Alderman Knight School Christmas Fayre
Thursday 29th November saw the Training Band out in force again to provide Christmas music for our friends from Alderman Knight School's Christmas Fayre. There were the usual fantastic selection of Christmas stalls to spend our money at in the short break between our two playing slots. We managed to attract a static audience to our playing and some of them even joined in with a little carol singing!

On Sunday 11th November the Band led the annual Remembrance Day parade through Tewkesbury from outside the Roses Theatre in Sun Street down to the Abbey for the morning service at 10am before leading the parade back to The Cross. At the Cross the Band provided accompaniment for the hymn singing and for the laying of the wreaths. This was followed by the playing of the last post and reveille by Helen Walters to signal the beginning and end of the two minutes silence.
 

On Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th November the Band spent two 6 hour days at Alderman Knight School recording our first ever professionally produced CD. The two days were very intense and our levels of concentration were tested to the full as we recorded a seventeen pieces from which the final selection could be made. As with any recording there were several re-takes and the odd squeaky drum stool!! Hopefully we recorded enough material for the producer to collate a good CD from.

The CD will include music from that we have been performing over the past few years in the parks and at our concerts. There are several solos and numerous popular tunes. We are now waiting to hear the finished product and hopefully it will be available in time for our Christmas concerts. More information on the music included nearer to the release date.

Congratulations - A New Addition!
On Monday 22nd October 2007 one of our euphonium players, Julia Edgeworth-Simmonds, gave birth to a baby boy. Reuben William Simmonds was born at 9:19am weighing in at 7lb 7oz. The Band sends their congratulations and say "hi" to Reuben - "Training Band is on a Friday...."!!

Christmas Concert Tickets now on sale
Okay its a little early to mention Christmas, but our Christmas Concerts in the Roses Theatre have become increasingly popular over the past few years and are known to sell out early. So we would like to announce that the tickets for our concerts on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th December are now on sale.

We can promise our usual mix of the spectacular, thrilling, festive and downright silly! So to avoid being disappointed get down to the Roses and buy your tickets now! The Training Band and local school choirs will also be appearing at these concerts.

Tickets are available from the Roses Theatre Box Office on 01684 295074 and from their website: http://www.rosestheatre.org/

Flood Aid! Cathedral Concert raises £2,213
On Friday 7 September the Band made its first appearance in Gloucester Cathedral as part of a joint concert with the Choir of the Gloucestershire Constabulary to raise funds for the Flood Relief Charity. There was an audience of over 500 people with many dignitaries also present (including the Chief Constable of Gloucestershire, the Bishop of Gloucester, several local Mayors and many more) to hear the Choir sing, the Band play and to donate funds to the charity appeal.

We thoroughly enjoyed playing in the Cathedral and gave one of our best ever performances. The Band opened the musical element of the concert with its our own signature march 'Tewkesbury'. This was followed by a few songs from the Choir, before our front row cornet trio (two Helen's and a Robin) took centre nave to play 'Bugler's Holiday'. Keeping the tune together was a major challenge in the echoey Cathedral acoustic but was achieved with aplomb.