Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band

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 Midgly. 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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The band entertained residents of Riverside retirement home in Cookham and their guests at their garden party on 4th July. The strong breeze did not manage to lift the mugginess of the atnosphere, but did threaten to make the marquee lift off several times. The musicians enjoyed a tasty afternoon tea in the interval.

Members of WSL band attended a rehearsal with the cast at South Hill Park, Bracknell, on Sunday 26th for the first run through scenes from Brassed Off, which is being staged from 23rd to 31st July at the Wilde Theatre.

One solo cornet player is now in danger of acquiring a new nickname, as the source of Gloria's magical flugel sound. And the band are suspiciously good at playing as if rather under the influence in the Whit Marches scene.

It's all hard work and great fun, and we look forward to the actual performances.

The band were grateful for the shade provided by the tent on a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon at the WADE (Wokingham and District Association for the Elderly) fete, and for the excellent tea and cakes at half time. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, and those attending were clearly appreciative of the music.

The Waltham St. Lawrence Village fete was held on the school field at the primary school this year. WSL band played an hour's programme right in the middle of the arena from 1.00 to 2.00 p.m. Making its debut on the occasion was the band's very own "event shelter", a space-age gazebo that was lifted bodily into and out of the arena. It proved to be a comfortable environment for a complete band (unlike most gazebi, which leave the bass section out in the cold just when cover is most needed).

After a short break, members of the public were invited to come to the band tent and "have a blow", which was taken up by some half dozen brave souls (see the photos).

WSL band was delighted once again to play for retired show-biz residents at Brinsworth House, Twickenham, at their garden party on 12th June. As in previous years, the programme included arrangements by Don Shearman, including the opening number written specially for the occasion: the Brinsworth March. The day was also the 100th birthday of Brinsworth resident Alf Pearson, who performed in a singing duo with his brother Bob from the 1930s right through to the 1980s. Don had arranged their signature tune, Melodies From Out Of The Sky, for the occasion.

Following a tightly packed one-hour programme of music familiar from shows and charts of yesteryear, the band joined residents and guests for a delicious buffet tea.

The regular Saturday performance in Woodley precinct on 8th May saw the band kitted out in its smart blue fleece jackets, as it was a chilly, breezy and showery day.

The weather did win through at the end, forcing us to curtail the session by a few minutes and take the last piece of music home to dry. All the same, the playing was bright, there were plenty of people around, and many stopped to listen and give warm applause, making it well worth the effort.

WSL band joined with choirs and other local performers at Taplow Court on Friday 30th April for "A Concert in Celebration of St. George". The event was to raise funds for Thames Hospicecare, a charity providing palliative care for people in the Thames Valley affected by cancer.

The band played two sets of very English music, opening with Kenneth J Alford's march The Standard of St. George. and including Vaughan Williams's English Folk Song Suite and Elgar's Chanson de matin. Arthur Woods's Barwick Green will have been more familiar to most as the theme tune from The Archers.

The hall was packed to capacity, and the audience joined the band, choirs and other performers for the finale, with flag-waving and a rendering of Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia, Jerusalem, and There'll Always be an England worthy of any Last Night of the Proms.

The event closed with the Gordon Jacobs arrangement of God Save the Queen, complete with fanfare. The concert was clearly enjoyed by the large audience, and the organizers hope to make it an annual phenomenon.

The concert raised some £4,500 for the charity.

WSL Band and the local community bade a fond farewell to Tony and Alison Evans at the 50th OAP dinner at the Neville Hall in Waltham St. Lawrence on Saturday 27th March.

In Tony, the band is losing a first-class trombone (or horn, euphonium, or whatever gap needs to be filled) player, while the local community and Reading Male Voice Choir will miss him as a chorister. Tony has played with the band since 1962, and for many years was its chairman. He also ran the monthly Draw Club, an important source of income for the band (Peter Yates has now taken this over - see the Fundraising page).

Alison realised soon after marrying Tony that if you can't beat them, you just have to join them, and took up the tenor horn. With a 40th wedding anniversary coming up, the benefits of teamwork are clear!

Following retirement from full-time work, the couple will shortly be moving to their new home in Wiltshire, where we wish them every happiness.

Saturday 27th March saw the 50th annual dinner provided for local pensioners by Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band, funded by money collected from Crhistmas carolling. Some 48 guests joined the band for a meal at the Neville Hall.

