Norfolk Brass

Norfolk Brass ranked 111 in the world....

2009 has been a very successful contesting year for Norfolk Brass.

In march, the band won the London and Southern Counties First Section Regional contest with a convincing performance of Pentacle by Graham Cole, which gained plaudits from the adjudicator and the composer alike.

Norfolk Brass then went on to represent the London and Southern Counties Region at the First Section finals of the National Brass Band Championships at Harrogate in October. Playing off a draw of number 5, the band put in a good performance of Gilbert Vinter's demanding Triumphant Rhapsody, which earned the band third place.

Following these results, the band has now entered the World of Brass and 4 Bars Rest world rankings of brass bands at number 111.

This is a massive achievement for a band that, at the beginning of the year, was unsure of its future viability. It is also a huge source of pride for the members of the band, and it's Musical Director, David Stowell, who has skillfully guided the band through to its current position.

None of this, however, would have been possible without our sponsors, The Greyhound, Hickling and Targetfollow, and our donors who have supported the band financially during the year.

A sense of anticipation accompanied Norfolk Brass to the First Section Finals of the National Brass Band Championships last weekend.

Following an excellent rehearsal at the Tewit Youth Band band room on Sunday morning, Norfolk Brass were drawn to play 5th out of 16 bands.

The band put in a very good performance of Triumphant Rhapsody, and achieved third place. Naturally, a certain amount of celebrating took place after the result was announced. Suitable photo's will posted in the gallery shortly.

All commentators remarked that the test piece had been a tough test for all competing bands and that the standard of performance was lower than expected overall. Norfolk Brass, though, was praised for the standard of it's performance....

... "Norfolk Brass, with David Stowell manag[ed] to subdue the aggressive approach to the opening by keeping a tight rein on the dynamics and rhythmic pulse of the quicker sections and blending them with the lyrical flow he captured elsewhere..."

4 Bars Rest

'British Bandsman' magazine commented that all of the Norfolk Brass soloists performed well, with particular praise for our solo cornet (Adrian Morton) and soprano cornet (Kevin Adams) for their performances.

The Band returned to Norfolk with a trophy, a cheque for £500 and the pride at being placed third nationally in the 1st Section of the National Brass Band Championships, 2009.

The Band is now looking forward to competing in the Championship Section from 2010.

The band has been putting the final touches to the test piece for the First Section Finals of the National Brass Band Championships.

Following its victory at the First Section Regional Brass Band Championships in Stevenage earlier in the year, the band has spent the last couple of months working on the test piece for the National Finals - Gilbert Vinter's 'Triumphant Rhapsody'.

In this last week, things have really come together, with MD David Stowell adding the final 'bells and whistles' to ensure that we give a sparkling performance that will impresses the adjudicators. On Wednesday evening, the band held an open rehearsal which was attended by a small but appreciative audience.

The contest will take place at Harrogate International Centre on Sunday 27 September. The First Section will commence after the completion of the Third Section Final - sometime around 2:00pm.

The band will be sporting its new stage and 'walking out uniforms' for the first time. Look out for the charcoal suits and gold ties!

Our attendance at this contest and the purchase of new uniforms has been made possible through the kind sponsorship of 'The Greyhound', Hickling and Targetfollow plc, along with grants generously given by The John Jarrold Trust, The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, The Geoffrey Watling Charity, and the Paul Bassham Charitable Trust.

We thank our sponsors and donors for their support and hope to do them proud on Sunday.

Norfolk Brass are indebted to four charities for recent grant awards.

The Band offers its sincere thanks to The Geoffrey Watling Charity, The John Jarrold Trust, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable trust and The Paul Bassham trust for their generous donations that have enabled the Band to pursue three major projects:

1. To purchase new outfits and stand banners;
2. To compete in the First Section Finals of the National Brass Band Championships in Harrogate on 27^th September, 2009; and,
3. To cut a new CD using Doyen recordings to promote the music of Norfolk Brass.

The new uniforms and banners have now been purchased, and had their first use at the concert in Cromer Church on 11 September.

Preparations for competing in the National Finals are well under way and the band is looking forward to meeting the competition on 27 September.

It is hoped that the band will be able to record its first CD in recent years in the beginning of 2010. More news on this will follow shortly.

The John Jarrold Trust was set up in 1965 by the then Chairman John Jarrold. It was established with the object of promoting, supporting and advancing charitable purposes of all kinds. It is a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital. The Trust's income is derived from dividends from its shareholding in Jarrold & Sons Ltd.

The Trust supports a wide range of organisations and is the main route by which charitable donations are made on behalf of Jarrolds. The Trust supports causes in the following categories: the arts, welfare and community, education, medical and health, churches and historic buildings, the environment and developing countries. Apart from developing countries most of the support relates to causes in Norwich and Norfolk. The Trust is not able to support individual education programmes.

Since its establishment, the Trust has distributed over £3million mostly within Norwich and Norfolk.

The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust was established in 1972 by Dame Bridget D’Oyly Carte. It supports charitable causes in the fields of the arts, medical welfare and the environment.

The Geoffrey Watling Charity was established in 1993 and distributes grants to projects which in the Trustees’ opinion merit financial support. Its objects are to apply the income of the trust fund to such charity or charities or for such charitable purposes as the Trustees in their discretion may from time to time determine. The area of benefit is generally within the County of Norfolk and Waveney District of Suffolk.

The Paul Bassham Charitable Trust supports charitable causes of any kind with an emphasis on those based in Norfolk.

Norfolk Brass is a registered UK charity (1061066). The charity’s objects are to promote improve develop and maintain public education in the appreciation of the art and science of music by the presentation of public concerts and recitals.

We are also indebted to the joint primary sponsors of Norfolk Brass - Targetfollow plc and the Hickling Greyhound. Without their support at the beginning of 2009, as one of East Anglia’s leading Championship Section bands, we would not have been able to have continued after sponsorship from Bernard Matthews Foods was withdrawn.