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KCB News |
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Headlines
Second baby for Lynn and RichardWe are again delighted to announce that our bass trombone player, Lynn Steen, has given birth to their second baby, this time a girl. She arrived a little early on 23rd March 2008, but is doing perfectly well. Lynn and Richard have named their new girl Hanna Elizabeth. Congratulations to them from all in the Band. 
New TimpsMay 30th 2007 saw the arrival in the rehearsal hall of two brand new Timps. These Premier Pedal timps will replace the very old and damaged timps that the Band has been struggling along with for many years now. In fact, the very day before the 2006 Christmas concert was performed, the skin of the larger timp burst. That was the trigger to getting the new timps organised but we had to manage with just a single old timp for several months. Thanks go to Simon Coates for all his efforts in researching suitable instruments, purchasing and organising delivery to the band. We hope you enjoy the fuller sound these new timps have brought to our music since their arrival.
Yet another birth to celebrateIt must have been something in the water, but we are so delighted to announce the birth of the third baby for the band in recent months. Baby Abigail Rose Preston was born to band members Kim and Andy. Abigail arrived on 19th October 2006, born at 3.13am, weighing in at 7lb 12oz. Mother and baby doing fine, as is proud father Andy. Jennifer says she is so cute. Being Abigail's Godparent hasn't made her at all biased, has it?
Congratulations to Simon and HelenOn Sunday 3rd September 2006, our Bass player Simon married his fiancee Helen at a lovely church wedding, before moving on to Rogerthorpe Manor for the main reception and later an evening party with a live disco. An ensemble from the band was invited to play during the main reception and all band members were invited to join them at the evening party. The couple looked so happy and wonderful together and we all wish them both the very best for their new lives together as man and wife.
Another birth in the BandWe are again delighted to announce that our bass trombone player, Lynn Steen, has given birth to a son, Adam Craig, in the morning of Saturday 24th June. He weighed in at 7lb 8oz, and he and his mum are doing fine.
New "Member"We are delighted to announce that Karen and Steve Brewis became parents to twin girls, Katie and Emily, on Monday 17th April. Mother and girls all doing fine. Karen plays baritone and Steve is our percussionist. Both are also members of the Bratwursts Oompha band.
Web Site face Lift (again)It has been 6 years since this web site had a major make over. The buttons and title banners were looking a little tired and old fashioned against more modern sites, and a genuine criticism that the buttons were hard to read had been made from time to time. So I made time in March 2006 to completely rebuild new buttons and titles and bring some information more up to date. I hope you like the new look and find buttons easier to read.
On-line KCB shopFor several weeks previously, the KCB WebMaster has been trying to find time for some web-site updates, including a new look to every page in an attempt to make it easier to read, and also the replacement of the old CD & Tapes page with a new on-line Shop page, now that we are able to take payments using the facilities of PayPal. As well as CDs and Tapes, several non-musical items are being offered for sale through the shop. Tickets for our own concerts may also be made available at the appropriate times leading up to the concerts for your convenience.
Noteability Jazz QuintetThe Jazz Quartet formed about a year previously has now become a Jazz Quintet, with the addition of a new member, Simon and Martin's grandfather on Saxophone. This new instrument certainly brings a new dimension to the group, and they have enjoyed several concerts to themselves in the past year, already becoming an excellent group in their own right. They also have a name now, "Noteability", an excellent play on words.
New CD announcedNews has been quiet for some time, but as of October 2003, we are putting the finishing touches to a new festive CD entitled "A time to Celebrate", which will be available from the middle of November 2003 onwards, in plenty of time for Christmas purchases! The 2003 Christmas Concert contains many of the pieces on the CD, so anyone attending the concert will be able to use it as a reminder of a great evening of festive fun and music.
Jazz QuartetA new group has formed out of the main band, which had its premier performance at the 40's night concert at Outwood on 27th October 2003. This is a Jazz Quartet made up of Kathryn Lee on Vocals, Martin Coates on Cornet and Simon Coates on percussion. All three are part of the main KCB band. Making up the quartet is Paul Dean (Kathryn's brother) on keyboard. As yet, the quartet is so new, they haven't decided on a name, so they were introduced as the KCB Jazz Quartet.
Changes to ExecutivesAt the AGM in November 2001, Steve and Karen Brewis stepped down from their positions as Chairman and Band Secretary. We would very much like to thank them for their excellent contributions to the roles that they have undertaken over the past three years. But they decided that it was time to give others in the Band an opportunity to take up the reins on these important roles, so as to give the Band a fresh start and fresh approach. This was all very much in best possible atmosphere, and Steve and Karen are still very much involved with the Band, and have stated their continued support for a long time to come. So, the formalities of the AGM process were followed, resulting in the voting in of Ken and Cheryl McNaught to the roles (yes, another husband and wife team). Martin Bird was also voted in to the Vice Chairman's role which had been vacated by Alex. New contact details can be found on the member's page.
