NATIONAL BAND CONTEST

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 16

NATIONAL BAND CONTEST

Woolston Wins Trombone Trio (New Zealand Press Association) DUNEDIN, March 7. A trombone trio from the Timaru Municipal Band was thefirst group to feel the effects of the stringent rules at the national band contest which opened in Dunedin today. The group was told •it was unable to play the selection chosen. The Timaru trio won the event in 1955 and the players were under the impression that they could play the same selection in the third year after this win. However, the rules provide that a winning piece may not be played until after the expiration of three years. Rather than withdraw the players went to a city music shop to buy new music and after a brief rehearsal took their place in the competition. Most of the audience were unaware of the difficulties that had arisen. The trio was unplaced. „ The Petone Municipal Band, conducted by Mr F. E. Lapham, won both the test selection and hymn test in the D grade tonight. The championship is decided on the selection results. In second place in the test was St. Kilda juniors, a boys’ combination having its first start at, a national contest. This was the only South Island band in the major placings for the hymn test. The judge (Mr K. Smith) said the standard had been surprisingly high. He considered the combination would have made a strong showing in the C grade. Results:— Hymn.—Petone (115 points) 1, Feiiding Municipal (112) 2, Marton Municipal and St Kilda Juniors (110) equal 3. Test selection.—Petone (125 points) 1, St. Kilda Juniors (115) 2, Marton (110) 3. Quartets.—Kaikorai No. 1 (88 points) 1, Te Awamutu Municipal No. T (84) 2, Lower Hutt Municipal (83) 3. The members of the Kaikorai quartet were Bandsmen J. F. Lanham, J. Dickinson (cornets), B. Gordon (tenor horn) and R. R. Macdonald (euphonium), and it was conducted by Mr N. Thorn. Trombone trio.—Woolston (92 points) 1, Wellington Metropolitan Fire Brigade (91) 2, Kaikorai (89) 3. The winning combination, conducted by Mr D. Christensen, comprised Bandsmen T. Langley, D. Hoy and E. B. Sutton.