. Solos were performed by Gerry Townsend (soprano cornet, Spanish Eyes), Ted Cull (cornet, I Dreamed a Dream) and Ann Zebedee (euphonium Benedictus).

The band played out three times over the weekend of 11th-12th June, at two events in Waltham St. Lawrence and one in Twickenham.

On the beautifully sunny Saturday morning, we assembled under the oak tree in the village pound in front of the Bell Inn to provide music to send off a group of motor cyclists. They are travelling thousands of miles from Moscow in Scotland to Moscow, capital of Russia, and back again, to raise funds for the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. See their website at www.offonaweeride.com for full details.

At 12.00, with a fanfare from the band, local MP and Home Secretary Theresa May waved them off on the start on their journey up to Ayrshire.

Later on Saturday, the band assembled in a drawing room at Brinsworth House in Twickenham, a home for retired entertainers, to play a full programme of music, before helping residents and their guests in demolishing their annual tea party spread.

Sunday dawned wet, and stayed that way for the WSL Village Fete. Nevertheless, the band turned up in full, and made good use of its event shelter to stay relatively dry. We played somewhat longer than originally booked, given there was not a lot happening in the arena. By mid afternoon the weather had improved a little, and attendance at the fete perked up a little. Not an ideal day, but at least the band and the stallholders enjoyed the music.

The WSL band's Spring Concert was held at St Mary's Church in Twyford on Saturday 2nd April.

Opening with Edrich Siebert's lively march Rovers Return, the first half included the overture to Reissiger's neglected gem Die Felsenmuhle (The Mill on the Cliff) and solos by Gerry Townsend on soprano (Demelza) and Ted Cull on cornet (I Dreamed a Dream). Kit percussionist Robert Pullen had a chance to show off in Duke Ellington's It Don't Mean a Thing, and all three percussionists saw plenty of action in the dramatic first half closer, an arrangement of John Barry and Edward German's music for the film Zulu.

One aim of the concert was to raise funds for the local charity Feed the Children. Band member Dave Oakes, who is active in the organization, outlined its aims and activities for the audience before the interval.

The second half of the programme opened with Fucik's Entry of the Gladiators, followed by Eric Ball's Divertimento. This part of the concert featured two "patrols": H.G.Amers's Wee McGreegor and W.H.Myddleton's Phantom Brigade. More music by John Barry was to be heard in an arrangement of the Best of Bond, and the concert closed with a rousing performance of Sibelius's Finlandia.

WSL band staged a "Concert for Jackie" at Hurst village hall on 13th November, in memory of our Bb Bass player Ken Morris's wife. A wide range of pieces was played, reflecting the musical tastes of Jackie and her family. Over £470 was raised in aid of Macmillan Nurses, Cancer Research UK and Maggie's Centre, Oxford.

The concert, arranged in "cabaret style" around tables, rather than rows of seats for the audience, was well attended and much enjoyed. Click here to read a full report featuring notes by our MD, Derek Holland.

The South Hill Park arts centre in Bracknell put on a "community production" of the stage version of the film Brassed Off at the its Wilde Theatre on 23rd-31st July, with a total of seven performances including a Saturday matinee.

WSL band joined the actors to provide a live brass band playing the part of Grimley Colliery Band. The story is loosely based on the experience of Grimethorpe Colliery Band in the 1990s, when their pit became part of a wave of mine closures just weeks before they were due to appear in the national finals at the Albert Hall.

The band played in a number of dramatic scenes, and also provided music for the initial scene (marching on to Death or Glory) and for the opening of the second act (playing March of the Cobblers as the audience returned to their seats). The five actors who played members of the band studied hard to look realistic, and we're pretty sure that a lot of people thought that "Gloria Mullins" really was playing the flugel solo Concierto de Aranjuez (alias Orange Juice).

In a scene depicting the Saddleworth Whit Friday competition, the band marched on and off the stage three times to the strains of Slaidburn, with countermarches at each end and increasingly disorderly deportment as they pretended to become more drunk. It was a difficult challlenge for the band, but they pulled it off very effectively.

The "Halifax semi-finals" in Act 2 featured a rendering of Fucik's Florentine March, while test piece for the finals at the Albert Hall was the galop from Rossini's William Tell. You do have to suspend your disbelief in the theatre, after all. In these pieces, as elsewhere, the conductor was an actor, so the band had to rely on a nod here and there from Jim Pullen, the show's music director (and a former WSL MD), playing solo trombone, or simply on their musical ESP to coordinate a rallentando or come in together after a silent pause.

Taking part in the show required a lot of time and effort from everyone, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for the performers, and judging by comments received from the audience was highly appreciated by them as well. Which just goes to show: you can play drunk and ignore the conductor, but the music will still shine though.

(Our thanks to George Riddell and Dave Johnson for the photos of the show)

The latest visit in the regular exchange between Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band and our German partners Musikveirein Friesheim (MVF), from Erfstadt, near Cologne, took place between 16th and 19th July 2010. Though the time was short, the bands packed in a lot of activity, both musical and social, and a great time was had by all.

Highlight of the weekend was the wedding between WSL chairman Jane Lynn and her firefighter fiance and regular band supporter Ben Midgley. Not many people have a full brass band to play at their wedding, even fewer have two complete bands in the church and at the reception, and just to ensure this was a unique occasion, an overture was premiered and the bride played a flugel solo as well!

As well as performing at the wedding, the bands put on a joint concert together with the tribute band Taking Care of Elvis at Twyford's Loddon Hall on Sunday evening. The show was sold out, a rare experience for most bands.

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