Congratulations!
The Band are very happy to pass on their heartfelt congratulations to three of their student members who have graduated this summer from Cardiff University.Chris Halliday, Alice Jones and Kevin Shanklin all balanced the demands on their time between their studies and band. As a result they were all successful in obtaining 1 joint honours (music & Physics) and two music degrees respectively.
Whilst it is with much sadness that the band says goodbye to Kevin Shanklin who has decided to return to his native Pembrokeshire. We are very happy to be able to retain the services of Chris and Alice as they have both decided to stay in the area post university.
The Big Move Update
Thursday 18th June's rehearsal will be held in the new bandroom, the last piece has been played in the old one!The Big Move!
In order to make way for the start of the redevelopment of East Camp into the Defence Academy, the band has had to move out of our bandroom. Not to worry though, 'new' facilities have been made available on the other side of camp.After some repainting and the quick move of the carpet from the old bandroom to the new, all was set for the move.
I guess it is only when you pack up that you realise just how much stuff has been collected over the years. With the main band, youth band, drum corps, flute groups, jazz group and the office equipment all needing to be removed you can understand the extent of the operation.
Fortunately, some of the members of the band were able to help prior to the weekend and put in a fantastic effort to ensure thatthe massive job of moving the library was completed and all the instruments had already been located in the very secure room in the new bandroom.
On Saturday, the rest of the troops arrived to pack up all the remaining bits and pieces. Quite often it could be heard 'do we really need to keep this?' only for the bandmaster to say 'well, just keep hold of it you never know when we'll need it!' As a result there were one or two more van trips before everything had gone.
Over to the new bandroom and it was time to make it look like our home. Pictures and prize certificates were hung, the players lounge had the TV tuned in and the expertise of our euph player was put to good use in putting up a work surface in the kitchen area (with superb hoovering skills from a Bass player!!).
As you can guess, our new facilities are pretty awesome really. We have plenty of room to practice and relax as well as a function room in the connected and absolutely HUGE port-a-cabin next door!
Everyone worked incredibly hard from players, friends of the band and family and were all sustained by ham and chips "on the band" for lunch.
The place is getting there but still needs a few more finishing touches such as a fire safety certificate! So practice is still in the old bandroom for the time being. But we can't wait to get going in our new home!
Vacancies
The band currently has vacancies for:BBb Bass
2nd Horn
2nd Trombone
Players of any other instrument are also welcome to enquire and join us for a blow.
Rehearsals are Mon & Thurs 7.30-9.30
For more information see the contacts page for details of how to get in touch.
Tour to Scotland
This Easter members of the band undertook the daunting prospect of a 10 hour coach journey to Ayr for a long weekend of playing and enjoying the local hospitality!Despite the long journey, the band we in good spirits on arrival at the hotel and were looking forward to starting the tour in earnest the following day.
First up was an open air concert in the Burns Centre. This is a heritage centre in the birth place of Robert Burns. In a break from the usual Scotish weather, we were greated with glorious sunshine - which continued for the whole weekend!
Later that day we joined Dalmellington Band, our hosts, for a quick rehearsal before the joint concert that evening. See article below.
Bleary eyed on Sunday morning, we went to the local church and played for the Easter Sunday service. This was a highly enjoyable experience and we were provided with a fantasic lunch from the ladies of the church.
Straight from the church we went to the Ayr and Prestwick RAFA club. This saw our final concert of the weekend and again we were shown fantasic hospitality by our hosts.
Just time to have a brief lie down at the hotel before again joining up with some of the members of the Dalmellington Band for an all-you-can eat chinese back in Ayr.
Next morning it was back on the coach for the trip home. All in all, I think everyone had a fantastic time and the band would like to thank all involved in making it happen. We would also like to thank everyone for the fantasic reception we received wherever we played as well as the hospitality. In particular we would like to thank the members of the Dalmellington Band - our hosts for the weekend.