King's School TiesSomething that has been on the back burner for a number of months in 2001, was the possibility of the King's High School and the Band setting up some closer ties between us. In October, our Chairman Steve had an excellent meeting with several members of the Kings staff to discuss several possibilities of how these ideas could be put into practice. After two and a quarter hours of discussions, it seems that many ideas are on the table, which will hopefully benefit both parties. For the Band, these including the use of some of the school's facilities at excellent rates, and for the school, where the Band be happy for pupils to join us on events such as our educational workshop sessions, so that they too are able to gain from the wonderful experience of the specially invited guests who come and lead these events. At the time of writing (October 2001) this is still in the early stages of discussions, but we are likely to begin by inviting some pupils to our November workshop as an immediate start to this extended relationship.
New York TragedyThe terrible events that began in New York and Washington on September 11th, 2001, have had repercussions on this side of the Atlantic as well. Not unexpectedly, the Ferrybridge Power Station has been put on alert status, being a possible terrorist target. This has meant that the Band is unable to use their facilities for our twice weekly rehearsal sessions, and we are very grateful that after short negotiations, the Central Methodist Church in Pontefract has once again come to our rescue and allowed us to rehearse there for the time being. Rehearsal meeting times are still 07:45pm for an 08:00pm immediate start on Mondays and Wednesdays.
New instruments arriveThere were a lot of smiling faces at rehearsals on Monday 30th April, as Steve brought in the new instruments that have been funded by the successful lottery bid (see next section). Eight shiny new cornets, two horns and two basses (all with new cases), found their way into eager hands and up to impatient lips. There was immediately a crisper sound to the session despite a little initial tweaking that was done to bring them each into tune. These will be unveiled at Badsworth Church which is the next concert on Friday of this week.
Lottery bid acceptedThe Band were delighted to hear that on this third attempt, the lottery commission have sent notification that they have accepted our bid for lottery funding for the Band. We have to say a fantastic "Thank you" to all those band members who assisted and persisted with this bid, but by far the biggest thanks has to go to Along with a large "match-funding" amount being put in by the Band itself (far more then the minimum amount specified by the lottery commission rulings), the Band will use the monies in various ways. A large percentage goes towards replacement of old and battered instruments that were identified in an independent audit performed by "All Brass and Woodwind" on the Band's behalf in 2000. But the bid was also based on education and giving back to the community, not just for instruments. To this end, monies will be put into workshops to be held over the coming year for the Band, and other monies are going towards commissioning Pete Rosser to compose a special new piece which is to be premiered at our 25th Anniversary Concert in July (see next item for more details). So it's not all for us. The combination of better instruments, further education and new exciting music should come together to give you all an even more enjoyable experience from us.
KCB Celebrates its 25th Anniversary2001 sees the 25th Anniversary for Knottingley Concert Brass. Founded in 1976, we are 25 years old this year. We couldn't let this important landmark in our history go past without making this a special occasion, and to that end, our main summer event, the Patron's Concert, will be a very special occasion, highlighting the Band's first 25 years of existence. For more information, please refer to our Future Events page.
World's first for KCB?It is thought that our performance in the Synagogue, north Leeds, may be a world first. The organisers of this event believe this may be the first time ever, that a Brass Band has performed a concert in a Synagogue! You might not find it in the Guinness Book of Records, but this could well be a a fairly unique achievement for our band. Read the full review of this special charity event, on our Past Events pages.
Patrons' Concert 2000All the preparation over the preceding months seem to have been worth while, as our Patrons' Concert for the year 2000, entitles Millennium Moments, went off very well, and the feedback we have received since has been amazing. As if to round it off for us, we had 14 new patrons signed up on the night, and several more have signed up since, solely as a result of attending this concert. I have included a much fuller review of the concert on our Past events 2000 pages, and there are quite a few photographs from the event on our Gallery Pages.
James Watson WorkshopWe were delighted when James Watson accepted our invitation to come along one Saturday, to give the band a day's workshop. This turned into a wonderful occasion, far exceeding our own aims and expectations for the day. He gave us an insight into his own life and achievements, passed on some his enormous experience to the Band as a whole, and in the afternoon session, several Band members bravely got up to conduct a piece, for which James then passed on his comments and suggestions. Every person in the band, from beginners to those with many years of experience, all gained a lot from the day. Although I normally publish reviews of the Band's concerts, I felt this workshop was so interesting that I have put up a fuller description of the day on our Past Events page.
Car Treasure HuntWhat a success this social event for the band turned out to be. The weather was fantastic, the hunt most enjoyable, the food excellent and we were very pleased that several Patrons took up the invitation to join us, as part of the benefits package offered to all our registered Patrons. Whilst never intended as such, it even made a small profit! A big "Thank You" go out to the organisers, Roy and Gill Simpson.A fuller description of this event can also be found on our Patron's Pages.
Web Site Face LiftIn an attempt to improve the look and feel of the site, I put in quite a bit of time making some cosmetic improvements to the site. These include:
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