Welcome to Friary Diary issue 121 - a monthly round up of news about the Friary Brass Band.
DISAPPOINTMENT FOR FRIARY AT STEVENAGE:
‘A tough result, but we’ll take it on the chin and move on,’ reflected Friary Chairman, David Wicks, after our disappointing result at the Regional Championships last Sunday. Despite the many hours of practice, it was not Friary’s day at Stevenage. Drawn to play second was not ideal, and it seems that our interpretation of Derek Bourgeois’ Diversions did not find favour with the adjudicators.
‘Thank you for your performance, mostly successful, and soloists delivered solidly. Some heavier dynamics and balance in the middle movement to think about, and the last movement just felt a little hurried and heavy in places,’ was the summary of adjudicator Anne Crookston, with fellow judge Paul Norley largely in agreement. The placing of 8th felt somewhat harsh but as one former leading conductor said, ‘You can only accept the disappointing results and make the most of the good ones.’
Warmest congratulations to winners East London Brass, their first victory in the Regional top section, and to their Musical Director Jayne Murrill who became only the second woman to conduct a winning band. Our usual main rivals Zone One Brass took second place, also booking their ticket to the National Finals in October. Particular commiserations to Redbridge who recorded yet another so near but yet so far third spot.
Spare a thought, too, for our friends in Cory who also took third place in the Welsh Regional Championships on Sunday. Had the rules remained unchanged, they would have prequalified, having taken fourth place in the National Finals last October. However, the number of finalists for 2025 has been trimmed back from 20 to 19, with only the top three from last year automatically returning to the Royal Albert Hall. It will be the first year since 1999 when they haven’t reached the Finals.
But that’s banding! Here’s to next year…
WENDY BRETT:
Wendy’s name will probably not be familiar to most of our readers, but it would be hugely remiss of me not to mention her, as she was a great Friary supporter. The last concert she attended was at St Nicolas Church, Bookham last September. Very sad to report, Wendy passed away in February, having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year.
But much more than being a staunch follower of the Band, as Head of Music at what was Connaught School (now Alderwood), Aldershot and as Assistant Director of the North East Hants Area Schools’ Band, Wendy taught and inspired so many young musicians, including several Friary players. Her dedication was nothing short of outstanding and indeed my own family owe her such a great deal musically. She will be missed immensely by all who knew her, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her family and friends.
PLAYER PROFILE:
I thought it was high time that Friary Diary featured another player profile, so I am very grateful to long-standing front row cornet player Andy Singleton for agreeing to be the subject of my ‘virtual interview’.
Do you come from a musical family - if so, what did they play? Yes - we come from traditional northern banding stock! My father and all my brothers played in the local brass band, so it was inevitable that I would end up playing. My father played BBb bass, and my other brothers played for local bands, Paul (horn), Phil (cornet), Stephen (euphonium). At the moment, it’s just me and Phil who continue playing today (the others have retired!)
When did you first start playing a brass instrument, and what was it? As a child, I sometimes used to try and make rude noises on my father’s bass, and as a result he brought home a spare band cornet for me to play on (at the age of around 6 or 7 I think). I really didn’t want to play - the noises were not as rude as the noises I could make on his bass. I was also mad keen on playing football at the time – but was bribed to start playing with a can of Tango …
Have you continued playing since then? Broadly speaking, yes. I had a short break when I went to uni, and when I first moved down to Epsom when I started work. However, there was someone in work who knew that I used to play, so he lent me a cornet and took me to a local band (Epsom and Ewell Silver) which got me back into the swing of playing again.
What bands have you played for regularly? It was mainly my local bands. I grew up in Rainford (in the North West), so I played with Rainford Silver (as it was then) from the age of 7 till I left for university. It’s great to see them in the Championship section now in the North West. After that, following the move down south, I played for Epsom and Ewell until I joined Friary in 2015.
What do you particularly like about playing with Friary? They really are a great bunch of musicians and people. They are a very committed and hard-working band, but they are also really fun to be around, which is important to me.
Do you play or have you played any other instruments apart from the cornet? I used to play the piano when I was young - but sadly gave that up to concentrate on my cornet playing.
What’s your most memorable banding moment? I guess it would be the first appearance at the Albert Hall. I’ve always had an ambition to play there - not that it is actually that enjoyable on the stage - but feel proud to have been there on more than one occasion now.
What would you most like to achieve in the banding world? I would like to play at the British Open. My brother always reminds me that he has won that one...
Are you involved with any other types of music? No.
Apart from brass, what other genres of music do you enjoy? I do like ‘80/’90s pop……!
If you were cast away on a desert island, what would be your top three music pieces you’d like to listen to - and why? That’s a really hard question, as there are so many pieces out there which I love listening to. If I had to narrow them down it will be some of the older pieces….. I’d go for The Planets (and in particular Yorkshire Building Society’s performance at the Open) - it was a stunning performance, and I used to study listening to it. English Heritage - the CWS Glasgow Band’s (or cooperation band now) winning performance in 1990….brings mixed emotions as my brother was playing with Leyland that year and had a band capable of winning the contest, but it wasn’t to be. It’s also close to when my father passed away and I know my brother really wanted to win for him. Still, CWS’ performance is top drawer, and I regularly listen to it. Lastly, it would be Cloudcatcher Fells (Black Dyke’s winning performance). I could listen to that piece and performance on repeat……whenever I listen to it, it reminds me of walking in mist in the lakes!
RANKING NEWS:
There has been no further update of the 4barsrest.com table since the end of last year, so Friary remains 33rd in the world. In the brassstats.com table, Friary has slipped, also to 33rd following the update on 1st March.
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