We would also like to thank our guest players who joined us for the weekend and helped to make the tour as sucessful as it was. A special thanks also needs to be said to our non-playing members who ensured that the CDs were available at all the concerts, baby sat and of course the coach drivers who really joined in the spirit of the occasion.
Concert with Dalmellington Band
As part of the bands tour to Scotland, we joined the Dalmellington Band in a joint concert.Dalmellington Band is based in the small village of Dalmellington in the South West of Scotland, 60 miles south of Glasgow. It is one of Scotland’s oldest Brass Bands and has been in the forefront of the movement since its formation in 1864. The band have had notable success in contests and have their name inscribed on every major competition trophy in Scotland, including 3 Scottish Championship wins.
In what was a concert of high quality, the bands each performed separately and then came together for the second half.
All the members of the band thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it was an awesome sight and sound when the two bands came together to produce such a powerful performance of all the joint items.
And after all the hard work, the band were provided with excellent hospitality from the Dalmellington Band before staggering back to the hotel.
Against All Odds
After a frought run up to this year's area contest held on 14th March 2009, the band put in a brave performance at the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea.Despite the effects of the sickness bug that hit the band on the day of the contest and the need to shuffle around a few players, the band got through Pentacle without any major disasters.
Special awards for dedication in the face of sickness go to Katy Thomas, Jayne Smith, Claire Bourne and our conductor Alan Bourne. Not to say that Alan was unwell, but he was seen to refuse beer in front of witnesses!!
Well done everyone on a sterling effort - now something to really look forward to with preparations for the Band's tour to Ayr at Easter and the chance to play some tunes again!!
Our congratulations go out to Point of Ayr and Tongwnlias band who will be representing the principality up Harrogate way in September
Gala Launch for new CD
After an intensive weekend of recording earlier this year, the band's new CD "R.A.F. St Athan Voluntary Band - At The Movies" is ready for its launch.As the title suggests, the programme consists entirely of old and new favourite movie themes including The Dambusters, The Great Escape, Apollo 13, Shrek and Braveheart.
The gala launch will take place on Saturday 4th April 2009 at the band's Spring Concert at Llantwit Major School.
Pre order your CDs by e mailing us at
mail@rafstathanvoluntaryband.co.uk
Band Dinner
The end of February saw the band hold its Annual Dinner. This year was a more informal occaission and was well attended by the band and their guests.As well as an occassion to get together and enjoy each others company away from the pressures of playing. It was also a time from the playing members of the band to vote on the awards.
These were presented by Alan Bourne, the bands Director of Music.
Double Award
The award for the Most Promising Player Under 18 was hottly contended with the band having a number of talented young players. However, it was the bands young tennor horn player, Camaron, who won on the day.Before Cam had a chance to sit down, he was also awarded with the Most Improved Player award and it was fully justified for the hard work he has put in over the year.
Player of the Year
Claire Bourne, the bands principal cornet, won the Player of the Year. Claire has performed at the highest standard all year and rarely missed a rehearsal or engagement.
Personality
Kevin Shanklin was awarded with the Band Personality Award for keeping us all entertained all year.The final award was the 'Band Bucket' for the outstanding contribution to redecoraing a toilet somewhere in conection to a band event. There were two candidates this year, but Harriot just piped Chris to the award much to his relief!
Goodbye
Finally, it was time to say sad farewell from us all to John Foley who retired from the band at the begining of the year. Alan presented John with an award to say 'thank you' for the time he has given to the band.It was just left for the party to continue until time was called and we were all sent home!
CD Recording
This January the band decided to record a new CD. The theme for the CD was film music and Alan and the band spent some time deciding which pieces of this vast genre would be included.With the support of the recording engineers and Tom Davoren, expanding on his many talents as conductor and composor, to help out as the producer for the weekend, the recording commenced.
Tom would sson be know as the man the band loved to hate, as his determination to get the best possible recording meant the call for 'just one more take' was often heard!
