Flowers Band 11/19/24 Flowers Band 11/19/24

Brass in Concert Championships 2024 - As it Happened!

On Saturday Flowers made the long journey to Gateshead to compete at the 2024 Brass in Concert Championships. This annual event is a real highlight of our year as it’s so different from our other contests. At other contests all bands play a set major test piece whereas at Brass in Concert bands bring a unique programme, plus choreography, props, and audio-visual effects to maximise the entertainment factor. This year was a sell-out, and we were delighted to perform to a packed house of 1,500 at the Glasshouse International Centre of Music.

Our programme this year was entitled ‘Game On’ and took inspiration from different eras of video games, from early 8-bit arcade games through to modern virtual reality experiences. We commissioned an international cast of composers to create five new works for the band, and we were thrilled with their innovative and varied approaches.

We opened our programme with ‘Press Start’ by Lucy Pankhurst, inspired by ‘Pong’ which was one of the very first video games. It started with sound effects that seamlessly blend into a full band sound, and the music becomes faster and more frenetic as we moved through the levels of the game. It even featured some DIY percussion instruments that made laser-like noises to sound like Space Invaders! We thoroughly enjoyed working with Lucy in 2023 on her award-winning ‘Time for Tea’ and it was wonderful playing her music again this year.

We’re taking suggestions for what to call this new instrument… the laser bucket?

Our second piece was ‘Quest for Coin’ by Daniel Hall. The audience were transported into a game of Mario Kart with carefully coordinated video, lighting effects and music. The writing evokes the nostalgia of 80s and 90s platform games, with the players collecting coins and dodging banana peels. As we reached the final lap we waved the chequered flag and sped to the finish while MD Paul Holland threw Mario and Luigi toys into the audience as keepsakes of our performance.

Soprano Paul Richards was our featured soloist, performing ‘Beyond the Veil’ by Thibaut Bruniaux. This is an expansive and lyrical solo which evokes the worlds created in games like Legend of Zelda and Skyrim: imagine magical forests, epic landscapes and breath-taking night skies. Paul is renowned for his quality of sound and musicality and this shone through in this performance. He created an incredible atmosphere in the hall; you could hear a pin drop as he paused momentarily before taking a breath for his final note. The audience erupted with applause, a very deserved reception for our super sop.

Our penultimate number was ‘Guitar Zero’ by Belgian Composer Stijn Aertgeerts, inspired by a game with an almost identical name (but not quite!). This was one for the classic rock fans, as Stijn cleverly wove in so many iconic songs: from ‘Sweet Child Of Mine’ to ‘I Love Rock and Roll’, ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and ‘Through the Fire and Flames’. Each section of the band was out of their seats for a feature, and the whooping and whistling response to each section made us feel like real pop stars!

We closed our programme with ‘Fractured Reality’ by Dan Price. Imagine a world where the lines between reality and the virtual are so blurred, you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. Dan Price created this soundscape with a combination of electronic sounds and band; truly innovative writing that pushes our medium forwards. The cornets were spread around the stage to create antiphonal effects to add to the immersive quality of the performance. We’ve worked with Dan on many occasions and we were delighted to collaborate with him again for this year’s programme.

It was soon time for the results, and we gathered in the foyer of the Glasshouse with members of the other ten competing bands and the audience to hear the inimitable Frank Renton make the announcements.

First up were the individual and section awards, selected by adjudicator Stephen Cobb. We were elated to hear two of our own announced as winners. We are hugely proud of Lauren Chinn for winning The Bennett Family Trophy for Best Flugel Horn, and of Luke Barker for winning The Harry Mortimer Trophy for Best Principal Cornet! We are privileged to hear their playing at rehearsals week in week out, and it’s fantastic to see their talent recognised at the highest level against extremely tough competition.

Next up was the audience prize, voted for by audience members in the hall and viewing via the livestream online. We were thrilled to be announced as the winners of this coveted award, for the first time ever! It is extremely uplifting to hear that our programme resonated so strongly with audience members, especially as we shall be performing it at many of our concerts over the next year. Thank you so much to everyone who voted, your support means the world to us.

Finally the overall placings, which were counted down from 6th to 1st. We were awarded 3rd place which equals our best ever result, matching our podium placings from 2019, 2021 and 2023. Congratulations to our friends at Cory and Brighouse and Rastrick, who took 1st and 2nd place respectively. This means that in 2024 we have been awarded with a podium placing at every contest performance we have given.

