Calling all young brass and percussion players!!!!

On the 22^nd April 2012 the Pemberton Old Wigan DW Band are hosting a Brass and Percussion Workshop  for young children.

It is to be held at Worsley Mesnes School on Clifton Street, Wigan from 10.30 till 3.00pm. The children are guaranteed to have a great day with the guidance and tuition from players that have studied at both the Royal Northern College of Music and Salford University.

The day will consist of sectional work and also full band training with a short concert held at 2.30pm, which parents are more than welcome to attend.

Children from our Junior Band have been invited along with 9 schools around the local area currently taking part in the Wider Opportunities scheme run by Dave Little and his team at Wigan Music Services. Click Here to view letter of endorsement.

Please confirm your attendance by email j.johnson5@edu.salford.ac.uk  or MOB 07817 945477

You will need to complete a medical consent form on arrival at the event, or Click Here to complete prior to the day.  (Link opens as PDF in new window and will allow you to print). 

Please note that children will need to bring a packed lunch.

Thank you and look forward to seeing you soon!!

Joanne Johnson

Pemberton DW Band

North West Area 2012

On Sunday 26th February both the Senior and B band took part in the North West Area contest at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool.  Both bands went to the contest very confident in the knowledge that we had prepared performances that could persuade the adjudicators to award us qualification to the national finals in the championship section and the 3^rd section respectively.

The senior band were only playing later in the day so by the time we got to Blackpool the B band had already played and MD Peter Ashley was very pleased with the bands performance of their test piece ‘Olympus’ and was still hoping that it would be good enough to take them to the finals.  It was a similar story also with the senior band, because after we had left the stage it was hand shakes and hugs all round after a very clean and solid performance of ‘Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’ from the band and soloists alike.

Come results time it was not to be our year for qualifying for the finals.  The B Band came a very creditable 8^th out of an 18 band line up and the senior band were 5^th out of 12 against the North West’s finest.


Full results courtesy of 4BR below.

Test piece:

The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea, Derek Bourgeois

1 Leyland Michael Bach 10 -

2 Fairey Ian Porthouse 5 -

3 Foden’s Allan Withington 4 -

4 Co-op Milnrow Marieka Gray 11 -

5 Pemberton Old Wigan DW Mark Bentham 8 -

6 Blackburn & Darwen Nick Sheppard 7 -

7 Co-operative Funeralcare NW Jef Sparkes 2 -

8 Wingates Andrew Berryman 1 -

9 Bollington Brass Peter Christian 6 -

10 VBS Poynton Colin Short 3 -

11 Ashton-Under-Lyne Simon Stonehouse 9 -

w Longridge Mark Peacock - -

Test piece:

Olympus, Philip Harper

1 Besses Boys James Holt 17 -

2 Whitworth Vale & Healey John Binns 7 -

3 Trinity Girls Stuart Barton 9 -

4 Hazel Grove Nigel Beasley 18 -

5 Farnworth & Walkden Peter Ashley 6 -

6 Cheshire Constabulary David Woollam 14 -

7 Rivington & Adlington Brian Harper 15 -

8 Pemberton Old Wigan DW 'B' Peter Ashley 10 -

9 Lostock Hall Memorial Graham Martin 4 -

10 Blackpool Brass Tariq Ahmed 8 -

11 Eccles Borough Marieka Gray 11 -

12 Boarshurst Silver David Ashworth 5 -

13 Skelmersdale Prize David Chapman 2 -

14 Nelson Brass Roy Waite 1 -

15 Stalybridge Old G. Smith 16 -

16 Old Hall Brass John North 3 -

17 Eagley Neil Parkinson 13 -

18 Formby Anthony Higham 12 -

Great start to the year

If you have not been following the bands on twitter then you will be pleased to know it has been a great start to the year since our last update.

First of all the B Band went to Butlins late January and put up a sterling defence of their title.  MD Peter Ashley drew out a performance full of character, helped by positive contributions from all his main soloists and gained 3rd place out of 15 strong line up.

The band left Skegness with £700 for their efforts which has got the organisation off to a great start this year.

Full results from Butlins at the bottom of this page.

Now to the Senior Band, who took part in the Brass at the Guild contest in Preston on 5th February.

“There is nothing like starting the new contest season with a win, it sets the scene for the whole year”. (MB) 

And that is exactly what we did!!

We were already the bookies favourites to win this contest, but that did not stop MD Mark Bentham from working the band hard in preparing Hermann Paullhuber’s very challenging work Titans Progress.

Over the last decade the band has had some fantastic results at this contest and even when we were the underdogs from the 1st section we were beating established Championship section bands to 1st place (full breakdown below). This time however, Mark wanted us to put a real stamp of authority on this contest and be clear winners, and as the results show we did just that winning the contest with a 2 point margin from Yorkshire rivals Hammonds Salataire.

We also added a further £1000 to the prize fund which should keep our bands treasurer Aunty Anne happy............for a couple of weeks.

Pemberton Bands decade at Brass at the Guild.

Both bands are fighting fit ready for the North West Area and are already working hard to qualify for the finals in the 3rd section and Championship in 3 weeks time.

Full results for Butlins and Preston below.

Adjudicator(s): Kevin Holdgate and Graham O'Connor Test piece: Three Miniature, Philip Sparke

<><><><><><><><> Pos Band Conductor Dr 1 Boarshurst Silver David Ashworth 5 2 Stamford Brass Robert Prew 1 3 Pemberton Old JJB (B) Peter Ashley 4 4 Whitworth Vale & Healey John Binns 8 5 Emley Brass Garry Hallas 3 6 Dronfield CMW John Davis 6 7 Hucknall & Linby Brass Paul Whyley 7 8 Hemel Hempstead David Klein 2 9 Rolls-Royce (Derby) Graham Cardwell 13 10 Eccles Borough Marieka Gray 12 11 Dinnington Colliery Jonathon Beatty 11 12 Backworth Colliery Callum Harrison 9 13 Ibstock Brick Brass Huw Thomas 10 14 Hitchin Craig Patterson 15 15 Croft Silver Ian Needham 14

Championship Section:
Adjudicator: Paul Andrews

Test Piece: Own choice

1. Pemberton Old Wigan DW (Mark Bentham) – 191
2. Hammonds Saltaire (Morgan Griffiths) – 189
3. Felling (Steve Malcolm) – 187
4. Longridge (Mark Peacock) - 186
5. Harrogate (Craig Ratcliffe)- 184
6. Oldham (Lees) (John Collins)- 183
7. Newstead Welfare (Duncan Beckley) - 181
8. Poulton Le Flyde (John Wood) - 178
9. Hade Edge (Simon Wood) - 177