The evening was filled with anecdotes, which brought to life a man many banders have only seen before at a distance on stage, conducting the world famous Black Dyke Band. Kevin Darby, Filton's Principal Cornet player said of the event:
It was a privilege to share a fascinating and up close and personal evening on Zoom with Nick Childs. On a personal level, it was great for Cath and I to catch up with him and remember shared experiences. Nick also shared stories from his early playing days with Tredegar Band under his father’s guidance and his first conducting experiences, and the highlights of his long and successful career with Black Dyke. Interspersed with audio clips and rounded off by an inspiring question and answer session, it was an insightful reminder of what we have all been missing during lockdown and why Nick is regarded as a living legend in brass band circles. The evening finished on a positive note; banding, Nick Childs said, is something we will all be proud to go back to and will all enjoy together again.
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During the lockdown, Filton Concert Brass have kept banding going by inviting guest speakers for masterclasses on playing, adjudicating, and musical interpretation for Filton players and friends. On 15th July, the band and guests enjoyed a fantastic masterclass session with Martin Britt, who led us through a session entitled 'taking the noise out of brass playing', discussing putting the fundamentals of brass playing in place, and offering advice on tackling performance anxiety. Thank you Martin for such an engaging session, and to all who attended!  On 30th July, the band and friends were delighted to welcome euphonium virtuoso Glenn Van Looy, who delivered an incredibly useful masterclass on getting our playing back into shape after some time off. Glenn was supposed to be conducting the band at the Senior Cup contest this year, which was unfortunately cancelled, so it was great for everyone to catch up!  On 6th August, it was a pleasure to welcome Mike Fowles to our virtual bandroom, who delivered a fascinating masterclass on 'Taking the mystery out of adjudication'. Mike revealed in great detail the process of contest adjudicating, providing invaluable advice on how to prepare for a contest! Thank you Mike for a really enjoyable evening.  |
