BCB perform Charity concert for BSVI 

BCB put on a charity concert for Bournemouth Society for the Visually Impaired Bournemouth School for Girls on Saturday 25 October.

The evening commenced with John Williams' 'Olympic spirit and a number of favourites followed: Let's Face the Music and Dance, Skyfall, Gonna Fly Now, Bohemian Rhapsody, Copa Cabana and a few more to boot.

Soloists feature were Alf Hughes and Nick Jaris in a cornet duet, playing Erik Leidzen's The Cleansing Stream. Colin Williams performed the Bass Trombone solo  Minne the Moocher, and a sextette of 3 Flugels (Rachel Bartlet, Alf Hughes, John Kidby) and 3 Trombones (Paul Harrison, Thomas Ireland, Colin Williams) played Stevie Wonder's You are the Sunshine of my Life. The evening concluded win a 'Proms' style with Fantasia on British Sea Songs and Pomp and Circumstance before encores of Skyfall (requested) and KArl King's march Circus Days.

The music was well received and we are looking forward to follow up with a further concert for the society next year.

BCB at the Proms 2014

September saw BCB preform their annual Last Night of the Proms concerts at Chrstchurch andSwanage.

These are popular concerts with the audience, as it gives them the opportunity to wave flags and sing heartily during the concerts.

At BCB's concerts we try to use music arranged by members of the band and we started the concerts with a piece called 'Blues March' written for the PHillip Jones Brass Ensemble by Ray Premru and arranged for BCB by one of the band's baritone players, Peter Hartley.

The band's principal cornet player, Alf Hughes gave a fine rendition of 'Cry Me a River' a la Michael Buble style. Also featured was a sextet of 3 Flugel Horns (Rachel Bartlet, Alf Hughes, John Kidby) and 3 Trombones (Rob Taylor, PAul Harrison, Colin Williams) in Stevie Wonder's 'You are the Sunshine'

The wonderful 'Fantasia on British Sea Songs' by Sir Henry Wood, 'Jerusalem' and Elgar's @Pomp & Circumstance Military March No.1' gave the audience the change to join with the band and sing, clap and wave flags as the concerts came to their conclusion.

Full programme:
Blues March - Ray Premru arr. Peter Hartley
Libertango - Piazzolla arr. Leigh Baker
Cornet Solo - Cry Me a River - Arthur Hamilton arr. Chris Wormald
Soloist - Alf Hughes
Carnival of the Animals - Saint-Saens arr. Bill Willis
Past Time with Good Company - Henry VIII arr. Stephen Roberts
1914
Cossack Wedding Dance - Peter Graham

INTERVAL

Circus Days - Karl King arr. Bill Willis
Minuet - Boccerini arr. Charles Skinner
Flugel Horn Feature - You are the Sunshine - Stevie Wonder
Soloists - Rachel Bartlett, Alf Hughes, John Kidby
Kalinka - Ray Woodifield
Fantasia on British Sea Songs - Henry Wood arr. Peter Hartley
Jerusalem - William Blake/Sir Hubert Parry
Pomp & Circumstance Military March No.1 - Sir Edward Elgar

Nigel Taken arrives back at Bournemouth

Bournemouth Concert Brass announces that the vastly experienced Nigel Taken has accepted the position to become the new Professional Conductor with the West of England band.

Double winner

Nigel takes over the baton from Dave Barringer and sees him return to a band which he conducted on numerous occasions from 1986 to 2010, winning the unique double of West of England First and Championship Section titles in 2004 and 2005.

Nigel has had a long and successful association with the band and we are looking forward to working with him again.

Major Dave Barringer departs from Bournemouth

The highly successful partnership between Major Dave Barringer and Bournemouth Concert Brass will come to an end at the Blackpool Spring Festival in April.

Dave said: "I have loved every minute of being their Musical Director and am immensely proud of what we have achieved over the last four years."

After taking over the baton at the end of 2009 following relegation from the Championship Section, the highly respected army officer helped rejuvenate Bournemouth back to top flight status, qualifying for the National Finals at Cheltenham and the Albert Hall along the way.

He fully intends to continue his association with the band on an ad-hoc basis, but stepping down as full time MD allows him the freedom to undertake other projects.

On reporting the break he concluded with a smile: "They have heard all of my jokes now and they need a fresh face to continue to drive them forward!

BCB would like to place on record their thanks to Major Dave Barringer for his leadership over the last 4 years as Professional Conductor and wish him well for the future.

The band are now actively looking for a replacement to take them forward.

If you wish to apply for this position, please contact the band via our contacts page (Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer).

Vienna comes to Bournemouth

BCB saw in the New Year performing its Viennese concert at The Regent Centre Christchurch for the 18th year running.

On a very wet and windy afternoon a sizable audience came to hear the music of Vienna as performed by BCB.
The band kicked off with the Florentiner march and soon had the audience chuckling as one cornet player played a wrong note (deliberate?) causing the conductor to look at him sternly and serveral members pointing to him! If anyone has heard the Mnozil Brass version of this march, they will understand the lighter side of this. The 'cuprit' was John Bailey and he was let off, as 3 days before the concert he got married to his fiance, Sarah. The concert featured 2 premiere performances especially written for the event, Schubert's Grand March Heroique arranged by Peter Hartley and the Mozart Overture - Idomeneo arranged by the conductor Bill Willis. Both pieces were well received by the audience. Lehar's Gold & Siver waltz had the audience swaying to the music before 2 polkas acknowledging Eastern Europe, the Hugarian and Czech polkas followed. To finish the first half the band played Johan Stauss's Perpetuum Mobile and as the ending approached, the sections of the band took their leave, leaving only the conductor and one solitary bass player!.

Perpetuum Mobile started the second half, again with one solitary bass player, and gradually the remainder of the band returned before the finishing the piece with a trimphant ending. The Mozart Overture - The Impresario followed, plus the Strauss waltz, Morning Papers and Josef Strauss's Firebell Polka. The soloists were in fine form as Rachel Bartlett (Flugel)played Say Ye Who Borrow, Helen Kinder (Euphonium) with Papageno's Aria, and Alf Hughes playing the Rondo from Mozart's 3rd Horn Concerto. The finale was of course typical Viennese tradition, The Blue Danube, before the audience clapped their way through Strauss senior's Radetsky March bring the concert to its conclusion.

The band are an experienced unit in this form of music making, and this one of the most popular concerts at this venue, it is always well received by an appreciative audience, and this one was no exception.