After a successful Saturday the band were ready for a well earned rest with the knowlegde that half the list of pieces were recorded.
Back for More
The band returned on the Sunday for another long day of hard work. After getting a few bruised lips back working, the recording was back in full flow.Despite the best efforts of the aircraft taking off on the newly reopened runway just outside, we managed to make headway through the various pieces still to record.
Just One Last Take!
The man the band loved to hate - Tom - asked for just one more take and, with very tired lips, we obliged.With the CD due for launch at the Spring Concert, we left in the knowledge that that last take would be worth it to produce a very good CD and all the hard work would be worth while.
End of Another Busy Christmas!
Monday 22nd saw the last Christmas engagement for the band in the 2008 season. The band has played approximately 28 concerts in December (and the end of November as well!). This year has seen the band play in churches, schools, fates, switching on of lights, old peoples homes and many other locations in the Vale, Cardiff and Bridgend.
Looking Forward to 2009
The band are now looking forward to a few days off before returning to rehearsal on the 5th January. Next year promises to be even more exciting than 2008. The band will be recording a CD in January and the Spring Concert will see its launch. At Easter the band will be travelling to Scotland for a tour hosted by the Dalmellington Band. If that is not enough, after securing the runners up spot in the Welsh League for 2008, the band has a lot of work to do on the contesting front to see if we can go one better in 2009.Merry Christmas everyone and see you in 2009!!
1st Section Runners Up 2008
With another good performance securing a top three spot in Treorchy on Saturday, the band has been awarded the runner's up cup for the Welsh League in the 1st Section.This is a great result after the year has seen the band say goodbye to some members as well as hello to some fresh faces as well as hello again one or two returning members!
It is a reflection of the hard work undertaken by all involved and hopefully an indication of things to come.
Now for a well earned rest ...with only 20 odd Christmas engagements, preparation for the CD recording in the New Year, practising Pentacle for the Areas, sorting out the tour to Scotland at Easter.... Did I say a well earned rest!!!
Bryn At the Football
As part of the various engagements the band undertake in the year, they are the official band for the Welsh FA. At the last match the band were joined in the anthem by Bryn Terfel.After posing with Nicole Cook and her gold medal, Cam jumped at the chance of adding another famous face to his photo collection!
70th Annual Concert
The band held a very successful event to celebrate the 70th Annual Concert.Although there were no takers for the Maestro competion the audience were not disappointed by the virtuosic display by the interationally renowned Tuba Soloist Steve Skyes. He entertained the audience (and the Band) with both spectacular fast pieces and quite beautiful slow melodic numbers.
Not to be out done, as well as accommpanying Steve, the band themselves played an enjoyable and varied programme.
At the end of the evening a number of people may well have discovered a side to the Tuba that they never knew existed!
St. Athan in the Top 200!
As an update to the last posting of 154 in the world rankings, the band has improved to 150 after 2nd in Ammanford.Nicole Cook Homecoming Party
30th August this year saw one of the most unusual events the Band has ever played at - in fact its true to say that a similar event had never taken place in Wales - ever!We were asked to play at the homecoming party of Wales' first ever female Gold Medal Olympian Nicole Cook.
Thousands Turn Out to Celebrate
So, on what was probably the only sunny day in the whole of August, a good twelve of us were positioned on the top deck of an antique open top bus, replete with Welsh Flags and Nicole's family, playing Congratulations (with even more fervour than the most ardent Cliff fan) to the assembled rural Vale and Several thousand well-wishers.Things went well until a pothole took out Lewis' upper teeth and the over hanging branches which give Broughton its unique and quirky atmosphere took off Claire's head and left Derrick with a distincly green hair do!
Conducting the Band
Sticking plaster in place, it was back to the marquee where the boys from Bridgend Male Choir were raising the tent pegs before the Band ended the proceedings with some stirring and uplifting Bernearts arrangements!Such was the emotion that Nicole herself came to conduct the Band.