Thank you so much to the organisers for putting on another tremendous event. We always enjoy our trip to Gateshead, and we look forward to next year. We are also grateful to the World of Brass team for producing another wonderful live stream event. You can watch our performance on replay on their Wobplay platform.

A quick bit of sightseeing on the way home!

Thanks to Ceri-Ann who portrayed our 80s gamer, telling the story between each item of the programme through interacting with our visual timeline, before dashing back into the action in our percussion section. Thanks also to our creative team who made the props, including our custom arcade machine, and the video effects - there are too many to name individually but their contributions were invaluable.

Thank you to all our supporters for following along and encouraging us to keep performing at the highest level. We love what we do, and we couldn’t do it with your support.

Flowers Band 10/13/24 Flowers Band 10/13/24

Flowers Band become National Champions of Great Britain

After our 2nd place at the British Open and qualification to represent England at The European Championships, we thought this year couldn’t get any better for us. How wrong we were!

Following qualification from the West of England Regional Championships in March this year, the Flowers Band set upon Kensington to compete at the National Brass Band Championships, held at the iconic Royal Albert Hall.

*Who would add their name to these legendary trophies?*

Twenty of the finest bands in Great Britain were set the task of performing Peter Graham’s “Harrison’s Dream”, a highly popular piece within the brass band community but a fearsome test at the highest level. The band had an aura of confidence around the stands following our 2nd place at the British Open Championships, but there are so many variables on contest day that can make the task of claiming the trophy more challenging, most notably the draw on the morning of the contest.

As part of the contest morning, the band’s percussion section travelled across to the Royal Albert Hall at 8am to test the instruments that they will be performing on later in the day. Simultaneously, the draw was made to determine the order of play. Statistics show that bands drawn between 14 and 17 have historically placed the best, so the band waited eagerly to see how the day was due to unfold.

At 8:20am we had the message through to say that we had been drawn to play number 17, making for a happy atmosphere in rehearsal!

As much as this felt like a great draw for the band, it did mean that we had a long period of time to wait until playing on the famous stage. The band is a close-knit group of people, so a large portion of the band went for lunch together before returning for our afternoon rehearsal. The band sounded in fine form, and the bus journey over to the hall was full of laughter and excitement. Credit to our bus driver, Barry, for pulling off one of the most impressive three point turns you could ever wish to see on the busy Kensington Gore!

As the band walked on stage and took in the sights of the magnificent hall, the generous welcome from the crowd turned to silence as our musical director, Paul Holland, lifted the baton ready to start the performance…

The opening of the piece starts with rhythmic percussion and technically demanding semi-quaver runs in the cornet section; a truly fearsome start to a test piece. As the percussion section created energy and drive, the cornet section followed with accuracy and flair. There was a growing feeling of collective confidence, this had been a great start to the performance.

Paul Holland is a master of creating energy and rhythmic clarity in the faster music, and this performance continued in characteristic fashion. Bristling with energy and precision, the piece then transitions into more sensitive material, featuring many of the band’s soloists. Luke Barker on principal cornet has established himself as one of the finest principal cornet players, and was collected and cool on the fiendish exposed lines to open the slow movement, matched perfectly by solo horn Emily Evans.

“Harrison’s Dream” contains a particularly challenging euphonium part, with the task falling to our principal euphonium, Daniel Thomas. As per the rehearsals leading up to the contest, Dan made this sound so easy, making for a truly special moment on stage.

*Flowers Band on that most famous of stages.*

The band drove to the end of the piece in similar fashion to the opening, unrelenting in tempi and crystal clear in detail. As the band made the final crescendo to the end, Paul Holland cut the band off to be met by rapturous applause and standing ovations. A remarkable feeling, and very welcome confirmation from the audience that the performance had found favour in the hall!

As we were drawn late, we had only a short period of time to fill before the results were announced. In typical brass band fashion, we made our way to the pub for a couple of well-earned pints to take the edge off before results. It was great to meet up with friends from other bands that were competing on the day, as well as spending more quality time with members of Flowers. As the phrase goes, “time flies when you’re having fun”, and it was soon time to head back to the Royal Albert Hall ready for the results.

