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SCABA Autumn Contest, Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone

On Sunday 14 th October 2007 the Band took part in its last contest of the year. The Leas Cliff Hall is in a stunning location, built into the Leas Cliff in Folkestone. The day started very early for those of us who hadnot travelled down the day before – the coach left Chichester at 6am! Well, it should have done but in the very best tradition of contest day someone was late so it was 6.30am before we actually left. We had a fairly uneventful journey to Folkestone and managed not to lose anyone on the way there.

We arrived in Folkestone at 9am just in time for the draw and met with the rest of the Band. The weather was gloriously sunny and very warm and very out of character for October. We were drawn 7 th out of 11 bands so had a couple of hours to waste – some people went for a little retail therapy whilst others listened to some of the other Bands.

For the contest we had to play a hymn tune and a test piece – the pieces we played were Nicaea and Purcell Variations by Kenneth Downie. When the time came to go on stage there were the usual nerves and mutterings but generally the mood was quite calm. The Band played well and John Williams was pleased with the Bands performance. Then came the wait for the results which I think is the worst part of contesting – far more nerve racking than actually playing on stage.

When the results were announced we found we had come 4 th which we think was a fair result – we would obviously have liked to come higher but it's all good experience especially for the less experienced players. The mood on the coach home was quite loud especially at the back of the coach although the front was a little more reserved. We arrived back in Chichester about 7pm having had a thoroughly enjoyable but very tiring day.

Sarah Arnold

Chichester City Band and St. Mary's Catholic Primary School

On Thursday 4 th October, CCB undertook a joint concert with St. Mary's Catholic Primary School choir. The evening's entertainment took place in the Parish hall attached to the school in Bognor Regis. (which was successfully found by all...eventually).

Playing to a smaller (and somewhat younger!) audience than usual; the band, choir and audience appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves. The band played a variety of music including film themes, hymn arrangements and big band items. Special soloist mentions are deserved for George Arnold in Georgia On My Mind, Kevin Hughes in Harry Potter and Emma Button in Swingtime Religion. A special drum debut made also made by Charlie Hughes.

The choir impressed the audience and the band with their selection, including a medley from Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (featuring a real Joseph's coat, dance moves and sign language) and a song involving an Austrian, yodelling and a fair few impressions of various animals!

The choir and band also presented a couple of joint items, starting off the evening with Sussex By The Sea and finishing the entertainment with Land of Hope and Glory – accompanied by homemade flag-waving!

Many thanks go to St. Mary's for hosting the evening. Also, to the hard work of the Choir and the Band, led by their respective directors, Sue Hartley and John Williams.

Ruth Hartley

St. Georges Church Concert

The Chichester City Band 10-piece performed its second engagement following their successful excursion to Chartres earlier this year.

St. Georges Church, Whyke was the venue on Saturday 1 st September, where the 10-piece was the musical highlight of an informal supper dance evening, providing swing and big band music from the 40's and 50's, including Glen Miller, Astaire, Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davies Jnr.

This was a slightly different and more intimate engagement than we were used to playing at, with the audience enjoying a two course dinner whilst listening to the music. Not that listening was all the audience were encouraged to do; it wasn't long before they were dancing in the aisles – literally!

Although it was a modestly sized audience, the 10-piece was extremely well received and everyone felt that they had been thoroughly entertained and were looking forward to a repeat performance in the future.

A special mention must go to George and Sarah Arnold who were responsible for compiling the playlist for the evening (and expanding the 10-piece repertoire!) and to George for leading the band and an excellent solo performance of ‘Georgia On My Mind'.

Derek Price

Chichester City Band have just recorded the incidental music for the play Hobson's Choice which is on at the Chichester Festival Theatre from 27th July until 1st September. The music was written by Matthew Scott who is the Head of Music for the National Theatre. The play will be going on a national tour when the run in Chichester comes to an end.

The Band enjoyed the experience - a first for them - although three of the Band members found it a little more nerve racking as they had to play unaccompanied solos. These were Principal cornet George Arnold, Soprano cornet Kevin Hughes and Solo horn Alfie Hughes - all played their parts to perfection.

The Band are now looking forward to seeing the play and hearing the music for themselves.

Hear a music clip from the play - Hobson's March (taken from a live performance)

Although this took place in May we have only just got round to putting the details on here! But we are pleased to announce that the Band came third overall and our Solo Horn player, Alfie Hughes, collected the prize for the best soloist of the day with her rendition of The Piper O'Dundee by Kenneth Downie.

Contesting News

Last November we travelled to Torquay for the South West of England contest, and playing above our grading, we came a creditable fourth. This was our first contest together for over two years and it was good to be out front again during the cut and thrust of contesting.