Are you Sure you Don't Want to Swap
Despite an intense moment of instruction from Cameron, Nicole could not be persuaded to swap her gold medal for his tenor horn.Claire, Laura and David played a short fanfare before Nicole unveiled a ceremonial plaque at the Village Hall, then it was back on your bike to the pub.
Well done Nicole a smile and an autograph for everyone - and well done to the Band too. Roll on 2012 - we'll be available for that party too - shall we put it in our diaries now?
St Athan at the Eisteddfod
The band took its annual trip to the National Eisteddfod on Sunday 3rd August. The event this year is sited on Pontcanna Fields in Cardiff so for once there was no long bus trip to be made!!Against a sparse, but very strong field, the band took 2nd prize on the day from adjudicator Lloyd Landry.
The band's 20 minutes entertainment programme opened with Bleinheim Flourishes by James Curnow, then there was a superb rendition of "Virtuosity" by the band's principal cornet player, Claire Bourne followed by the etherial arrangement of John Rutter's "A Gaelic Blessing" followed by a high spirited performance of Serenata arranged by Mark Freeh and finishing with a rousing performance of the finale from Symphony No 4 by P I Tchaikovsky.
Congratulations to Tredegar Town Band who were in commanding form on the day and took 1st prize by 5 clear points.
St David's Hall Concert
The band took part in the "Bless 'em All" concert in St. David's Hall. The concert was hosted by Stan Stennett and a number of acts took the stage to help 'bring back those wartime & civvy street memories'!
Sunset
During the course of the 2nd half of the concert the band brought down the house with a moving performance of "Sunset" featuring Claire Bourne and Sarah Vice on cornets.The band finished the second half with a rousing rendition of "Marches On Parade" featuring the members of the cast for the final section of "Land of Hope & Glory".
RAF Voluntary Massed Band Concert
19 players from the band travelled to RAF Cosford early Saturday morning to participate in the massed band concert event. We arrived at Cosford in time for a quick lunch and then it was straight into rehearsals for the concert on Sunday. In fact, quick meals seemed to be the order of the day as we checked into our rooms and tried to get tea in one hour! However, the true professionals that we are, we made it back for rehearsal complete with indigestion for another two hours of rehearsals to run the programme.Saturday we had entertainment laid on for us in the Sergeant’s Mess, not the Squadronaires this time but a Horse Racing Night. Those of us who made the 1 ˝ mile trek were rewarded with cheap beer (Ł4.80 a round!) and a spectacular winning streak on the horses that lasted until the bar shut when we gambled everything on one horse and lost! On the return leg from the Sergeant’s Mess we picked up the rest of the girlies from Jax Club where serious amounts of socialising had taken place and we believe Rose taught everyone how to play crib whilst Alice was reliably lining up the shots in preparation for the next morning’s hangover. Alan Lewis spent his time inviting the entire bar to “come and stay at our house” all because they wanted to see where Gavin and Stacey live – I’m not entirely sure if Barry Island is ready for such an influx of clarinettists this Summer!
The Day Arrives with Snow!
Sunday morning inevitably started with bleary eyes and a hangover, all until we looked at the window to see a blanket of snow outside. The heat in the bandroom is nothing compared to the heat in the blocks at Cosford and the thought crossed many minds to roll in the snow outside to cool off – perhaps it was just as well we had those hangovers after all! Breakfast was served in the Junior Ranks Mess and all other than our Bandmaster made it to breakfast – even if John did get his as a takeaway. The look on the trumpet player from RAF Akrotiri’s face when Rose said she was looking for a single gentleman in the middle of the men’s block was a scream as he instantly declared he was available for entertaining any of the 7 ladies. It took all of Rose’s diplomacy to let him down gently!With time for a quick photo in the snow wearing our new tour t-shirts we headed off to Symphony Hall.
Last Rehersal!
