Yorkshire Brass Band Championships

Sunday, 7 March 2010

What a day. What a performance. John's ambition to transform Worsbrough Brass into a winning band was fulfilled when the band delivered a strong (but not our best!) performance to win at Bradford.
Obviously winning meant a lot to all members of the band and their supporters, but notably the longer serving members were highly delighted to see the band come so far.

John Hopkinson, M.D.
"A brilliant result - at last the band are starting to believe in their own ability. Over the last 18 months they have been their own biggest critics! I've played and conducted at a very high level and played in the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall - but this result is probably the most pleasing of all - I felt very proud of the band. I must congratulate the soloists - they were superb, but everyone worked very hard and played their part. A great night in 'The Edmunds Arms' - let's have some more like it! Now looking forward to Rothwell on Friday - and Harrogate in September. Live the dream!!!"

Angela Dawson, Secretary
"It's a dream for all of us who have brought this band from a small group of very young players with £17 in an inherited bank account back in 1992 to what we have achieved today. Our main aim has always been to give the younger members of society the opportunity to be a part of team who are learning to perform the traditional brass band music whilst still making new friends and enjoying the social side of being a part of another group of people away from day-to-day school friends. The thought of even competing in the Yorkshire Championships 3 years ago was too daunting to think about after Phil finally persuaded the committee that he really did mean it when he kept saying 'it's time we had a change in the middle'.
The selection of choosing another conductor was a fearful task for the committee and we chose to advertise the post and go through a proper selection process.  As well as a short formal interview, the band were given the chance to submit their comments on the individual candidates. I think we took the right and proper decision and the best person for the band was selected."

Phil Hallworth, President
"Congratulations to all the players and they should savour every moment of this exciting time. BUT, [there's always a but with Phil] the hard work starts now!"

Paul Gillow, Chairman
"What an unbelievable day, absolutely brilliant. After the euphoria of winning, one thought that keeps coming to mind is that one of the men who adjudicated the competition actually scored the music we played!!! What an achievement, to play the music and be endorsed by the composer/arranger of having played it how he wanted it playing. Well done to the band and a massive thanks to John Hopkinson for making it happen."

Kay Hardy, Repiano
"What a superb night.  We had all the joy of winning the 4th section and being able to play that piece and prove people wrong was brilliant.  We have shown that we can play anything that is put in front of us. Well done and let's go and win Rothwell this week."

Jacob Bramley, 3rd Cornet
"What a great victory. I never want to see that music again!"

4barsrest.com
"It would be hard to imagine any happier players than those of Worsbrough Brass in the Fourth Section, who claimed their first Yorkshire title on just their second appearance at the contest under the baton of John Hopkinson."

4barsrest interview with Steve Pritchard-Jones
"The standard today was phenomenal. We had to keep reminding ourselves it was the fourth section, particularly with the higher end of the section, there was some real class playing."

Of the top three bands' performances, he said:
"They really made the music speak. They lifted the music off the page. They observed all the composer's instructions. They really worked the dynamics to their advantage. There were no heroes within the band, they worked as a team. And the overall quality of sound of the band was superb."

Of Worsbrough's winning performance:
"It was a very, very good all round performance. All the pianissimos were there, there was contrast between the fortes and the fortissimos, it was rhythmically secure. And the tuning and balance was very, very good."

Telegraph & Argus
"Dinnington Colliery, which will appear in a BBC2 documentary series starting tonight, were edged into second by Worsbrough Brass in the fourth section."

Yorkshire Brass Band Championships - official site