Aldbourne secure 2020 place with top 10 finish at the Open

Wow! What a weekend for the Band! – 9th at the British Open after being drawn to play no. 17, sandwiched between The Cory Band and Grimethorpe Colliery Band – probably not the best draw you would think! 🙂

The Band rose to the occasion though and we played our hearts out led by the inspirational Ivan Meylemans who was taking us at a contest for the first time, but we’re sure not the last!

A big thank you to all our players and their families for the sacrifice and commitment it takes to play at this level, and of course to our supporters who robustly led the cheering as we played our triumphant final chord. It was quite something to be there on stage and receive such a rousing ovation from not only our own supporters but others who were listening too. We’ve had lots of messages of congratulations from all around the globe and we very much appreciate all of them.

The band would also like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to our Solo Euphonium player on the day, Danny Jones, who stood in for Matt Dixon with just a week to go due to illness. He did an excellent job and we couldn’t have found a better replacement!

This weekend we welcomed on to the stage for the first time with us two new members, David Tutty on Eb Bass and Matthew Richardson on the front row of the cornet section. Both did themselves proud with very little preparation time so well done to them both.

Our very warm congratulations go to Cory and of course our very own resident conductor Glyn Williams and his wife Helen Williams who play for them, for their iconic performance which took the title on Saturday. Also a resounding well-done to our fellow West of England band, Flowers Band Band, who were placed 5th, a fabulous result for them.

Finally, we just have to say how grateful we are to Ivan for his fantastic interpretation of Dynasty and the genuine, friendly manner he went about preparing us for the day, working closely alongside Glyn. You won a piece of our hearts this weekend, that’s for sure!

Our focus now is on the National Finals at the Albert Hall in just a few weeks and another challenging test piece, Titan’s Progress. Keep a lookout for the date of our public rehearsal which will be announced soon so that you can come and listen to us prepare for this great occasion #Aldbourneband #Dabchicks

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