The stage manager ran us all through our paces again, and again and again….. Then we headed back on stage for a quick (?) 4 hour rehearsal before heading up to level 4 for tea in style. All into uniforms, shoes polished, shirts personally ironed by Rose, epaulettes fitted, belts adorned, hair scraped back, fringes adjusted, Kay had time to just quickly trim hers and ties smartly done – we then looked like a bunch of bus drivers – except for Alan Lewis who seriously considered a quick shift as a security guard. Time for more photos and last minute touching up, Alice did a great audition for the next Star Trek movie with the biggest plasters imaginable covering her studs, but we were finally ready for the off.
First Half
The concert kicked off with the most spectacular rendition of the National Anthem with massed band of 142 (we know because Rose counted us all on Saturday afternoon) and a very talented young organist from the Birmingham Conservatoire and 6 VBIs plying fanfare trumpets up in the choir stalls. Following on from that we headed into safer territory with the RAF Regiment March Holyrood followed by Suppe’s Light Cavalry both directed by Jon Teague from Cosford Band. Then it was the first feature of the evening and Claire got up to join 6 other cornet players to play The Three Jolly Airmen. At this point a Pipe Band lead by the pipers from RAF Halton took the stage and quite literally electrified the theatre with a superb display. Throughout the evening Jim Bowen acted as compere and quite literally had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand, although I’m not quite sure how he got away with the shearing the sheep joke! Next we were in familiar hands when our own Alan Bourne came onto stage for the first time and we played John Williams’ highly emotive music from the film Saving Private Ryan, the band rewarded Alan’s persistence with some of the best playing all night with spine tingling piano sections that can only be achieved with the breath of sound that a band that size can give. Next it was RAF Wyton’s turn to shine and they turned to their own VBI Graham Sheldon and their percussionist come crooner Brad Appleby who came out to the front to thrill the ladies in the audience with Can’t Take That Away From Me. Next James Gray from RAF Kinloss returned to the helm to orchestrate the band’s Great Escape, where all our players finally got to play some music that we knew – hurrah! Our featured soloist for the evening was Belinda Evans, a runner up in the Maria contest on tv recently, who was quite simply sublime. With one of the smoothest soprano voices I have ever heard live she absolutely blew us away with a set including Gershwin and the operatic aria O Mio Babino Caro. To conclude the first half the band was led by Dave Jackson to play Children of Sanchez featuring Matt the principal trumpet player from Halton Band on Flugel Horn.
Second Half
The second half ran straight on with the Dambusters and then the pipes returned to stage once more. Then Michael Pegram from RAF Holton took to the stage and directed the band through Clarinet Candy featuring 7 Clarinettists who displayed the virtuosic capabilities of the instrument. The principal Clarinet player from RAF Wyton was on form all evening and also played a cadenza in the Suppe in the fist half. Time then to return to the leadership of Graham Sheldon and the band played an absolute gem of an arrangement of a selection from the stage show Chicago, much embellished by Graham’s wobbly belly trick! Belinda Evans joined with the band in this half to sing a war song tribute including The Army, The Navy and The Airforce, A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square and The White Cliffs of Dover all arranged and conducted by Michael Pegram. Jim Adair flew all the way from RAF Akotiri in Cyprus and conducted The Luftwaffe March from “The Battle of Britain” and managed the massed band with incredible nerve given that his band in Cyprus is somewhat smaller in number! Time then to welcome back the newest of the VBIs in Tom Milford who leads the band in a quite literally roaring piece (we all had to mimic jungle animals at one point!) featuring our own Flautist Joyce along with 2 others to perform a lengthy and challenging Flute break in the middle. The finale arrived and we were really pleased to see Alan Bourne back to lead us through the final three pieces. Highland Cathedral featuring organ, fanfare trumpets, pipers and massed band was an awesome sight and gave Claire and Sarah a chance to disappear backstage and on up to level 4 where we added to the display with Paul from RAF Cosford band to play the bugle call in the Sunset whilst members of the RAF Regiment ceremonially lowered the flag with precision timing.
