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In January the band welcomed
Junior Band Conductor, Robert Fraser as the new Musical Director of Newland
Concert Brass.
The first competition for the band under their
new MD was the Scottish Championships in the Rothes
Halls. They had a fantastic day and Robert and the band were delighted with
their result; a credible 3rd place in the fourth section, winning
the Hugh P Walker Memorial Trophy.
(see photos in Gallery Page)
In April the Beginners Group and Junior and
Senior Bands took part in a sponsored march in Bathgate starting at Newland
Academy. The sun came out for them on the day and they raised £1000 for
band funds. (see Gallery Page)
In May NCB took part in an
enjoyable joint concert with the pupils from Balbardie
school. This involved a wide variety of musical pieces, instruments, and
players of all ages. The band also continued with their fundraising
activities and held a Quiz Night in the Legion and organised
a tombola and baking stall at the Street Fair in
May.
In June NCB supported many local
gala days which included Torphichen’s Centenary
Gala where they not only took part in the parade but also played at the
crowning ceremony where First Minister Alex Salmond
crowned the new Queen. NCB were also delighted to host their twinning band
from Germany the Neheim
Huesten Fanfaren Korps at the beginning of June who also took part in
the Bathgate Procession and John Newland Festival. (See both Gallery and
Fanfaren Korps pages for more details) On behalf of Newland Concert
Brass, Al Anderson presented The Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries
Unit Southern General Hospital with a donation of £100 from the band’s 20th
Anniversary Concert the previous year.
In September the band took part
in the first ever Bathgate Music Festival which involved an outdoor concert
in Bathgate Steelyard. The audience were treated to a repertoire of popular
music including The Beatles classic When I’m 64 and also the well
known toe-tapper Singing in the Rain. Thankfully there was no
rain during the concert!
In October some members of NCB
played at Boghall Primary’s 50th Anniversary concert. They
played a selection of tunes from the last 5 decades including Buddy Holly’s
Rave On, Bryan Adams’ Everything I Do and the theme tune from
Neighbours! During this month, NCB also played a concert at
Boghall Parish Church with guest vocalist Diane Samuel. This was a
successful event with many audience members enjoying their first ever
Newland concert. At this concert the band were delighted to present soprano
player Alex Spence with a medal from the Scottish Brass Band Association to
commemorate his 50 years membership of SBBA.
The month of November saw the
band taking part in the Rememberance Day Parade in Armadale and also the
annual Christmas Torchlight Procession in Bathgate. There was also a
fundraiser in November in the form of a Partylite evening. As a result of
the band’s 3rd place at the Scottish Championships earlier this
year, they were invited to take part in the Scottish Challenge Cup in Perth
this month. Although not on the prize list this time they gave a
respectable performance of Northern Landscapes in the Perth Concert
Hall.
In December the band played
carols in various venues including Bathgate Steelyard, St John’s Hospital
and Bathgate Early Years Centre. Some members also accompanied carol
singers from St John’s Church at Wester Inch. NCB had their Annual
Christmas Concert at St John’s Church with guests John Burgoyne and the
Calder Bells. An entertaining evening was had by all with some great
audience participation in the form of key jangling during Jingle Bells
!
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