By Request Concert
In January this year, the Band performed a concert that featured music requested by players. Featuring their favourite pieces, it was an opportunity for Band members to express which pieces they enjoy playing the most. On the 21st October, it is your opportunity to choose the programme! The Band will be performing a concert at St Columba's Church in Port Erin, where the music will be chosen by our supporters. Tickets for the concert will be on sale later in the year, but in order to develop a list of music for the concert, we would love to hear from as many supporters as possible with their favourite piece (or pieces). In order to help you decide on your favourite piece, we’ve listed those that have appeared in the Band’s repertoire over the last few years as a reminder; but you are welcome to suggest a piece that’s not on the list below.
Marches
Aces High
On The Quarterdeck
Ballafesson March
Radetsky March
Belmont
Sons Of The Brave
Mona's Delight
The New Colonial
National Emblem
Where Our Flag Waves
Hymns
Blaenwern
Lloyd
Crimond
Manx Fisherman's Evening Hymn
Deep Harmony
St Clement
Ellan Vannin
Stella
Eventide
Swedish Folk Song
Selections/Medleys
Abba Goes Brass
Beatles Goes Brass
Alloway Tales
Breezin' Down Broadway
Anglian Dances
Pirates Of The Caribbean
Best Of Bond
Scottish Dances
Other Pieces
African Funk
Irish Tune From County Derry
A Little Prayer
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
All Through The Night
Just A Closer Walk
An American Trilogy
Land Of My Fathers
A Special Place
Les Prisons de Nantes
Baggy Trousers
MacArthur Park
Birdland
Men Of Harlech
Eleanor Rigby
One Moment In Time
From Newlyn to Niarbyl
Prismatic Light
Happy
Second Waltz
Highland Cathedral
The Ashokan Farewell
Hine e Hine
The Conquest of Paradise
Hunt The Wren
When I'm Sixty Four
Hymn To The Fallen
You'll Never Walk Alone
If you would like to make a request, please send it to the Band Chairman, Tom Sinden, by email to tom_sinden@hotmail.com or by post at 26 Ballahane Close, Port Erin, IM9 6EG, by 31st August 2016. We will try to include as many requests as possible during the concert, but unfortunately it is very unlikely that we will be able to feature everyone's choices.
*****
Manx Music Festival - April 2016
The band's players performed extremely well at the Manx Music Festival over the weekend. Ailish Williams, Owen Williams and Juan Wright all won their solo classes, while the Rushen Silver Band Ensemble and Trombone Quartet won their classes as well. The Ballafesson Brass ensemble also performed extremely well, as did all the individual soloists. Everyone playing in the solo and ensemble classes did the band proud. Special thanks to Jill Collings for her work in accompanying the soloists, and to Juan Wright, Jonathan King and Hazel Matthews for preparing the ensembles.
After the many successes of our soloist and ensembles over the weekend, it was the turn of the Senior Band to perform at the Manx Music Festival on the Sunday night.
The band played extremely well, gaining 1st place in the Hymn category with a mark of 89 for their rendition of 'St Clement', with the adjudicator praising the the band's strong sense of musical line and phrasing and their dynamic range.
The band performed John Kinley's Mona's Delight in the March category, gaining a mark of 87 for what the adjudicator called an excellent performance.
In the concert class, the band were placed 2nd, again with 89 marks. More mention was made by the adjudicator about the band's thoughtful phrasing and rhythmic precision and soloists around the band were praised at various points for their effective performances.
All in all a weekend for the band to be very proud of. Thank you very much to all soloists, ensembles, Senior Band members, accompanists and tutors for all the time and effort you have put into preparing for the Guild. Also, thank you to Michal Kewley, our wonderful compere for the concert class. Special thanks to Band Musical Director, John Kinley for everything he has done over the last few weeks leading up to this weekend, both in the band room and behind the scenes. The full adjudicator's report is here.
Think shopping, think easyfundraising!
22 Jan 2016 -
New Instruments for Rushen Silver Band
Rushen Silver Band have been able to purchase some new instruments following the receipt of two very substantial donations.
The band’s fundraising organisation The Friends of Rushen Silver Band have donated £3,000 to the band, which has paid for a new Bass Trombone and a new Bass Drum.
The Gough Ritchie Trust have also donated £4,000 to the band, which has enabled the band to purchase a new Tuba.
