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Hepworth Runners Up At
2009 English National Championships
The band, directed by Ian Porthouse finished runners-up to the Black Dyke band at this years English National Championships at Preston Guildhall.
Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s "Within Blue Empires" proved to be both accessible and popular. Open and transparent, full of melody with treacherous technical hurdles the work was a formidable challenge for every band.
According to 4Bars Rest..."The band delivered a highly polished account, full of colour, excitement and the underlying feeling that they had worked their socks off in preparation."
"All that hard graft allied to a controlled interpretation from Ian Porthouse, was clearly defined and balanced, aided by a superb euphonium lead by James Fieldhouse and detailed ensemble. To come runner up for the seconnd time in three years is no mean feat in anyone’s book - Hepworth is now a band to fear at all the major contests."
Four contests and four 2nd prizes so far this year demonstrates the bands ability to perform consistently well at the highest level on the contest stage. It would be good to go one further and take a major title but I’m sure we’ll be satisfied come the end of the year if the run of 2nd places continues at the Open and the National Finals
Rain Doesn’t Dampen Spirits
At Belton’s Concert In The Park
RAIN did not dampen spirits in Belton for the bands final concert before a well earned summer break as music lovers flocked to enjoy a top line up at the annual Concert in the Park event
.
Picnickers, undeterred by the grey skies and heavy showers sat back on the village playing field to enjoy the musicians and singers at the Beltonaires 12th annual concert.
A variety of artists took to the stage, including saxophonist Rhiannon, the Hepworth (Cookson Homes) Band, soprano Julia Garbutt and Colne Valley Male Voice Choir, playing to nearly 1,000 people on the fields.
Organiser Joan Biddle said the event was a magical evening.
"In England, you just carry on with it, despite the rain and so we are not too downhearted. The concert is always fantastic and this year was no exception with an incredible line-up and one of the best bands in the business with the Hepworth Band."
And at the end of the night, the sky was transformed into a blaze of colour as an impressive firework display, took place to the poignant notes of Land of Hope and Glory.
"Everyone waved their flags and it’s always a magnificent finale," Mrs Biddle said.
"We reach all sorts of people both young and old with the music we put on during these concerts, so it’s a great day for everyone."
Hepworth to Represent Yorkshire
at Finals of National Brass Band
Championships of Great Britain.
The Hepworth band, directed by professional MD Ian Porthouse, secured their second invitation in three years to represent Yorkshire at the finals of the National Brass Band Championships at London’s Royal Albert Hall by finishing runners up at the Yorkshire Regional Championships at St George’s Hall Bradford on 8th March.
Rothwell Temperence took first place, with Hepworth 2nd, Grimethorpe 3rd, Black Dyke 4th, Brighouse & Rastrick 5th and Skelmanthorpe 6th.
The bands principal euphonium James Fieldhouse was also awarded the prize for the best instrumentalist of the day.
It was a good day for the Holme Valley bands with Hade Edge and Holme Silver also qualifying for the lower section finals in Harrogate in September.
The band will be hard at work between now and October to raise funds for the trip to the Royal Albert Hall.
Hepworth Runners Up At
Butlins National Mineworkers
Open Brass Band Festival 09
The band finished runners-up by the narrowest of margins at the Mineworkers "Open Brass Band Festival" at Butlins, Skegness.
Twelve bands competed over the two day festival, performing the set work "Harrisons Dream" on the Saturday before presenting a 25 minute concert programme on Sunday with points from two contests are added together to determine the overall winners.
Saturday saw Hepworth in great form, winning the set test piece competition with its performance of Peter Graham’s work.
Adjudicator Phillip Sparke was in no doubt about the quality of the bands performance:
"A very impressive opening played with real purpose and acuracy. Wow...This is all so good.
E has urgency. The playing is all on the edge but within context. Beautifully judged waltz, brilliantly handled to L. Clinical and brilliant.