It has almost become part of the contest day that players will follow 4barsrest.com to hear how other bands have performed, as well as keeping up with timings of the day. Following the performance of the band drawn to play number 20, the post-contest predictions were posted, with Flowers predicted to take the honours. This is often met with excitement, but also a feeling that this may be the kiss of death!

As the results were announced from 6th to 2nd place, we had not yet heard “the band drawn to play number 17” announced. The collective excitement started to build, knowing that this was an “all or nothing” moment. This excitement was compounded when Daniel Thomas on principal euphonium was announced as the most outstanding player of the day. A truly deserved accolade for an outstanding player.

*Nicola Bland (Kapitol Promotions) presenting the award for "Most Outstanding Player to Dan Thomas.*

The words that we had been waiting to hear arrived, Flowers Band are the National Champions of Great Britain! This is the first time in our history that we have won a major contest, and the first time that a band from the West of England area has claimed the famous trophy.

As the players of the band made their way to the stage, there were hugs and tears aplenty as the magnitude of this achievement became apparent. This is not just a victory for the Flowers Band of today, but is a culmination of all the hard work of past band members since the band’s founding in 1968.

We are so proud to represent Gloucester and the West of England, and this win means so much to us all. Every player had the opportunity for a photo with the trophy, before returning to the pub to continue the celebrations. There were plenty of sore heads the following day!

Closing thoughts from the adjudicators

"A wonderful performance with great playing and a masterful interpretation – the band really ‘tell the story’.

Thank you - Dr Stephen Cobb”

“Maybe not perfect – but the errors are so minor they should not detract from what was an awesome performance in so many ways. Exceptional clarity in the external sections and then so much beauty in the middle section. Brilliant! - Rob Wiffin OBE”

“Thank you so much for this performance of pure brilliance and wonderful soloists. So much detail so secure. So sensitive and musical. Bravo to the band, soloists and MD!!! - Arsene Duc”

To cap off an incredible weekend, it was a wonderful moment to see the trophy being placed in it’s new home, a welcome addition to the trophy display in the bandroom. As a band we are very excited to rehearse in front of that trophy for at least the next twelve months!

All at Flowers Band would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of kind messages of support and congratulations, every single one of them has been greatly appreciated.

Flowers Band 9/11/24 Flowers Band 9/11/24

The British Open 2024 - As it happened!

On Saturday 7th July, Flowers made the short journey up the M5 to Birmingham to compete at the 170th British Open Championships. This is arguably the most prestigious contest of the season, with 18 of the finest bands in the world taking part. Following a strong preparation period and victories in Torquay and Amboise this year, the band were in good spirits as we entered the contest weekend.

This year’s test piece was a new commission for the occasion, ‘The Lost Circle’ by Belgian composer Jan Van der Roost. It depicts the story of the building of Stonehenge, from a stormy atmospheric opening over ancient Wales through to the moving of the stones and their final assembly in Wiltshire.

It is detailed writing with many layers of sound to balance across the ensemble, and it proved a test for both players and conductors alike. We thoroughly enjoyed the preparation, and were delighted to see so many of you at our open rehearsal - thank you so much for your support of the band.

The morning of the contest arrived and we waited for the draw that would decide the order the bands would play. Thus followed the typical analysis and speculation about what is considered to be a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ draw, and which positions have statistically been more likely to place highest come the end of the day. We were drawn to play as band number 4, which is rather earlier than we may have liked. This meant we were straight into action warming up and preparing our extra percussion for the short walk to the contest venue.

We walked onto stage just before 11.30am to present our rendition of ‘The Lost Circle’ to a packed crowd at Symphony Hall. Months of preparation and it all comes down to around 18 minutes of music on stage.

As we hit the final chord the hall erupted with rapturous applause, with many acknowledging our performance with a standing ovation. Thank you to everyone who was in Symphony Hall who gave us such an enthusiastic and noisy response - you truly have given us a memory that we will never forget. Thanks also to those who were watching online and sent us congratulatory messages; we read and appreciated every single one.

Our full performance is available to watch on demand on streaming platform wobplay. Wobplay is a fantastic streaming service that has thousands of top quality brass band recordings available for a low monthly subscription cost, so if you are looking for your daily dose of brass bands, this is the place to go!