At the National Area Championships in Stevenage in March, the band came off the stage knowing they had all given of their best. The result of eighth, although disappointing, the band and myself were happy with the performance. The Brass Band Press gave us a good write-up, and 4BarsRest.com said our performance was like “a breath of fresh air”.

April found us at Hove for the Southern Counties Spring contest. Having built on our first two contest results and hard work during rehearsals, the band won the First section, Best Bass section and Best Conductor trophies, playing ‘Music For Thanksgiving' by Kenneth Downie.

It is very gratifying to see Chichester City Band engraved on the trophy, and these results will hopefully be the start to returning to the higher sections.

When I was asked to write an article for the newsletter my first reaction was – what do I write? After thinking about it I decided it couldn't be that difficult, so please forgive the ramblings of a madwoman!

I joined Chichester City Band in September 2006, together with my husband, as we moved back to the Portsmouth area. We knew some of the Band members from other Bands in the area, which helped us to settle in, and we soon got to know the rest of the personalities within the Band.

Within 8 weeks of joining the Band we spent an enjoyable weekend in Torquay taking part in our first contest with the Band. Since then we have played at various engagements and another 2 contests – some more enjoyable than others! We have managed to find most of the places we have played at armed with an atlas but not knowing the Chichester area too well, there have been some frantic telephone calls as well asking for directions – not easy when you aren't entirely sure where you are.

The highlight of my time with the Band so far has to be winning the 1 st section at the SCABA contest in Hove in April closely followed by the concert in Chichester Cathedral in February with the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir.

By the time you read this 10 members of the Band and 1 member of the Training Band will have spent a weekend in Chartres , France . The Band was invited by it's twin town to send a party to provide entertainment for a Festival taking place from 11 th -14 th May – 11 of us have taken up the challenge are looking forward to a weekend of music making and sight-seeing (and hopefully the odd drink!)

One last thing, I am now the secretary of Chichester City Band so you may well hear from me at various times in the future. I will either be after your money or your life so beware!

The Ferry trip out was interesting as most of the group had booked sleeper beds except me and Alex who thought we could sleep on a couch in the bar. Wrong! Due to having Sky Sports blaring all night, we went for a wash about 6.30am looking very red eyed and wondering how to get through the rest of the day.

We decided to trust our Sat nav systems and I led our way out of Le Havre dutifully following the directions from some posh tart (not Alex). We went over the fairly new Pont de Nord bridge. Fortunately George took the lead after our first stop as we ended up doing some serious off-roading thanks to wrong directions from the on board posh tart (still not Alex). George also took us on a short detour at one town, but we were soon on the right track after a tactful U-turn.

We arrived in Chartres around 10.30am and proceeded to our hotel down another brand new road, so new it had no tarmac on it and lots of speed humps...We also managed to use a few bus lanes and no entries before arriving unarrested at the hotel. We proceeded to the Hotel Jehan De Beuce where the reception seemed to have no idea who we were, I don't think they liked the look of us! We were eventually let in and given our rooms and then met by our Guide and mentor Monsieur Patrick.

First we met the chairman of the board of trade Monsieur Charbon or something like that who spoke no English but we managed to understand the word ‘mange' and after much hanging about they took us to an Italian restaurant! Our first concert was on stage from 2.30 -3.30 followed by the towns Jazz band. We then went walk about minus drum kit much to Charlie's chagrin (a good French word) and played in 3 different locations in the city for about 20 minutes each time, arriving back at the stage around 6pm. We met again at 7.30pm in the town hall for the Mayor's reception. This was a buffet affair and we were resplendent in our band uniforms waiting for the bun fight to start. The Mayor duly arrived and during his speech he deemed the occasion important enough to reveal the towns treasured painting of the town's famous son who died in the Napoleonic wars. We moved on to sample some wonderful gourmet food from the region and eventually decided to leave about 9.30pm to sample the night life of Chartres . This involved the (cultural) nightly light and music show at the Cathedral, followed by (the usual) pubs and bars..

Sunday started with a continental breakfast and then back to the stage to play from 11-12 noon. We played really well and the concert finished with a magnificent drum solo from Charlie at the end of Hootenanny (Yes, that old chestnut). We then had a delightful lunch of savoury crepes in a real French restaurant before leaving to drive back to Le Havre . We were lucky with the weather as a storm blew in from the Loire valley just as we left in heavy wind and rain.

The return ferry trip was much quicker and Alf and Lois picked up a great (£1.20 a bottle!) wine deal.