Tom Sinden, Chairman of Rushen Silver Band:-
“We are extremely grateful to the Gough Ritchie Trust for their very generous donation. We are a busy community band, undertaking over 40 engagements last year, and donations such as this will help the band to continue its work within the community around the island. Buying new instruments is very costly, but the new B flat Tuba that the Gough Ritchie Trust’s donation has enabled us to purchase should serve the band well for many years to come. ”
“The band are also very fortunate to have the support of the Friends of Rushen Silver Band. The Friends raise funds throughout the year at coffee mornings and selling souvenirs at concerts, and it is from the Friends’ hard work that the band have been able to purchase a brand new Bass Trombone and a Concert Bass Drum. The band would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank all of the members of the Friends of the Band for their continued support, and also all the members of the public that have donated to the Friends at their various events.”
Rushen Silver Band provide tuition for people of all ages wishing to learn a brass or percussion instrument, with a training band of around 20 players and a further 7 receiving lessons. There is currently a waiting list for those wanting to learn an instrument.
The senior band performed over 40 engagements in 2015, including events for Castle View Nursing Home, Peel Pensioners Association, The Benevolent Society of Andreas, The Royal British Legion, The RNLI and even playing at Southlands Elderly Person’s Home on Christmas morning.
Rushen Silver Band Annual Dinner 2016
Bradda Glen Restaurant, Port Erin
Saturday 5 March 2016, 7pm for 7.30pm
Menu
Manx Broth served with Homemade Bread
Tomato and Mozzarella stack served with Balsamic and Olive Oil
Garlic Mushrooms served with Homemade Bread
*****
Carvery of Roast Meats
Mushroom Wellington
*****
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Fruit Salad served with local cream
Chocolate Cheesecake
Tickets Priced at £25
Please contact Gill Weldon (472172) for tickets.
Band’s Public events for festive season
Here's a list of all the Band’s public engagements over the forthcoming festive season. It would be good to see as many of our supporters as possible at these events for what will be a very busy but also enjoyable December for all the members of the Band.
Band Christmas Concert
Rushen Primary School will be the venue for the Band’s Christmas Concert taking place on Saturday 28 November 2015.
This year, the Band are delighted to be able to welcome back well-known local singers Jane Mayne (Mezzo Soprano) and Paul Costain (Bass) to not only perform individual pieces in the concert, but also join the Band in what will no doubt be another special evening for all.
Tom Sinden, Band Chairman, said: “The Band was delighted when both Jane and Paul accepted our invitation to join us again for our Christmas Concert. Similarly to previous years, I’m sure the audience will have a thoroughly enjoyable evening and will leave with a feeling of Christmas to start the festive season. The concert will be the start of a very busy few weeks for the members of the Band who will be playing at eighteen events through December”.
Admission to the concert is £6 (£3 for under 18s) and can be obtained by contacting Peter Faragher, Band Secretary, on 493193, or email secretary@rushensilverband.org.im
Rushen Silver Band feature in Brass Band World following David Childs' visit.
Well worth a read!
Rushen Silver Band to welcome international Euphonium soloist for Gala Concert
Rushen Silver Band will welcome international Euphonium soloist David Childs as guest artist at their Gala Concert next month, conducted by the Band’s Musical Advisor Richard Evans.
The concert will be at Castle Rushen High School, Castletown on Saturday 24 October 2015, at 7.30pm.
David Childs is regarded as one of the finest brass musicians of his generation. He has appeared as soloist with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, DCINY Symphony and BBC Philharmonic; made solo appearances at the Singapore International Festival, Welsh Proms, Harrogate International Festival, Cheltenham Festival, Melbourne International Festival, BBC Proms and New York Festival; performed solo recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and Bridgewater Hall; given Concerto performances at the Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Symphony Hall, New York’s Lincoln Center and London’s Royal Albert Hall; and regularly records as a solo artist for radio, television and commercial disc.
Tom Sinden, Band Chairman said: “Richard’s visit is an annual highlight in the Band’s calendar and we are ever grateful for the connection with Richard via our Musical Director John Kinley – and for all John’s rehearsal work with the Band in the run up to the concert.
“David Childs is one of the finest brass players in the world, with an amazing CV that speaks for itself, and we’re very much looking forward to welcoming him to the Island for what promises to be a great concert.”
Tickets for the concert are £7.50 (£1 for under 18s) and are available from the Band Secretary on 493193.