Once we had played we had many hours ahead of us to relax and celebrate our performance. We headed to our favourite pub to enjoy a few beers, also taking the opportunity to catch up with friends from other bands. As we were drawn so early in the day, the Figure of 8 Wetherspoons certainly did a roaring trade!

After the 18th and final band had performed there was a short wait for the results. We were fancied by audience members and some commentators to do well, but nothing is set in stone until the adjudicators have spoken.

Our long-standing soprano cornet player, Paul Richards, was awarded the Best Soprano Cornet award. Paul has been a beacon of excellence in banding for many years and we could not be more thrilled to see him recognised on the grandest of stages. The screams that sounded with this announcement could have been heard all the way back in Gloucester!

After the solo prizes came the announcements of the overall band standings. David Hayward announced the prizes from 6th to 1st, and with each placing the tension builds. Once we’d reached 3rd many of the big names had already been called. We were still waiting to hear ours, hardly daring to hope that we might find our name in the top 2 placings for the first time in our history.

“In second place, the band that was drawn to play number… 4. Flowers”!

We are extraordinarily proud to share that we were awarded British Open 2024 Runners-Up, second only to the Swiss and double European Champions Brass Band Treize Etoiles. Not only is this a historic best placing for Flowers, surpassing our previous highest of third in 2014, as the top placed English band we also achieved qualification for the European Championships in Linz, Austria in 2026. This is a first for the Flowers Band, and it will be 41 years since a West of England Band last appeared at the Europeans when we take our turn in 2026. Another historic fact is that it is 30 years since any English band has qualified for the European Championships for the first time, so this means that we really have thrust ourselves into the history books!

Anne Crookston said in her spoken remarks that there were “two sublime pieces of storytelling” on the day, and in her written comments “what a thrill - bravo MD and band - so much colour and character throughout - superb!”

Stephen Cobb described our playing as: “A really wonderful performance - all soloists outstanding and a reading that I thoroughly enjoyed”.

Luc Vertommen summarised with: “Breathtaking technical precision - world class performance with no weak links. Very, very special - so emotional in the slow music. Only total admiration for this cultured colourful performance”.

Everyone at Flowers would extend our congratulations to our friends at Treize Etoiles for their famous win, as well as Black Dyke, Grimethorpe, Foden’s and KDNS Fairey for their top 6 positions.

We could not do what we do on stage without the immense efforts of our Musical Director, Paul Holland, and our amazing support team of Karin Lythell (Librarian), Michael James (Chairman), Clare Smith (Treasurer and Contest Secretary) and Gregor Spence (Band Manager) and the wider committee and helpers. Thank you all.

To get us to Linz for the 2026 European Championships, there is going to be a monumental fundraising effort needed. If anyone would like to support the band in some way then please do get in touch with manager@flowers.band to discuss how your gift can help us.

After a few days of celebration we will be returning to the band room to resume rehearsals for our appearance the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall in London in October. Tickets are on sale through the Royal Albert Hall Website.

Your next opportunity to hear the band is at Reading Town Hall on Saturday 28th September. The concert programmes includes a preview of the Nationals test piece ‘Harrison’s Dream’ as well as a new work from the pen of Philip Harper for our solo euphonium, Dan Thomas.

Buy now!

Flowers Band 6/11/24 Flowers Band 6/11/24

French Open - 2024

C’est magnifique! Flowers are French Open Champions

Last Friday, the band set off from Gloucester in the early hours of the morning for Amboise in France. This was a welcome return to the French Open, a contest where we have had much success in the past, including at our last appearance in 2019.

We were blessed with beautiful weather and still waters for the ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Caen, and arrived in Amboise in the early evening in time to see the sunset and a handful of air balloons flying overhead. We took a couple of hours to explore the picturesque town centre and have dinner in the shadow of the castle, before heading to our hotel for some much needed rest.

We were up bright and early Saturday morning for a short rehearsal at the local music school, before heading to our first of three events: an indoor contest performance at the Beaumarchais Theatre. We opened our programme with ‘Into the Sky’ by Stephen Bulla, followed by our featured soloist Dan Thomas (principal euphonium) performing the 3rd movement of Vladimir Cosma’s euphonium concerto to rapturous applause. We closed our programme with the set test piece ‘Heroes’ by Bruce Broughton. We enjoyed preparing this exciting test piece, which was previously used for the 2021 National Finals.

