THE NEWSLETTER OF CRYSTAL PALACE BAND

Issue: 7 (Spring 2004)
We are in the middle of the contest season and 2004 has been a good year for the band so far. Read about our success over the page. Preparations for the summer season of band jobs are also underway, so make a note of where we’re playing and come along! And don’t forget to check out www.crystalpalaceband.fsnet.co.uk regularly for the latest news on the band. Happy Easter
CPB players on tour!

In February five members of CPB went over to Switzerland to visit Markus Killer, who played cornet with us last year. Staying in the pretty castle town of Lenzburg, the CPB players made the most of the recent snow – and during many snowball fights experienced the bowling skill which makes soprano cornet Steve Cowlin such a good cricketer! Tobogganing in Engleberg (or ‘Angel Mountain’) and a visit to a brewery in Lucerne were also two of the highlights of the trip.

However, it wasn’t all snow and drinking in Switzerland – as part of the four-day trip the CPB players took advantage of an offer to play with Markus’ band, Brass Band Imperial, Lenzburg, a First section band. The conductor’s lack of English wasn’t a problem and the players even picked up some tips for CPB rehearsals!		 The CPB members would like to thank Markus, his family and BB Imperial for their hospitality, and look forward to seeing them all again soon.

To see photos of the trip, visit www.byphotos.com/andrew.lipscombe@function-band.com

Band News

• A few new faces have joined over the past few months, and a few old ones have visited us to say hello too. We’d like to welcome all those who have joined us, and emphasise that CPB operates an open-band rehearsal policy – anyone is welcome to turn up and play!
• There’s been some good news for the B Band recently – they have been awarded a grant of £1,235 from Community Links Bromley. The money has been spent on two new baritone and tenor horns, which are already being used by keen players.
• If you want to get in touch with Crystal Palace Band we’ve now got a new email address specifically for enquiries: crystalpalaceband@btinternet.com
So if you want a brass band to play for you over the summer, or if you want to come along to a rehearsal, get in touch!


Fixtures 2004

Sunday 25th April SCABA Spring Contest, Hove Town Hall
Sat/Sun June 5th/6th Festival, Crystal Palace 150th Anniversary, Crystal Palace Park
Sunday June 13th Hotham Park, Bognor Regis, 1.30 to 3.30 pm
Saturday 10th July Old Coulsdon Village Fair, Grange Park, 2.00 - 4.30
Sunday 11th July Broadstairs Bandstand, Victoria Parade, 2.30 to 4.00 pm
Sunday 18th July Greenwich Park Bandstand, 2.00 - 3.30 pm & 4.00 to 5.30 pm
Sunday 12th September Dane John Bandstand, Canturbury
Sunday 10th October SCABA Autumn Contest, Leas Cliff Hall, Folkstone
Sunday 14th November Remembrance Parade, Belmont, 10.00 am
Saturday 4th December Charity Gala Concert, St Bartholomew's Church, Sydenham, 7-9pm


Contest Update… Contest Update… Contest Update…

Crystal Palace Band’s 2004 contest season started with the SCABA quartet/ensemble contest in February. Four ensembles made the trip to Ringmer, East Sussex, featuring a number of the band’s principal players. The gold star of the afternoon went to the band’s octet, who won first prize in the Section A ensemble category, walking away with the Magna Carta cup and certificate after a stirring performance of renaissance composer Gabrielli’s ‘Sonata e Pino Forte’ arranged by Philip Jones, and scored for two antiphonal brass quartets. An unusual line-up of two euphoniums, bass trombone and Eb bass entered the 1st Section Quartets, playing an old W&R favourite of selections from ‘Rigoletto’ by Verdi and ‘Tannhauser by Wagner, resulting in second place. A trombone quartet played an arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael’s ‘Stardust’ in the Open Section Quartets, followed by a more traditional line-up of of two cornets, Eb horn and Euphonium performing William Rimmer’s varied ‘Spring’ (another old W&R favourite).

Next on the band’s contest list was Stevenage, and so on Saturday 20 March the band travelled up for a 9am draw (with the exception of Eb bass player Andrew Lipscombe, who travelled down from Cheshire having performed at a benefit concert with Coronation Street star Keith Duffy the night before!). The band was rewarded for an excellent performance of Phillip Sparke’s ‘Kaleidoscope’ by being placed fourth out of thirteen, and securing its second section place for at least another year. Brass band website ‘4BarsRest’ reviews the band as follows:
“Crystal Palace set up with their basses on the audience’s right, behind the trombones and euphoniums, with the solo cornets, horns and flugel forming a semicircle. They produced a good, full sound at the opening, although the flugel was a little quiet. The rhythm in Variation 1 was good, despite some splits on the reprise, and the soloists entered confidently. The underneath parts could be heard clearly and the moto perpetuo section was very clean with excellent work by the trombones. A good performance and well worth their fourth place.”

And now the band is preparing for the Spring SCABA contest, at Hove on Sunday 25 April – will the success of the contest season so far be repeated? Well, you’ll have to wait for the next issue of Palatians to find out – or keep an eye on our website!
If you wish to contact the editors, please do so via the following ways:
clarelipscombe@hotmail.com or Clare Lipscombe, 60 Firsby Avenue, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 8TN or ring on 020 8655 2511
If you have a general band enquiry (e.g. you would like to join the band, or would like to book the band) please contact the Secretary, Rachel Bleach, on 020 8776 2520, or crystalpalaceband@btinternet.com - or visit the website, www.crystalpalaceband.fsnet.co.uk
The views expressed in this newsletter are the personal views of the Editor and are not necessarily that of Crystal Palace Band. © April 2004 No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the Editor