The annual highlight for any local brass band player is the Pershore Midsummer Brass Festival. Every year, around 30 brass bands descend on the charming Pershore to entertain at venues around the town, from the outdoor area of the Angel Inn to the beautiful, imposing setting of Pershore Abbey. Players involved would argue that this is brass band’s answer to Glastonbury and I for one always enjoy becoming a “rockstar” for the day!

The 2015 festival yet again proved to be a fantastic day for all involved at Stourport on Severn Brass Band. We were lucky enough to get the pick of the venues this year: a morning session at the Angel Inn and a mid-afternoon set in the Abbey. In the weeks leading up to the festival, we had prepared two different programmes that would showcase the band’s versatility. Our MD, Oli had yet again chosen some fantastic pieces for us to play, some of which were a welcome challenge for the band.

Our first set at the Angel Inn was a fun, light-hearted affair, mixing music from animated Hollywood blockbusters with pop classics from the likes of Queen. The audience seemed to really enjoy songs such as “I wish I knew how it would feel to be free” and The Lion King’s “Circle of Life” but the real highlights of the morning came from our two fantastic soloists, Dave and Chris.

Dave Deakin is one of the most gifted musicians I have had the pleasure of playing with and his rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” was a brilliant showcase for an amazing trombonist. You only had to look out to the audience which was filled with fellow brass players to know that you were listening to someone special. After we had finished our set, Dave then revealed that he had been stung by an insect halfway through the solo and thought his performance suffered slightly! I can only imagine how much more perfect it would have sounded without his unwanted visitor!

Our other soloist, Eb Bass player Chris Lane gave us something completely different, entertaining the masses with The Jungle Book’s “The Bare Necessities”. As well as being a powerhouse in the bass department, Chris has shown himself to be quite the comedic entertainer! Fully committed to his role, Chris sloped off halfway through his solo and re-emerged in a full bear costume! I don’t think you would have found another soloist that day who was so dedicated to entertaining their audience! Chris played brilliantly and the piece summed up perfectly how much fun it is to be in Stourport on Severn Brass Band!

Our set in the Abbey was a more serious affair, but we still had a great time playing some stunning music. We had another wonderful solo from our principal cornet, Andy Lane. Pershore Abbey was the perfect setting to hear Dvorak’s ”Rusalka’s Song to the Moon” and Andy played it beautifully. It was a real pleasure to accompany him.

Another highlight of the set was Joseph Turrin’s “Hymn for Diana”. Written as a tribute to Princess Diana after her untimely death, “Hymn for Diana” is full of intensity and emotion and an extremely demanding piece to play for any band. But we really rose to the challenge and as the final chord rang out around the abbey, we knew we’d done the music justice.

Our set at the abbey once again reminded us all how far we’d come as band over the past couple of years. Two years ago, we wouldn’t have even thought of attempting to play any of the pieces in our set, let alone play it to a large audience in an imposing venue at such a prestigious event.

After a successful day’s playing, we got to settle down and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. As well as being a great event to play in, Pershore Midsummer Brass allows you to enjoy performances from some of the top bands in the country, as well as catch up with old friends without the added pressure of a contest environment! Highlights from the day included sets from Championship bands like Jaguar Land Rover and Sovereign, and also from the fantastic Langley Band who were as always the life of the party!

As well as playing for the mighty Stourport on Severn Brass Band, some of our players line up for other bands and it was great to get to cheer them on throughout the day. A special mention goes to the brilliant West Mercia Youth Band. Conducted by our MD Oli Wilson, they played a brilliantly entertaining set which included the main theme to “Game of Thrones” as well as a beautiful solo from our very own horn player, Becky Kerridge. Great job Becky!

If you enjoy great music played in fantastic venues, accompanied by great food and drink and (mostly!) glorious weather, then Pershore Midsummer Brass Festival is the event for you! A great day was had by all and I can’t wait to see all of you next year!

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here