A 45-minute programme of music before dinner featured music old and not quite so old, including Leroy Anderson's Bugler's Holiday and Sandpaper Ballet, swing numbers Mellow Mood (Clive Sansom) and Satin Doll (Duke Ellington), Arthur Ketelby's classic In a Persian Market, and a selection of Cole Porter melodies. The programme rounded off with the Radetzky March, with rhythmic audience participation.

Before the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding dinner was served up by members of the band, presentations were made to the 2009 Bandperson of the Year, Ann Zebedee, and to veteran band members Tony and Alison Evans, who will shortly be moving away (see separate news items)

WSL band holds a secret ballot annually to give members a chance to nominate someone they think has made an outstanding contribution to the its efforts over the preceding year.

This year our librarian Ann Zebedee received the award, which was presented at the OAP dinner on 27th March. On top of her efforts to keep the distribution and filing of music in order, an arduous task that involves liberal doses of criticism in both directions in every band, Ann has done much of the work in organizing concerts and published the programmes for them.

The WSL Spring Concert at Rose Street Methodist Church on Saturday 27th February was a great success, despite audience numbers being on the low side. The band played very well, and the benefits of the previous week's brass workshop were evident, particularly in the sensitive playing of some difficult quiet accompaniment for the cornet solo.

Opening with Eric Ball's jaunty Star Lake march, the 17-item programme ranged from older classics such as Suppe's Poet & Peasant to a piece that's not even published yet, with the two Janes (Jane Lynn and Jane Pullen) playing Derek Broadbent's draft composition Ticket to Everywhere, a subtle blend of Beatles melodies. Jazz and swing were represented by Birdland and Satin Doll, and by Clive Sansom's brass band original Mellow Mood. Eric Ball returned in the second half in the form of his classic Indian Summer.

The concert presented several solos and duets. Principal cornet Ted Cull played Saint-Saens' Softly Awakes my Heart. As mentioned above, Ticket to Everywhere featured flugel and tenor horn. Sandy Smith's arrangement of Lloyd Webber's Pie Jesu, featured flugel and soprano cornet. Our eager young percussionists Robert and Daniel rubbed away at the wet and dry in Leroy Anderson's Sandpaper Ballet. And Keith Penton pirouetted around the high notes in Roy Newsome's Bass in the Ballroom.

The audience participated Vienna-style in the finale, clapping in time to J.Strauss Sr's Radetzky March. If you were there, we know you enjoyed it. If you weren't, then make sure you don't miss the Autumn Concert (date TBA).

Fourteen members of WSL band joined together with two guests at the Neville Hall for the band's second brass workshop with Derek Broadbent on Saturday 20th February.

Derek took the band through a broad selection of typical programme pieces, as well as one of his own draft arrangements featuring themes from Beatles numbers. The warm-up for both halves of the day was Derek's favourite hymn, Maryton, striving to make "the best sound we've ever made in our lives".

Derek's outstanding coaching helped those present to bring the full flavour out of many passages, and he gave some valuable pointers that will improve our performance across the board in the longer term. It was hard work, but a very rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable day. We look forward to similar events in the future.

Carolling was affected by the heavy snow before Christmas, and in particular, the regular Carols at the Pound event had to be cancelled. Nevertheless, we managed to cover the greater part of the parish's roads, and income from carolling was slightly up on 2008 thanks to the generosity of the residents of Waltham St. Lawrence and Shurlock Row, and of shoppers at Waitrose, Maidenhead.

The continuing difficulties due to snow and cold also caused the cancellation of the first two rehearsals of 2010, but now we're back, working harder than ever to polish up our concert programmes. Our first public performance of 2010 will be the optimistically titled Spring Concert at Rose Street Methodist church on 27th February.

WSL band was joined by the Voices in Accord choir for a festive concert at Rose Street Methodist Centre in Wokingham on 5th December, with proceeds going to the church's Project Gateway, a charity helping underprivileged children in Africa.

The first half featured Post Horn Galop, played by principal cornet Ted Cull, several songs from the choir, and a joint performance of John Rutter's Shepherd's Pipe Carol, arranged by Peter Graham. The audience were in good voice for two carols, and the half closed with a tongue-in-cheek piece from the 1930's, the Debroy Somers Savoy Christmas Medley.