Rushen Silver Band attend Inter-Celtic Festival 2015, Lorient, France
From 7-12 August 2015, Rushen Silver Band performed at the Inter-Celtic Festival in Lorient, France. The band were part of over 100 musicians and performers from the Isle of Man attending the festival this year.
The band arrived in Lorient on the afternoon of Saturday 8 August, and immediately held a practice before an evening performance in the Manx/Cornish Pavilion. The performance, including three new pieces arranged by band MD John Kinley, was extremely well received with around 400 people in attendance.
On the morning of Sunday 9 August the band took part in the festival’s Grand Parade; a two mile procession from the outskirts of the town in to the main stadium. An estimated total of 70,000 spectators were watching on the streets and in the stadium. The band again played music arranged by their MD John Kinley, and an enthusiastic response was received along the route. A short afternoon performance in an arena called Breizh Stade to an audience of around 200 people concluded the band’s efforts for the day.
Monday 10 August saw the band perform two further engagements. The first of which was entitled an Inter-Celtic Riding Day, and involved the band parading through the town’s streets together with Camborne Town Band from Cornwall and around 50 classic motorbikes and scooters.
The band’s final engagement of the festival was to take part in the Manx and Cornish Showpiece Night in the Espace Marine Arena. The Manx part of the evening took the form of a carefully choreographed performance featuring all of the various artists and designed to tell the story of the various different Manx cultures on show. The band’s contribution saw them enter from the rear of the arena unseen, march through the audience whilst playing a specially commissioned piece entitled Mona’s Delight, then perform Hunt the Wren in front of the stage. After the Cornish half of the show, the evening concluded with a joint finale featuring a joint performance from the band together with Camborne Town Band. Another newly commissioned piece by John Kinley called From Newlyn to Niarbyl was used in this performance. The show finished shortly before 1.15am, and was again very well received by the estimated 1,500 strong audience. Huge credit should go to Chloe Woolley and Breesha Maddrell for their work in co-ordinating the Manx elements of the performance.
The band departed Lorient on Tuesday 11 August, having performed five engagements in two and a half days. All of the performances were met with extremely enthusiastic and positive reactions from the large crowds. The band are proud to have been asked to represent Brass Banding on the Isle of Man, as well as the musical culture of the island and the south of the island in particular. Rushen Silver Band would like to put on record their thanks to Culture Vannin and the Festival Interceltique de Lorient for their support with the trip.
Bon Voyage! 28 July 2015
Final preparations are underway for the giant Manx presence at Festival Interceltique de Lorient (7 - 16 August). With over 100 performers and volunteers going to Brittany to represent s largest Celtic Festival, hundreds of hours have already been spent perfecting performances for the two gala evenings at the Grand Theatre and Espace Marine, the Nuit Interceltique stadium shows, a huge televised parade, plus almost non-stop entertainment in the Manx-Cornish pavilion.
Journalists Amy Griffiths (Manx Radio) and Paul Moulton (MTTV) will also be joining the delegation to keep everyone back home up to date on happenings. Listen and watch regular features on Manx radio and manx.net’s MTTV, plus keep in the loop via Culture Vannin’s Twitter & Facebook pages.
See page 8 of the August 2015 Manx Music and Dance newsletter 'Kiaull Manninagh Jiu'
Tynwald Day - 6th July 2015
Matthew Callister and Ashley Cole outside the church at Tynwald prior to them playing trumpets for the Tynwald service.
15 June 2015
BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL FOR JIM CREBBIN
Rushen Silver Band can trace its origins back to the 1930s when, in the small hamlet of Surby, near Port Erin, some of the residents came together to form a small band consisting of concertinas and mouth organs. The ensemble eventually changed to an all brass format to become the Surby Silver Band, and in 1949 changed its name to the Rushen Silver Band.
Jim Crebbin joined the band in 1944 aged 12, and became the band’s bandmaster in the late fifties/early sixties. Jim remained in this role until November 2010 and has also served as Band Chairman and Assistant Bandmaster. Over his time as Bandmaster, Jim had seen the band evolve from a small ensemble through to the organisation it is today with over 60 members, its own bandroom in Ballafesson, and performing over 45 engagements each year. It is down in no small part to Jim’s commitment, time, and enthusiasm for the band that it has been able to survive through good times and bad to become the community asset that it is today. In addition to his work with Rushen Silver Band, Jim has also served over 20 years on the Manx Music Festival Committee.