The contest performance was live streamed and is now available to replay on YouTube (from 3 hours 27 minutes). Listen here.

After the indoor contest we were taken to a local restaurant for a well-earned lunch, before being whisked onto the next event: an outdoor march contest. This is a great spectacle as bands walk through the town centre flanked by crowds of enthusiastic brass fans, before playing their contest march for the adjudicators right in front of the Chateau d’Amboise.

We entertained the locals with a brief rehearsal in the car park before heading into town for the competition. Our MD Paul Holland chose Army of the Nile as our street march, and The Cossack for our contest march. Listen here.

Last, but certainly not least, we moved on to the venue for the evening’s Gala Concert, which closed the weekend’s proceedings. We chose a varied programme of entertaining music, including ‘The Incredibles’, an ABBA medley, three pieces from our 2021 BiC ‘Monopoly’ set, and the finale from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 4.

We featured four of our soloists in the concert: Paul Richards (soprano cornet) played Philip Sparke’s ‘Flowerdale’; Lauren Chinn (flugel) chose the Irish air ‘Magh Seola’; Matt Rowe (solo baritone) performed ‘Napoli’ arr. Geoffrey Brand; and Chris Thomas (solo trombone) selected ‘Bluebells of Scotland’ arr. Derek Broadbent. Each and every one of them was magnificent, and they received enthusiastic applause and much whooping from the audience.

The results were announced in the interval of the Gala Concert. We were absolutely delighted to be named overall champions, with an outstanding score of 119 out of 120 for the morning contest. We also took home the first prize in the march competition (with a score of 97 out of 100) and Dan Thomas received a splendid early birthday present in the solo prize.

The adrenaline carried us through the second half of the concert, including two encores: band favourites ‘Bright Lights Big City’ and ‘Toccata in D’. We then headed off to Le Shaker to celebrate into the night.

The band will be taking a few days off to recover before we get stuck into rehearsals on the British Open test piece: ‘The Lost Circle’ by Jan van der Roost. Tickets are on sale now for this iconic competition in Birmingham on 7th September.

Flowers Band 4/21/24 Flowers Band 4/21/24

April - ConsTest & Morley!

April with Flowers
It has been just over a month since we were crowned West of England Champions in Torquay, and we’ve been busy! Since then, we’ve continued our performing around the country with concerts in Birmingham and Morley, and we’ll soon be in Badminton, and Newbury.

ConsTest Gala Concert

ConsTest is a relatively new brass band competition in the Midlands which was founded by our former second cornet player Mikey Foley-Hall. Mikey started this all section own-choice test piece contest while studying at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and its first iteration received such excellent feedback from the banding community that he brought it back this year. Although Mikey has moved home to West Yorkshire since finishing his studies, he remains a very good friend of the band, and we were absolutely delighted to support the event by performing a pre-results gala concert.

We thoroughly enjoyed performing our ‘Alice in Wonderland’ set again, featuring Brass in Concert 2023 ‘Best Soloist’ Emily Evans on tenor horn with Curiouser and Curiouser by Lucy Pankhurst. We took full advantage of the facilities at the Bradshaw Hall, incorporating props and multimedia presentation to transport the audience to the world of Wonderland.

We also featured soprano cornet soloist Paul Richards, who chose to play Flowerdale by Philip Sparke, one of the most iconic pieces in the soprano cornet repertoire.. Paul occupies legendary status in the banding community for his superb sound, and this performance certainly lived up to the expectation, the applause continuing for some considerable time after the final note of the piece.

The event was professionally recorded by NXTOD, and you can listen to the full 45 minute performance for £2.99 on their website. In addition to the livestream, there was a photographer on hand and we’d like to say a huge thank you to Evie from Redfern Reels for the fantastic shots she captured!

All at Flowers would like to congratulate Mikey and the entire organising team for another hugely successful contest, as well as the overall winners Sovereign Brass. We hope the event will return again in 2025.

Morley Town Hall

We were thrilled to be invited back to Morley Town Hall as part of the Leeds International Concert Series. It has been a few years since our last visit ‘up north’ to Morley and we always love performing to this enthusiastic and discerning crowd of brass band fans.