The second half opened with Charpentier's Prelude to Te Deum, and included Sandy Smith's lively medley Santaclaustrophobia, Scheewaltzer by Goff Richards and Rockin' Round the Christmas Tree. The choir provided another set of vocal pieces, and the audience joined in again for two carols. The concert closed with a spirited rendering of the farandole from Bizet's L'Arlesienne.

First prize in the Draw Club's BIG November draw this year was £60, with a total prize fund of £145. It was won by Mrs P Wolstenholme. The current normal first prize stands at  £20, with a total kitty of £45.

The Draw Club now has 85 members, and is an important fundraiser for the band. Membership costs £15 for the year. If you'd like to join, thus becoming a Friend of the Band and receiving a complimentary ticket for one of our concerts, as well as the chance to win a draw prize every month, contact Tony Evans on 0118 934 5867

The Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band AGM took place on 18th November at the Neville Hall.

In her report, Chairman Jane Lynn expressed her gratitude to the MD, committee members and everyone else whose hard work had made for a successful year for the band. A number of concerts had been staged at Rose Street Methodist Church, raising significant funds for Children in Need. Though we had lost the services of Nicola Skidmore on percussion, several new players had been recruited over the year.

Outgoing Secretary Steve Saunders reported that the band had fulfilled 22 public engagements over the year. It now had 23 regular playing members and two non-playing members, plus the Musical Director.

Treasurer Geoff Cleeton noted the role of Christmas carolling as the major item of income in the band's fundraising. The Draw Club was also very successful, and should continue to be promoted.

MD Derek Holland stated that the last year had seen great progress and success for the band musically. Attendance had been consistently high, and the band was fortunate in having some very expert players. Derek noted that we had increased the number of concerts and paid thanks to Ann Zebedee for her efforts with the Wokingham Methodist church. Derek also thanked the committee for making the band run smoothly and to Keith Penton for his upkeep of the web site. Derek concluded by saying we should consider making a CD, which might include a dedication to Jim Clark, a generous bequest from whom had been of benefit to the band.

Officers and committee were elected, as follows:

President: Margaret Railton has kindly agreed to continue as the band president.

Committee posts

Chairman: Jane Lynn

Secretary: Dave Oakes

Treasurer: Geoff Cleeton

Librarian: Ann Zebedee

Ordinary committee members

Jane Pullen
Clair Williams
Peter Yates
Tony Evans

Non-committee posts

Instrument officer:Howard Lunn

Musical Director: Derek Holland was reappointed in this position

Deputy Bandmaster: to be elected by the band following informal audition of two candidates.

Waltham St. Lawrence Parish Church rang to the sounds of WSL band and Elvis impersonator Ben Portsmouth at a concert with a difference on Saturday night.

The concert was in two halves, with the band performing first. The programme opened with the march Cornish Cavalier, followed by the overture Bohemian Girl. A challenging arrangement for two cornets of the Flower Duet by Delibes was performed by Gerry Townsend on soprano and principal cornet Ted Cull. The horns and trombones walked the plank in a selection from Pirates of the Caribbean, followed by some gentle swing in the form of Duke Ellington's signature, Mood Indigo. The Bohemian theme returned with Darrol Barry's rousing arrangement of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, and the band's set rounded off with Irving Berlin's Puttin' on the Ritz.

In the second half, Ben Portsmouth, who used to be a member of the church choir, gave a rendering of Elvis Presley numbers, mostly gospel music. The concert concluded with a joint performance with the band of American Trilogy.

Turnout of both the band and the public for the Remembrance Sunday parades in Waltham St. Lawrence, Bray and Holyport was good, despite the threat of heavy rain which, thankfully, did not become a reality.

The band led the processions in Waltham and Bray to the strains of the British Legion March and The Middy, and also played static for a short march by the British Legion contingent at Holyport. The Last Post was ably performed by Ben Harvey. The hymns were taken by guest conductor Gary Davies, who also played Eb Bass on the march.

The Autumn Concert provided an enjoyable evening of instrumental and vocal music for a sizeable audience at Rose Street Methodist Centre in Wokingham. The band's programme was preceded by a half hour of organ music performed by Peter Stephenson, the church's principal organist, and the evening featured guest appearances by singers Carol and Rick Williams and junior soloists Lauren and Tom Torley.