Transition to N is great though N itself is a little bland. P superb playing, especially euphs. R has real pathos and sensitivity with machine like efficiency, I’m really impressed.
Bells a bit sheep like... But V is ruthless and brilliantly accurate. Great build to AA which is a little harsh. CC to end in incredibly well handled.
"This was a performance of immense stature. A jaw dropping technical facility was married to musical insight of the highest order, You nailed it."
Sunday’s entertainment contest saw the band reprise two thirds of its programme from the recent Brass in Concert Championships. A sparkling opener ‘Fireball XL5’ made an immediate impact, but it was the bands performance of ‘Sleep’ by Eric Whitacre, performed in darkness with stage lights and projected images that attracted attention from the audience and judges. Adjudicator Phillip Harper found the bands performance to be
"very effective, bringing out some beautiful quiet playing in which you take risks that come off well"
4th place on the day though wasn’t quite enough, and meant that the band missed out on the overall prize by the narrowest of margins.
Band Seeks Principal Cornet
After 5 successful years as principal cornet with the band, Rob Westacott has accepted an invitation to take up the end chair with Grimethorpe Colliery band.
The players and officials wish Rob well and thank him for his contribution to the bands development over the last five years.
The band will now be advertising for a principal cornet, anyone interested in the position should contact the bands manager Steve Hopwood (07828 120929).
Hepworth In The Frame
At The English Nationals
The Huddersfield-based Hepworth (Cookson Homes) Band once again proved their ability to compete with the very best of English brass bands, achieving sixth place at the English National Brass Band Championships, held at the Guild Hall in Preston last weekend.
The English National Championships, now in its third year, bring together the top sixteen English bands to compete for the title, with the winners then earning the right to represent England at the 2009 European Brass Band Championships, to be held in Ostend, Belgium.
Support for the event continues to grow, with TV presenter, model and brass band enthusiast Melanie Sykes making an appearance to support the bands. Grimethorpe Colliery band retained the title for a second year, with Black Dyke second and Brighouse & Rastrick third. Hepworth’s sixth place meant that four of the top six places went to bands from Yorkshire.
Hepworth, directed by Ian Porthouse overcame the disappointment of its recent result at the All England Masters to deliver a confident performance of Robert Redhead's new work "Infinity" and the band is now looking forward to working with Ian again for the British Open Championships at Symphony Hall, Birmingham in September.
Later this month, on 20th July, Hepworth will join forces with Colne Valley Male Voice Choir and soprano soloist Julia Garbutt to appear at "Concert in the Park", a Summer Proms promotion in Belton, North Lincolnshire.
Champion Brass "Spring Proms"
Uppermill Civic Hall
Saturday 12th April
The band took to the stage at Uppermill Civic Hall for a "Spring Proms" concert as part of the Champion Brass concert series, promoted by Phil Beckwith. As with all of Hepworth's concerts, the programme offered something for everyone.
The band launched straight into their signature tune "Pratty Flowers" followed by Philip Sparke’s "Concert Prelude". Rebecca Landon was the first of the bands soloists, producing a delightful interpretation of "Capriccio Brillante" with a display of poise and clarity throughout.
Mark Bentham has the knack of unearthing some unusual marches; his arrangement of "Circus Bee", an American screamer march is a real cracker. The band also likes to vary its concert programmes with something a little different, a septet led by the band's principal cornet, Rob Westacott, featured Claire Taylor, Sian Linney and Rob on flugel horn and trumpet in "Moon River".
"Fugue in D Minor" and the upbeat "Gat Happy" provided two lighter items before the cornet section featured in "Brassmen's Holiday".
Dean Jones "Glorifico Aeternum" based on the hymn tunes "Now We Thank We all our God" and "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" are featured provided an enjoyable finish to a fine first half.
"Hymns of Praise", commissioned by the BBC opened the second half before James Fieldhouse, the band’s Principal Euphonium, took centre stage to perform Leigh Baker’s "On the Seashore".