Our MD Paul Holland chose a diverse and demanding set of music for this concert including our quintet of ‘Alice’ pieces commissioned especially for the band, the Finale from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 4, and the British Open 2023 test piece Sand and Stars by Thierry Deleruyelle.

Our programme included solos for four principal players: Luke Barker (cornet) gave a stunning rendition of Tom Davoren’s Alaw; Emily Evans (tenor horn) resumed her role as ‘Alice’ making incredibly challenging music sound easy; Chris Thomas (trombone) gave a superbly controlled and stylish performance of Stardust; and Dan Thomas (euphonium) closed the show with the flamboyant and exciting Carnival of Venice.

Thank you to everyone in the audience for your kind words and generous applause. We hope to be back again soon!

What’s next?

Flowers will return to Badminton Horse Trials this year, at which we hope we’ll be blessed by better weather than last year’s downpours! We’ll be performing in the showjumping arena, and will once again perform the National Anthem of the winning rider. If you are there on the day, please do say hello.

Badminton Horse Trials 2023… lets hope for a sunnier day!

Newbury Spring Festival

Our next concert performance will be at Newbury Spring Festival on Sunday 19th May. This is another opportunity to hear Sand and Stars, ‘Alice’ as well as a major work by Paul Mealor. Newbury Spring Festival is a very prestigious event, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra performing there the night before us, so please do come along and show your support for the band at what is shaping up to be a truly fantastic concert!

Get your tickets now!

Flowers Band 3/14/24 Flowers Band 3/14/24

West of England Regional Championships 2024 - Retrospective

As many of our supporters know, a big part of our rehearsal time across the year is spent in preparation for contests. We usually compete in around 4 or 5 major competitions per year, and the first of these for 2024 took place on Sunday 10th March.

As you can see from the photo above, it was a successful outing for the band!

The brass banding competition scene in the United Kingdom is split into 8 regions, and we fall under the West of England region. Every spring each region hosts its “Area” contest, which decides who is promoted and demoted in the following year between the 5 sections of banding (Championship, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th), as well as the qualifiers for the National Finals in the following autumn.

For the 2024 Regional Championships, the Championship Section Test Piece selected for all bands to play was Philip Sparke’s “Variations on an Enigma”.

The piece was commissioned by Howard Snell for the Desford band and was premiered by them in 1986.

“The ‘Enigma’ is a short snatch of a phrase taken from a well-known brass band test piece - a phrase which caught the imagination of the composer who took it as the basis of a sort of concerto for band with each section featured in turn. First the cornets have their turn, with a ‘moto perpetuo’, and they are followed by the horns and flugel whose variation is delicate and decorative. Trombones follow, each having there own tune in turn and then combining them together. Euphoniums and baritones have an expressive funeral march which is interrupted by percussion and basses who share a rhythmic, syncopated variation. A climax is reached and this is followed by a fugue (based on the theme) against which snatches of the preceding variations appear. The fugue heralds what turns out to be the theme on which all the variations are based, appearing in full at last, whose first five notes are derived from the ‘enigma’ theme. The piece ends with an emphatic final statement by the timpani.” Philip Sparke

It was previously set as the Regionals Test Piece in the year 2000, and Flowers won the contest that day, so there was a high bar already set for us.

The contest took place in Torquay on Sunday 10th March, and the band met at around 11:30am, waiting for our draw which was to be done at noon.

The phone rang and we were told we had been drawn to play as band number 9 in a section of 11, and that we would be on stage at around 6pm. This was our latest draw at the event in over a decade, and very welcome indeed not to appear in the first half!

We met for a quick rehearsal at 3:30pm, before leisurely making our way over to the venue.

We went on stage at The Torquay Riviera Centre, and gave our performance to a packed hall. Fantastic applause and cheering greeted us after the last note, and we knew that we had given a strong performance, but so had several other bands, so we couldn’t count on the result we were looking for.

Around 7:30pm and it was time for the results. This is always a nail-biting experience, made even stronger by the fact that we have received 2nd place at the previous 3 “Area” contests. We were very eager to take a win home to Gloucester!

Major David Barringer, one of the two judges for the contest, gave his speech which commended the bands for tackling a tough piece, and commenting that the standard had been higher than expected. He then went on to say that there had been some discussion needed to sort out some of the mid-table placings, but that the winner and the runners-up had been clear.