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	NEWS SCABA Autumn Contest, Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone On Sunday 14 th October 2007 the Band took part in its last contest of the year. The Leas Cliff Hall is in a stunning location, built into the Leas Cliff in Folkestone. The day started very early for those of us who hadnot travelled down the day before – the coach left Chichester at 6am! Well, it should have done but in the very best tradition of contest day someone was late so it was 6.30am before we actually left. We had a fairly uneventful journey to Folkestone and managed not to lose anyone on the way there. We arrived in Folkestone at 9am just in time for the draw and met with the rest of the Band. The weather was gloriously sunny and very warm and very out of character for October. We were drawn 7 th out of 11 bands so had a couple of hours to waste – some people went for a little retail therapy whilst others listened to some of the other Bands. For the contest we had to play a hymn tune and a test piece – the pieces we played were Nicaea and Purcell Variations by Kenneth Downie. When the time came to go on stage there were the usual nerves and mutterings but generally the mood was quite calm. The Band played well and John Williams was pleased with the Bands performance. Then came the wait for the results which I think is the worst part of contesting – far more nerve racking than actually playing on stage. When the results were announced we found we had come 4 th which we think was a fair result – we would obviously have liked to come higher but it's all good experience especially for the less experienced players. The mood on the coach home was quite loud especially at the back of the coach although the front was a little more reserved. We arrived back in Chichester about 7pm having had a thoroughly enjoyable but very tiring day. Sarah Arnold Chichester City Band and St. Mary's Catholic Primary School On Thursday 4 th October, CCB undertook a joint concert with St. Mary's Catholic Primary School choir. The evening's entertainment took place in the Parish hall attached to the school in Bognor Regis. (which was successfully found by all...eventually). Playing to a smaller (and somewhat younger!) audience than usual; the band, choir and audience appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves. The band played a variety of music including film themes, hymn arrangements and big band items. Special soloist mentions are deserved for George Arnold in Georgia On My Mind, Kevin Hughes in Harry Potter and Emma Button in Swingtime Religion. A special drum debut made also made by Charlie Hughes. The choir impressed the audience and the band with their selection, including a medley from Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (featuring a real Joseph's coat, dance moves and sign language) and a song involving an Austrian, yodelling and a fair few impressions of various animals! The choir and band also presented a couple of joint items, starting off the evening with Sussex By The Sea and finishing the entertainment with Land of Hope and Glory – accompanied by homemade flag-waving! Many thanks go to St. Mary's for hosting the evening. Also, to the hard work of the Choir and the Band, led by their respective directors, Sue Hartley and John Williams. Ruth Hartley St. Georges Church Concert The Chichester City Band 10-piece performed its second engagement following their successful excursion to Chartres earlier this year. St. Georges Church, Whyke was the venue on Saturday 1 st September, where the 10-piece was the musical highlight of an informal supper dance evening, providing swing and big band music from the 40's and 50's, including Glen Miller, Astaire, Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davies Jnr. This was a slightly different and more intimate engagement than we were used to playing at, with the audience enjoying a two course dinner whilst listening to the music. Not that listening was all the audience were encouraged to do; it wasn't long before they were dancing in the aisles – literally! Although it was a modestly sized audience, the 10-piece was extremely well received and everyone felt that they had been thoroughly entertained and were looking forward to a repeat performance in the future. A special mention must go to George and Sarah Arnold who were responsible for compiling the playlist for the evening (and expanding the 10-piece repertoire!) and to George for leading the band and an excellent solo performance of ‘Georgia On My Mind'. Derek Price Hobson's Choice at Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester City Band have just recorded the incidental music for the play Hobson's Choice which is on at the Chichester Festival Theatre from 27th July until 1st September. The music was written by Matthew Scott who is the Head of Music for the National Theatre. The play will be going on a national tour when the run in Chichester comes to an end. The Band enjoyed the experience - a first for them - although three of the Band members found it a little more nerve racking as they had to play unaccompanied solos. These were Principal cornet George Arnold, Soprano cornet Kevin Hughes and Solo horn Alfie Hughes - all played their parts to perfection. The Band are now looking forward to seeing the play and hearing the music for themselves. Hear a music clip from the play - Hobson's March (taken from a live performance) Below is a flyer which is in the programme: Crawley Entertainment Contest Although this took place in May we have only just got round to putting the details on here! But we are pleased to announce that the Band came third overall and our Solo Horn player, Alfie Hughes, collected the prize for the best soloist of the day with her rendition of The Piper O'Dundee by Kenneth Downie. Alfie is pictured here with the Trophies and Certificates we won NEWSLETTER - May 07 Contesting News Over the past ten months, the band have taken part in