BrassBeats The ‘Friends of Derwent Brass’ Newsletter
2021 Summer Edition
A
t last! It is with great
pleasure that I’m able to finally write to you with some positive news, including - wait for it - details of upcoming live events! A very warm welcome to this summer edition of ‘Brass Beats’...
controls and general covid guidance, but also through retaining members. Bands from the grass roots through to the number 1 ranked brass band in the world have seen players leave through changes in circumstances and perhaps also changes in life’s priorities - I guess a global pandemic can have that kind of effect! Thankfully changes at Derwent Brass, whilst significant, have also been balanced with a selection of new appointments which makes for very exciting times indeed. Firstly we were sad to say goodbye to Adam Rutter who had been the band’s Solo Euphonium for some 16 years.
Back to Band
Throughout the pandemic, we have always put the safety and health of our members and their families at the forefront of every decision. From the start of the year some bands were trying to find ways to safely return to music making, be that in small ensembles, playing outside, or in large halls, etc. On May 17th the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport finally confirmed that brass bands could return to rehearsals, but with a wide variety of restrictions in place. However for us and our setup, we felt it best to stick to our own risk assessments, review what was happening in our local areas and wait until stage 4 of the restriction road map had passed so we could return to band properly, i.e. in our own setting with all of our members onboard. Finally, Thursday July 22nd came along and following a 16 month hiatus the band were finally able to safely get back together. Risk assessments were renewed, guidance documents produced, jabs in arms and everybody tested prior to rehearsal. There was a palpable sense of anxiety before that first note was blown in unison - what was it going to sound like?! Never before in Derwent Brass history had there ever been a break for more than the typical 2 or 3 weeks over Christmas! Thankfully it sounded good and to hear that full band tone once more was a heart warming moment - and no doubt a huge sense of relief for Jack! It is still a challenging time, what with the ‘pingdemic’ and isolations making rehearsal planning more difficult, but the thrill of live music and sharing quality time in the company of friends is certainly more than making up for it.
Bums on Seats!
We have seen first hand that for many ‘amateur’ organisations, including several brass bands, returning back to the arts following Covid has proven very difficult, not just because of the safety
We paid homage to Adam and his commitment to the organisation during our online AGM evening (complete with emotional video, speeches and parting gift!) and at the same time to Richard Simnor who had also put in a long shift on Baritone. Personal circumstances for the two, plus long distance travel for Richard following a house move, meant that sadly they felt they could no longer commit to the band. As the proverb goes - ‘bad things come in threes’, and shortly after this time we were also sad to lose Ben Armstrong on EEb Tuba, again for several personal reasons. These three lads were fantastic players and characters in the band and will be missed no doubt - we wish them all the very best in their future endeavors and I’m sure it won’t be too long before our paths cross once again. Balancing this out with some warm welcomes then, the first of which goes to Abbey Watson. Abbey is a very talented young horn player who has helped the band out on many occasions in the past, including playing for the band at the British Open Spring Festival. Abbey, who passed Grade 8 tenor horn whilst studying a-level music and has toured with bands such as ’The Open Road’ joins us from Gresley Colliery Band onto Second Horn.