The placings were called, and as it came to the announcement of the band in 2nd place, we were all on eggshells! Aldbourne Band were announced the runners-up, and shortly after we were proclaimed as the winning band. This means that in October, we will represent the West of England at the Royal Albert Hall at the National Finals alongside our friends, Aldbourne. This is the 27th qualification that Flowers has received for the National Finals, and the 23rd for the Championship Section of which the first was in 1991.

Our long-suffering librarian Karin putting up with the antics of troublemaker Kelvin!

We are so thrilled to have won the contest, and it is a great testament to the hard work and effort that all of our players put in. In the ever eloquent words of our Musical Director, Paul, “Very pleased with that”.

If you would like to listen to our winning performance, and all other performances from the day, they can be found on the wobplay platform. We would strongly recommend taking out a wobplay subscription, as there is such wealth of music and entertainment to be found on the platform. Click below to find out more.

WOBPLAY

Thank you to all of our supporters and friends for their wonderful comments and messages, it really means the world to the band to have your support. We look ahead now to several high profile engagements, and you can find out more on our engagements tab, here on the website.

Flowers Band 12/24/23 Flowers Band 12/24/23

Flowers Festive Round Up - 2023

Festive Round Up - 2023

2023 has been one of the busiest years in the band’s history, and December was no exception! Contest season may be over, however we have been continuing our hard work in both the rehearsal room and on the concert stage.

Album Recording with Brett Baker

On the first weekend of December we were once again in the recording studio, accompanying renowned trombonist Brett Baker for his upcoming album, ‘Light Fantastic.’ Brett is a former solo trombone of the Flowers Band, and it was wonderful to welcome him back to work with him once again.

The programme included major works including Trombone Concerto’s by Derek Bourgeois, Philip Wilby, and Dorothy Gates, in addition to lighter repertoire from the pens of Tom Davoren, Rob Wiffin, Philip Sparke, and Peter Graham. We will write to you again once the album is released next year!

Sing-Along Carol Concert - HR Champions

A literal stone’s throw from our bandroom in Gloucester, at the historic Blackfriars Priory, we were very pleased to work with local business, HR Champions, who asked us to perform for their Sing-Along Carol Concert in aid of Young Gloucestershire. The charity is based in the building directly opposite our base at Gloucester Academy of Music. They do fantastic work with people across the county, supporting young people’s mental health, growing skills and providing education, and helping people to find community. We are thrilled to say that the evening raised in excess of £2,200 for this wonderful cause.

The audience enthusiastically sang along to our accompaniment of traditional carols, and later in the evening they joined in festive karaoke to popular Christmas tunes, compèred brilliantly by our MD Paul Holland.

We’ve been sent some wonderful photos from the concert, so check those out below!

cAROLLING

In amongst our full band schedule we found time for some carolling, entertaining the shoppers at Gloucester Services. Thank you to passers-by for your generous donations. We are a charity, with no public funding or sponsorship, and rely on donations and concert income to meet our costs, and the boost around the festive season really does make a difference.

Thank you to the players who chose to do this in their spare time to raise extra money for the band; Luke (cornet), Lauren (flugel/cornet), Clare (tenor horn), Matt (euphonium) and Gregor (Eb bass), Coco (sleigh bells), Karin (Bucket).

Maggie’s Candlelight Carol Concert

We were delighted to be invited back to perform to a capacity crowd of over 600 at Maggie’s Cancer Care’s annual fundraising concert in Cheltenham. Our set included band favourites such as ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘Santa Claus-trophobia’, plus a solo from bass trombonist Pete Richards and a handful of carols. Maggie’s is a fantastic charity that does so much in our local community, and it is a pleasure to support them each year. We believe in excess of £10,000 was raised at the event, which we were so proud to have been a part of.

Pershore

Pershore is a small town with such a great love for brass banding! We were thrilled to be back at Number 8 Arts Centre for the second time this year, performing a set which included music from Christmas films (Polar Express, Frozen, and by popular demand - ET) and a solo from Lauren Chinn on flugel.

We took the opportunity while we had a friendly and supportive audience to present our annual band awards. Congratulations to all winners.