three contests. Last November we travelled to Torquay for the South West of England contest, and playing above our grading, we came a creditable fourth. This was our first contest together for over two years and it was good to be out front again during the cut and thrust of contesting. At the National Area Championships in Stevenage in March, the band came off the stage knowing they had all given of their best. The result of eighth, although disappointing, the band and myself were happy with the performance. The Brass Band Press gave us a good write-up, and 4BarsRest.com said our performance was like “a breath of fresh air”. April found us at Hove for the Southern Counties Spring contest. Having built on our first two contest results and hard work during rehearsals, the band won the First section, Best Bass section and Best Conductor trophies, playing ‘Music For Thanksgiving' by Kenneth Downie. It is very gratifying to see Chichester City Band engraved on the trophy, and these results will hopefully be the start to returning to the higher sections. John Williams Musical Director Thoughts From Our New(er!) Members When I was asked to write an article for the newsletter my first reaction was – what do I write? After thinking about it I decided it couldn't be that difficult, so please forgive the ramblings of a madwoman! I joined Chichester City Band in September 2006, together with my husband, as we moved back to the Portsmouth area. We knew some of the Band members from other Bands in the area, which helped us to settle in, and we soon got to know the rest of the personalities within the Band. Within 8 weeks of joining the Band we spent an enjoyable weekend in Torquay taking part in our first contest with the Band. Since then we have played at various engagements and another 2 contests – some more enjoyable than others! We have managed to find most of the places we have played at armed with an atlas but not knowing the Chichester area too well, there have been some frantic telephone calls as well asking for directions – not easy when you aren't entirely sure where you are. The highlight of my time with the Band so far has to be winning the 1 st section at the SCABA contest in Hove in April closely followed by the concert in Chichester Cathedral in February with the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir. By the time you read this 10 members of the Band and 1 member of the Training Band will have spent a weekend in Chartres , France . The Band was invited by it's twin town to send a party to provide entertainment for a Festival taking place from 11 th -14 th May – 11 of us have taken up the challenge are looking forward to a weekend of music making and sight-seeing (and hopefully the odd drink!) One last thing, I am now the secretary of Chichester City Band so you may well hear from me at various times in the future. I will either be after your money or your life so beware! Sarah Arnold Baritone and Band Secretary Our Trip to Chartres …. The Ferry trip out was interesting as most of the group had booked sleeper beds except me and Alex who thought we could sleep on a couch in the bar. Wrong! Due to having Sky Sports blaring all night, we went for a wash about 6.30am looking very red eyed and wondering how to get through the rest of the day. We decided to trust our Sat nav systems and I led our way out of Le Havre dutifully following the directions from some posh tart (not Alex). We went over the fairly new Pont de Nord bridge. Fortunately George took the lead after our first stop as we ended up doing some serious off-roading thanks to wrong directions from the on board posh tart (still not Alex). George also took us on a short detour at one town, but we were soon on the right track after a tactful U-turn. We arrived in Chartres around 10.30am and proceeded to our hotel down another brand new road, so new it had no tarmac on it and lots of speed humps...We also managed to use a few bus lanes and no entries before arriving unarrested at the hotel. We proceeded to the Hotel Jehan De Beuce where the reception seemed to have no idea who we were, I don't think they liked the look of us! We were eventually let in and given our rooms and then met by our Guide and mentor Monsieur Patrick. First we met the chairman of the board of trade Monsieur Charbon or something like that who spoke no English but we managed to understand the word ‘mange' and after much hanging about they took us to an Italian restaurant! Our first concert was on stage from 2.30 -3.30 followed by the towns Jazz band. We then went walk about minus drum kit much to Charlie's chagrin (a good French word) and played in 3 different locations in the city for about 20 minutes each time, arriving back at the stage around 6pm. We met again at 7.30pm in the town hall for the Mayor's reception. This was a buffet affair and we were resplendent in our band uniforms waiting for the bun fight to start. The Mayor duly arrived and during his speech he deemed the occasion important enough to reveal the towns treasured painting of the town's famous son who died in the Napoleonic wars. We moved on to sample some wonderful gourmet food from the region and eventually decided to leave about 9.30pm to sample the night life of Chartres . This involved the (cultural) nightly light and music show at the Cathedral, followed by (the usual) pubs and bars.. Sunday started with a continental breakfast and then back to the stage to play from 11-12 noon. We played really well and the concert finished with a magnificent drum solo from Charlie at the end of Hootenanny (Yes, that old chestnut). We then had a delightful lunch of savoury crepes in a real French restaurant before leaving to drive back to Le Havre . We were lucky with the weather as a storm blew in from the Loire valley just as we left in heavy wind and rain. The return ferry trip was much quicker and Alf and Lois picked up a great (£1.20 a bottle!) wine deal. Would I do it again? When do we leave? Steve Barron E flat Bass