The famous Whit Friday march contest will soon be here and the band gave a run out their contest march "The Wizard", before changing the mood with Philip Wilby’s "The Day Thou Gavest".
Eric Coates "Dambuster’s March" got the audience in the mood for the bands Proms set, "Fantasia on British Sea Song’s", "Jerusalem" and the obligatory "Pomp and Circumstance".
Listen To The Band’s Broadcast
Friday 2nd May
Listen out for the band on BBC Radio 2, Friday 2nd May, 9.30pm when the recent recording session from Morley Town Hall will be broadcast. The programme includes Celebro, composed by Mark Bentham to celebrate his recent wedding, 'On the Seashore' featuring James Fieldhouse, Circus Bee, Brassmens Holiday, (a cornet trio featuring Rob Westacott, Claire Taylor and Katherine Bentham), Fugue in D Minor and Glorifico Aeternum.
Whit Friday
Friday 16thMay
Hepworth will be hoping to go one better this year at the famous Whit Friday marches around the villages of Saddlworth. Last year, the band picked up 4 first prizes, a second and a fourth to finish as runners-up, narrowly missing out on the overall prize by one point to the Brighouse and Rastrick Band. Good luck Hepworth!
Radio Broadcast
On 25th March the band was in Morley Town Hall to record a programme of music to be broadcast on Listen to the Band, Radio 2’s Friday night brass band programme. We don’t yet have details of the broadcast date but will let you know as soon as we do.
The bands programme includes Celebro written by the bands MD Mark Bentham to celebrate his forthcoming wedding, the march Circus Bee, principal euphonium James Fieldhouse is the featured soloist in On the Seashore with Rob Westacott, Claire Taylor and Dave Horan also being featured in Brassmen's Holiday. The programme concludes with Dean Jones Glorifico Aeternum.
Contest Platform
The Band again competed at the Yorkshire Regional Qualifying Contest for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain at the beginning of March.
After our fantastic result last year we set out to try and qualify for the final in London’s Albert Hall once more. However, despite a performance described by brass band website 4 Bars Rest as probably the cleanest of the day, it failed to find favour with the adjudicators and we sadly missed out on a return to the Albert Hall this year.
The Band welcomed several new faces into the ranks for the first contest of 2008. Claire Taylor on Assistant Principal Cornet, Sam Fisher on Repiano Cornet, Richard Carradus on Second Cornet, Simon Thewlis on First Horn, John Smith on Solo Baritone and Ben Thomson on E-Flat Bass completed the team.
We now look forward to the next contest, the Whit Friday Marches in May. After very good results in recent years we hope for another successful evening competing for the Saddleworth Area title again.
We will also take part in the All England International Masters in May at Cambridge’s Corn Exchange, where the set test piece will be a brand new work from composer Martin Ellerby - ‘Malcolm Arnold Variations’
Following that we will compete again in the English National Championship at Preston's Guildhall in June. This relatively new contest features the highest ranked English Bands and now offers the English qualification place for the European Brass Band Championship to the winning band.
We will again return to Birmingham’s Symphony Hall in September for the British Open, where we will look to build on some positive results over the last couple of years.
The contest season for 2008 will end with the Brass In Concert Championships at the impressive Sage Centre in Gateshead. Having received a last-minute invite to last year’s event we have been asked to return and will have chance to prepare much better for this year's event.
concert Stage
Our first concert of the year took place at St Paul’s Hall in Huddersfield in February, where we presented a Hymns of Praise concert. A great night was had by all and we received many positive comments from the audience.
On Saturday 12th April we will be in concert at Uppermill Civic Hall as part of the Champion Brass concert series promoted by Phil Beckwith. The concerts prove very popular and involve some of the finest bands in the country. The concert is being promoted as a ‘Spring Proms’ with a last night of the proms style finale to the show.
We are also finalising details of more concerts for 2008 and full details will follow in later Newsletters.