News Archive - Summer Term 2007
 

BANDS SAY FAREWELL TO DIRECTOR OF PERFORMING ARTS

Band Members from the Abraham Darby Specialist School for the Performing Arts, Madeley, Telford will be bidding a sad farewell to Simon Platford at the End of Academic Year Concert this coming Thursday 19th July 2007, after over 12 years dedicated service at the School. This recent period of time has witnessed tremendous sustained and consistent success at the School across the wide ranging Bands and Ensembles at the School at a number of National and International Events and Festivals, which have resulted in the School bands achieving a very high profile.

Simon Platford has been the Musical Director principally of the Showband (sponsored by Newport Chiropractics) and the Jazz Band (sponsored by Chris Jones, Builders). During his tenure of the Showband it has become one of the best wind band of its type within the country – having won many prestigious prizes in recent years. The most notable achievement of the Showband was the Outstanding Performance Award which was presented to the Showband at the 2006 National Festival of Music for Youth which represented the fifth consecutive occasion (and their sixth award in seven years) that the School had won this coveted prize. This being an unprecedented achievement as no other single school within the School's National Wind Band Section in the Music for Youth Festival has achieved the same degree of success. The Showband have also been awarded the Highly Commended Award on three separate occasions and have also been invited to perform on three occasions at the Music for Youth – Schools Prom Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

The Showband have also participated in the National Concert Band Festival – National Festival, where the Showband have achieved National Gold Awards for seven consecutive years from 2000 until 2006, and also winning two Consistent Outstanding Achievement Awards in 2002 and 2005.

In 2007, the Showband achieved a Gold Award at the New York Wind Band Festival in March 2007, which saw them perform on the stage of the World famous Carnegie Hall. They have also performed at World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Holland, where they have also received two successive Gold Medals.

The School’s Jazz Band has also enjoyed successes at various National Festivals with two Outstanding Performance Awards at the National Festival of Music for Youth in 2002 and 2003, and a Highly Commended Award in 2000. The Jazz Band has also performed at the Schools Prom Concert in 2002. The Jazz Band has also participated in the National Concert Band Festival where the band has also achieved National Gold awards in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, with a further Consistent Outstanding Achievement award in 2004 with Silver awards being attained in 2001 and 2006.

During his time at the School Simon has also ensured that the school bands remain active within its local community staging concerts and other performances at many charitable and community events, which has assisted in raising in excess of £10,000 for many charities, principally the Severn Hospice and Hope House.

Simon Platford, said that he was very sorry to be leaving the school but that he has thoroughly enjoyed his time with the School. He paid tribute to all the Band members that have progressed through the School and that as a result of their long hours of commitment and dedication that they have achieved unparalleled success. I have also been keen to ensure that all the band members work for the benefit of the community and those that are less fortunate than themselves and that this is an integral part of their time at the school.

The School will be saying a formal goodbye to Simon at the End of Academic Year Concert to be held at the School on Thursday 19th July commencing at 7.30 pm (although the Concert is now sold out).
 

TELFORD SCHOOL ACHIEVES DOUBLE AWARD FROM MAJOR NATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

Members of the various bands from the Abraham Darby Specialist School for the Performing Arts, Madeley, Telford returned on Friday from their performances in the National Festival of Music for Youth at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, with a pair of Highly Commended awards.

The Showband received their Highly Commended Award in the School’s section of the National Festival for Music for Youth after being narrowly beaten to the Outstanding Performance Award taken by the Northampton School for Boys Symphonic Winds. The Showband performed Praetorius Variations by James Curnow and played to the customary full house in the Birmingham Symphony Hall. This particular award means that since 1998 the Showband have returned from the National Festival, with a major award with the exception of 2001 in this particular section. In this time the Showband have received six Outstanding Performance Awards (with five being awarded in consecutive years between 2002 until 2006) and three Highly Commended Awards.

On the previous day the Senior Brass Band were awarded another Highly Commended Award in the School’s Brass Band Section, which saw them being just edged out by Wardle High School who achieved the Outstanding Performance Award. The Brass Band played Images for Brass composed by the American composer Stephen Bulla, under the baton of Simon Platford, who was conducting the Brass Band for the first time at the National Festival since the departure of their previous conductor Wayne Ruston, at the end of the Autumn Term, last year.

Earlier in the week the school was also represented by a further three ensembles – with the Saxophone Group in the Chamber Music Section at the CBSO Centre, Birmingham, the Senior Woodwind Ensemble and the School’s Jazz Band gracing the stage of the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire. All three ensembles received glowing reports in their respective adjudications.

Simon Platford the School’s Director of Performing Arts, praised all the hard work, commitment and dedication shown by all the Band members. He said that he was proud and delighted with the awards, which again provided evidence of the sustained success that had been achieved within the school. In particular I would single out the Brass Band – the band members in the last few months have all worked exceptionally hard since the beginning of the year and this particular award is very pleasing in the circumstances and is richly deserved. I would however, wish to take this opportunity of passing on my sincere congratulations to both Barrie Johnson (Northampton School for Boys) and to Lee Rigg (Wardle High School) on their respective Outstanding Performance Awards.
 

TELFORD SCHOOL RECEIVE TOP HONOUR FROM LOCAL ROTARY CLUB

On Thursday 7th June representatives from the Abraham Darby Specialist School for the Performing Arts, Madeley, Telford attended a dinner hosted by the Rotary Club of Ironbridge, at the Park House Hotel, Shifnal at which they received Citations of Appreciation from the Rotary President Peter Nixon on behalf of the Ironbridge Rotary Club for all the continued success and for the Community Work that had been undertaken by the School Bands and the Supporters of Music at Abraham Darby School (SMADS) many of these in conjunction with the Rotary Club.

Former Rotary President Martin Brookes in his address to the meeting praised the unstinting work of Simon Platford, the School’s Director of Performing Arts and the continued fundraising support that was given by the Band members and the Supporters of Music at Abraham Darby School (SMADS) in not only raising funds for the continued Band success that had been enjoyed over a number of years but also the excellent support that the Music Department, Bands and SMADS had given at a number of events towards the Community, which had seen them support a number of charitable works including the Severn Hospice and also Hope House.

The Citation also paid tribute to the young musicians of the school whose diligence and dedication had consistently led to national and international winning performances and numerous Gold Awards in the UK, Europe and latterly the Gold Award achieved at the New York International Wind Band Festival where the Abraham Darby Showband performed on the stage of the world famous Carnegie Hall.

Simon Platford speaking on behalf of the School thanked the members of the Ironbridge Rotary Club for the honour that had been bestowed by the Rotary Club and acknowledged the support that had been forthcoming from the members in the various activities which had assisted latterly in raising the funds that enabled the Showband's visit to America. He also pledged that hopefully the partnership would continue in the future in which both the School and the Rotary Club would work together for the benefit of the local community.

Photograph of the Citation Presentation (left to right) Andrew Roberts (Chairperson - SMADS), Cliff Broome (Treasurer - SMADS), Simon Platford - Director of Performing Arts, Abraham Darby Specialist School for the Performing Arts) and Peter Nixon (President - Rotary Club of Ironbridge)