Each half of the concert began and ended with a rousing piece: Trevor Sharpe's Fanfare and Soliloquy, Freddie Mercury's Bohemian Rhapsody, Arnold Safroni's march Imperial Echoes and the Grand March from Verdi's Aida. The concert ended at a fast pace with Kalinka being played as an encore.

Tribute was paid to the more mature end of the music spectrum with William Rimmer's arrangement of Boildieu's Caliph of Baghdad, Albert Ketelby's sketch In a Persian Market and Strauss's Chit-Chat Polka. More modern works included the Goff Richards James Bond Collection, Hoagy Carmichael's Georgia on my Mind (cornet solo by Peter Yates) and Gershwin's Summertime (soprano cornet solo by Gerry Townsend).

Guest artistes Carol and Rick Williams performed two sets of songs from musicals, including well known numbers from Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, and brother and sister Tom and Lauren Torley, who both recently passed their grade 5 music exams, were junior euphonium soloists. Tom played Nessun Dorma in the first half, and Lauren played America from West Side Story in the second half.

Proceeds from the concert are going to the charity Action for Children. A representative of the charity spoke briefly at the opening of the second half about the charity's work.

The mid-September sunny spell provided perfect weather for the Vilage Show on Saturday 12th September. The exhibits were neatly set out in the Neville Hall and the marquee in the car park, the tea counter did a roaring trade, and the band entertained the crowds outside the hall (normally we practise inside it) from 2.15 to 3.15 with a wide selection of music, which was well received.

On a warm late summer evening on 6th September, Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band joined The Tuesday Singers for a concert at St Piran's School in Maidenhead to raise funds for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.

The Tuesday Singers, a ladies' choir numbering over 30, performed popular songs under the direction of their conductor Pippa Eden before an appreciative audience of about 200, interspersed with pieces played by the band under the baton of Derek Holland.

There were two joint items: "Memory" from Cats and "Love Changes Everything" from Aspects of Love (both by Andrew Lloyd Webber).

In a first for WSL Band, a music workshop with Derek Broadbent was held in the village's New Hall on Saturday 5th September.

Musicians from Waltham and other local bands came together to play and to evaluate both the music and their playing in greater depth under the direction of an internationally known composer, conductor and arranger. The turnout was good and the day was a great success. Derek laid particular emphasis on producing "the best sound that you have ever made" and on breaking down the time signature to identify and ensure the rhythm intended by the composer.

Derek is a superb conductor and entertainer, and provided many amusing anecdotes to punctuate the more serious side of things. There was plenty of friendly back and forth between players and Derek, including the point where one horn player realized she had been enthusing about Goff Richards at some length to someone of equal standing in the banding world.

From 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. everyone worked hard, with breaks for a caffeine fix and mental refocussing. We looked, listened and absorbed knowledge, and ended the day exhausted but, hopefully, better players.

Everyone said they thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, so another is planned for Saturday 20th February 2010, with two or three to be arranged each year in future.

The Littlewick Green show was, as usual, a large and varied affair, with vintage cars, car boot sale, flower shows, enormous prize cabbages, fairground attractions and, of course, stars of the afternoon events, Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band, playing to a good-sized crowd near the tea tent.

The day had warmed up and become sunny by the time the band started, and last year's stiff breeze was thankfully absent. The fire engine parked next to the band tent (no engines running, no sirens going off) acted as a useful acoustic reflector for the playing, and the audience clearly enjoyed the performance.

Despite a rather chilly breeze on a bright but cloudy day, quite a few people stayed in the Forbury Gardens on Bank Holiday Sunday to hear our 2009 bandstand performance.

The two halves of the program opened with classic marches Wellington and Washington Greys, and the music ranged in age from Suppe's Light Cavalry through Lincolnshire Poacher to the theme from Dr Who, closing with a rousing rendering of the Grand March from Aida.

Proceedings were suspended temporarily for a special presentation to percussionist Nicola Skidmore, who will be leaving for university in the autumn. Nicola has been with the band for some six years. She passed her Grade 8 music exams earlier this summer, which bears witness to her skills as a percussionist. We wish Nicola well in her future academic, professional and musical careers, and hope she'll keep her promise to come back and visit.