In the band today Jim now plays the cornet, having passed on the baton (in every sense) to John Kinley. Jim still helps teach those learning to play each Friday night, and from time to time takes on the conducting duties. In acknowledgement of his contribution to the band, shortly after stepping down as Bandmaster Jim was given the title of Band Conductor Emeritus. The extent of Jim’s continuing commitment to the band can be demonstrated by his award in 2014 for the best attendance, an award that he has won 17 times in the last 25 years.
Jim’s award of the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List is an extremely fitting reward and acknowledgement of his huge contribution to the community of the Isle of Man over 75 years. The band wish to publicly offer their heartfelt congratulations to Jim on his award, and hope that he continues to contribute for many years to come. Thanks, Jim, for all you have done for the band. [photos - John Cole].
Manx Music Festival 2015
Brass Band - March and Hymn class. National Emblem 81 points (Merit), Stella 81 points (Merit)
Brass Bands Concert class: 85 points (Commended)
Well done everybody, and particular thanks to our MD John Kinley for his hard work in preparing the band.
Yorkshire and North West Regionals participation for Ashley Cole and Bobby Corkish
Well done to Ashley and Bobby for their recent Areas participation. Ashley played with Yorkshire Imps in the Yorkshire Regionals and the band achieved a very creditable 6 place despite losing a bass player to ill health on Saturday. Ashley has become a regular player with them having been recommended by Phillip McCann. Here he is pictured in the casual uniform taken at the pre-areas concert at St Paul's Hall, Huddersfield the week before. The concert featured five bands: Tingley, Garforth, Dinnington Colliery, Hade Edge and Yorkshire Imps, they all played their contest pieces. Congratulations to Bobby Corkish with Fairey's for their first place at the North West Areas.
Rushen Silver Band Annual Dinner
Bradda Glen Restaurant, Port Erin
Saturday 7th March 2015
7pm for 7.30pm
Menu
Manx Broth
Melon
Pate
*****
Carvery (turkey, beef, ham)
Mushroom Wellington
*****
Chocolate mousse
Fruit Gateaux
Ice Cream
Tickets Priced at £24
Please contact Gill Weldon for tickets:
8 Erin Lane, Ballahane Meadows, Port Erin, IM9 6FE
Tel: 472172
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Ashley Cole with Huddersfield University Brass Band
It was great to receive this photo of Ashley Cole (cornet) - now studying music at Huddersfield University and pictured here with the University Brass Band (back row, first left).
Christmas is coming!
Workshop Weekend with Richard Evans - October 2014
The band held a workshop weekend from 9th-11th October with world famous conductor Richard Evans. The weekend culminated in a workshop concert on Saturday 11th October. Pictures from the concert are now on the website.
Last Night Of The Proms Concert - September 2014
The band performed a Last Night Of The Proms concert at the Erin Arts Centre on Sunday 21st September. The evening was extremely well attended, and the band were honoured to have Dr John Bethell conducting for the second half, as well as the superb Mandy Griffin performing during the concert.
Visit from Inner Tuba - September 2014
The band were pleased to welcome Jon Hodkin, aka Inner Tuba, on Friday 12th September. Jon gave a masterclass to the members of Ballafesson Brass that featured advice on playing, performances by Jon, and also the interesting story behind the concept of Inner Tuba.
NYBBS Summer Course - August 2014
Band members Ashley Cole and Emma Parsons once again attended the summer course of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland (NYBBS) during the school holidays. Ashley was given the seat of Principal Cornet in the reserve band, while Emma was given the seat of Solo Horn in the reserve band. Photographs are now on the website.
Island of Culture Concert with Alan Fernie - 13th July 2014
The Senior Band and Ballafesson Brass performed a concert under the baton of Alan Fernie on Sunday 13th July at 3pm. The concert included the premier of a new piece the band have commissioned Alan to compose to mark Island Of Culture 2014.
Photos from the event are now on the pictures page of the website.
Friends Coffee Morning
The Friends of Rushen Silver Band held a Coffee Morning on Saturday 28th June at St Mary's Church Hall, Port St Mary.
The fine weather resulted in an excellent turn out for the event, and lead to an excellent total of over £450 being raised. Thanks to all those who helped to organise and run the event, and to everyone that gave their support.
Concert at Salvation Army Citadel - June 2014
The band performed a fundraising concert for the Salavation Army on Saturday 28th June. There was, once again, a good turnout for the event, with the band playing a varied selection of pieces including Cornet, Euphonium and Xylophone solos.
Photos from the event are now on the pictures page of the website.