Cheltenham

Our final concert of the year was an almost sell-out appearance at the Bacon Theatre in Cheltenham. We added a few different pieces to a programme of Christmas favourites, including Eric Ball’s ‘Kingdom Triumphant’ and ‘100% Christmas’ by David Johnson. We always enjoy performing here to such an enthusiastic audience; we hope you enjoyed the audience participation of voting for your favourite ‘whinny’ in Sleigh Ride!

We were delighted to be joined once again by the Beauregard Academy choirs, lead by Vicki Beauregard, who impress us every year with their beautiful singing. Thanks also to Nat who volunteered to join us on a surprise instrument (sleigh bells) for our encore of Jingle Bells.

We enjoy this concert so much that we’ve already secured the date for next year on Thursday 19th December 2024! You can get your tickets now with an Early Bird discount.

Book now to secure your discount!

Thank you to all of you who have supported our concerts this festive season; your enthusiasm and generosity so hugely appreciated by all of the band. From all of us at Flowers, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and send our very best wishes for 2024. We hope to see you soon!

Flowers Band 12/17/23 Flowers Band 12/17/23

Flowers Band Annual Awards 2023

Annual Awards 2023

Every year, we present several awards to members of the band to acknowledge outstanding contributions in various ways. Our 2023 awards were presented on Saturday 16th December at our Christmas concert in the lovely Number 8 Arts Centre, Pershore.

Player of the Year - eMILY eVANS

Chosen by our musical director, this award recognises outstanding playing contributions throughout the year. This year, the award went to our Solo Horn player Emily Evans.

She has had a really memorable year, with several playing highlights. Earlier in the year, she recorded Mike Sheppard’s Horn Concerto, a piece written for her, on our Album, DA Vinci. She gave stunning performances at The British Open and at The National Finals, but the year was topped off when Emily won “Best Soloist” at Brass in Concert. She is only the second tenor horn player in the 46 years of the contest to win the award, and the band are hugely proud of her.

Dave Lee Memorial Award - Dominic Gardner

The Dave Lee Memorial Award was first presented in 2022. Dave Lee was a member of the band for several years, playing back row cornet. He sadly passed away last year due to cancer, at a tragically young age, and the band created the award to pay tribute to him. This award recognises the contributions of a player who sits on an inner part, who may not often have the chance to shine on solo playing, but who makes an exceptional and invaluable contribution all the same. Our 2023 winner is our 2nd trombonist Dominic Gardner.

Dom joined us around two years ago, coming from City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Band. Since then, he has covered the solo trombone chair at several concerts, including at Three Choirs Festival, and really is a huge asset to the band.

Bandsman of the Year - Clare Smith

To run a brass band, there is a huge amount of administrative work that must be carried out, from logistics, to scheduling, to finances, and so much more. The Bandsman of the Year Award recognises an exceptional contribution in this field.

This years winner is Clare Smith. Clare is the player in the band with the longest continuous service, having joined in 2008. For the last few years, she has made a truly invaluable contribution as Treasurer and Committee Member. The role of Treasurer is hugely time consuming, and is a daunting responsibility, and we are hugely grateful to Clare for carrying out the role for the band.

It must also be mentioned that Clare has an unofficial role within the band, as ‘Band Mum,’ as Clare often finds herself looking after younger players (most are in their mid 20’s now but still appreciate the mothering!).

Section of the Year - Percussion Section

Coco Chan - Ceri-Ann Townsend - Jamie Nuss

The Section of the Year Award is chosen by our Musical Director, Paul. This year, the winners are our fabulous Percussion Section!

From tackling fiendishly difficult parts in test pieces this year, to playing new and bizarre instruments such as teacups and saucers, and the infamous ‘Bullroarer’ from The British Open, the Percussion Section really have done an amazing job.

Congratulations to Coco Chan, Ceri-Ann Townsend, and Jamie Nuss.

Players’ Player Award- Emily Evans

Arguably the most coveted award, as it is voted for by band members, Players’ Player recognises outstanding contributions as seen by other players. This year, there were nominations for 9 different members of the band, which speaks to the calibre of player we are so lucky to have.

This year’s winner is Emily Evans!

As if winning ‘Best Soloist’ at Brass in Concert, Player of the Year, and Players’ Player of the Year wasn’t enough, Emily is also nominated in the 4barsrest Awards 2023, for Player of the Year!

Congratulations to all award winners, they are richly deserved!