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TELFORD BANDS SCOOP DOUBLE GOLD OF REGIONAL MUSIC AWARDS

Members of bands from the award winning Abraham Darby Specialist School for the Performing Arts, Madeley, Telford returned from Chepstow on Sunday having achieved two Gold Regional Awards at the West of England and South Wales Regional Festival of the National Concert Band Festival. The Showband received its eighth successive Regional Gold Award and the School’s Jazz Band also received a Gold Award which as a result of scooping these awards both bands have now received an automatic invitation to participate in the National Festival which will be held at the Bridge House Theatre and the Guy Nelson Concert Hall, Warwick in April 2008.

Both of the school bands have achieved unprecedented success at the National Festival in previous years with the Showband having achieved six consecutive National Gold Awards and the Jazz Band having secured five National Gold Awards in the last six years with the last four awards being in consecutive years.

The Showband under the musical direction of Rachel Morton, who had recently taken over the band since the departure of Simon Platford earlier this year, performed Flying the Breeze written by Philip Sparke and Where Never Lark or Eagle Flew by the American composer James Curnow. The Jazz Band programme included Northwest Journey, Aftershock, Children of the Sun, Misty and Gotta Get you into my Life, under their new Musical Director Dougie Bill.

Rachel Morton, the school’s Head of Music and Musical Director of the Showband commented “that both of the bands had worked very hard since the beginning of the school year in order to achieve these tremendous results and coupled with the band’s dedication this result again is evidence of the ever increasing list of sustained and outstanding consistent achievements over many years. Both the Showband and the Jazz Band are now looking forward to participating in the National Festival next April in Warwick”.
 

MUSICAL SHOWCASE

A musical spectacular took place last Sunday at The Place, Oakengates involving talented musicians and singers from schools across Telford in conjunction with the CBSO.  It was the idea of Glyn Wilkes, the CBSO Education Officer, working in collaboration with The Telford Culture Zone that brought together the three participating schools. The Abraham Darby Showband, The Burton Borough School Big Band, and The Wrockwardine Wood Arts College Senior Choir all gave outstanding individual performances and then came together for a finale as a massed band and choir to participate in a World Premiere of Your Silent Voice, with music and text written by Howard Goodall which was commissioned by the CBSO on behalf of the Telford Culture Zone and conducted by Julian Wilkins, the Assistant Conductor and Accompanist of the City Of Birmingham Symphony Chorus.

Following on from this the CBSO will be at Abraham Darby Specialist School for the Performing Arts on this coming Saturday 20th October during Saturday Music College to undertake a workshop with the Abraham Darby Showband which will culminate in a free “mini concert” starting at approximately 12.30pm in the schools Selwyn Theatre to which members of the public are invited to attend.  We hope that you can come and join us to see the joint work of CBSO and the school musicians.

Rachel Morton, the Head of Music at Abraham Darby, said “it has been a wonderful experience for all the pupils to work with such talented musicians from the CBSO both in the workshop and at the Showcase Concert at Oakengates, we would like to thank all the parties involved, especially Glyn Wilkes, one of our peripatetic teachers, for making this a week of music for them to remember.”
 

INVITATION TO OPEN MEGABAND REHEARSAL 

Prior to the School’s Open Evening next week the Megaband, being the training wind band, from the Abraham Darby Specialist School for the Performing Arts, Madeley, Telford will be holding its third open rehearsal on Saturday 29th September in the School’s Selwyn Theatre, during the School’s Saturday Morning Music College, where tuition is given to the pupils at no cost to the parents. 

Parents of primary school children who either play an instrument or who are interested in commencing musical tuition are invited to attend the open rehearsal between 9.15am to 10.45am. A coffee morning has also been arranged by the Supporters of Music at Abraham Darby School (SMADS). SMADS will also be on hand to provide light refreshments and also to talk to parents who might be interested in assisting the continuing fundraising in order to maintain the consistent and sustained success of the senior bands at the school that has been witnessed over many years. 

The Megaband was formed in January 2005 with the merging of the Junior Woodwind Ensemble and the Junior Brass Band and is under the dual direction of Rachel Morton, the school’s Head of Music and David Maplestone, a brass peripatetic music teacher. 

Andrew Roberts Chairperson of SMADS said “this is the third time we have held an open rehearsal and it does attract quite a number of parents who were interested to hear the Megaband and their children who are keen to join in and play with the band.  The open rehearsal is a good idea as it serves the dual function of informing the local community of the Saturday Morning Music College and also hopefully to be able to recruit new parents to become SMADS members thus ensuring the continuation of the excellent fundraising works which provides further support to all of the bands from the school”.

This article was posed on the 4barsrest web site to view the story - please follow the link that appears below:

http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=6401
 

TELFORD SCHOOL BRASS BAND RECEIVES INVITE TO SCHOOL PROM CONCERT SERIES

 

The Senior Brass Band (sponsored by Dalvie Storage Systems) from the Abraham Darby School, Madeley, Telford are celebrating after the School received an invitation to attend at the Music for Youth Schools Proms Concert on Tuesday 13th November where they will perform on the stage of the world famous Royal Albert Hall, London during the second night of the Annual Schools Prom Concerts that are organised by Music for Youth. The Brass Band will commence the evening concert with the playing of a Fanfare from the lofty position of the Gallery and then conclude the first half of the Proms Concert, with their onstage concert performance.

Overall the School has been honoured to have received an invitation to attend the Schools Proms Concert Series five times, two of which were in consecutive years 2002 and 2003, in the last seven years and this year’s appearance for the Brass Band follows on from their excellent performance where they were awarded the Highly Commended Award, having just been narrowly edged out of the top prize by Wardle High School in the National Festival of the Schools Brass Band Section held in the Birmingham Symphony Hall in July. This invitation is the first time that the Brass Band has received the prestigious invitation to attend the Schools Proms Concert Series and represents a tremendous achievement.  

The Schools Proms take place over three nights on 12, 13 and 14 November 2007 and a total audience of over 15,000 over the three nights will be treated to every kind of music ranging from boy-bands to near professional orchestras. The exuberance, skills and talent of these gifted young performers will reach a climax each evening with a spine-tingling finale of fireworks, balloons and the traditional and well known Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. The School Proms Concerts are hosted by Richard Stilgoe, the composer Howard Goodall and Classic FM presenter Lisa Duncombe.

 

A spokesperson from the school commented that the School were still celebrating the receipt of the invitation and that this was evident of the hard work of the Brass Band and in particular the School’s former Director of Performing Arts, Simon Platford who had accomplished these two remarkable achievements in a very short period of time following the departure of the previous Band’s Musical Director. It was hoped that now the Brass Band had achieved this prestigious invitation that it would result in further national prizes and awards in the new academic year and into the future.

This article was posed on the 4barsrest web site to view the story - please follow the link that appears below:

 

http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?criteria=abraham+darby&year=2007&Submit=find&id=6098