National Band Contest Opens In Christchurch

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30442, 16 May 1964, Page 14

National Band Contest Opens In Christchurch

The Roslyn Mills-Kaikorai Band played to a capacity audience of band-music lovers in the Theatre Royal last evening when it won the first test in the A grade national band championship with 142} points. The piece set for the test was “Life Divine,” by Cyril Jenkins.

St. Kilda Municipal and Timaru Municipal were second equal with 142 points, and the Australian Maryborough Federal Band was next with 141 J points.

of the Woolston Band, I hope to give you a run for your money tonight.” Other bands competing in the contests gave 10-minute recitals during the lunch hour at different points about the city. New Brighton March Today at 2.30 p.m. the Australian champion, the Maryborough Federal Band and the New Zealand champion A grade quickstep band, Timaru Municipal, together with the New Brighton Silver Band, will give a demonstration march through the centre of New Brighton. This will be the only noncontesting appearance of the Maryborough Band, which has travelled 4000 miles in an effort to take home the New Zealand national championship. The conductor, Mr J. J. Kelly, was chief judge at the last New Zealand national championships. The band has an outstanding record. It has won three Australian championships, eight Queensland championships, and one championship in New South Wales. The band has won the last five A grade championships it has attended. Opening By Mayor

corned all bands to the contest, particularly the band from Australia which had travelled a long distance at great expense. “I hope you all take back fond memories of your stay.” Music Judges

Mr N. Henstridge, of Brisbane, chief music judge for the contest, is himself a player of great experience. He first became a bandsman 52 years ago and as a cornet player was the B flat champion of champions in Australia, as well as the winner for seven consecutive years of the E flat soprano cornet championship, and a champion of champions on the instrument.

The chief music judge, Mr Norman Henstridge, said none of the bands was without blemish but all contributed to a good and enjoyable night. “All were very, very good, but more so those who took care. There was little separating the whole of the group and tuning was far in advance of the B grade contest of the afternoon,” Mr Henstridge said.

He said each band had its good points and its little lapses. Every band became weaker after a magnificent opening, and with some the trombones could hardly be heard in the softer passages. He did not know whether it was the hall or the positioning of the band, but this was a point that should be watched in future, he said. Street March Twenty-one bands competing in the national street marching championship for the Christchurch City Council shield yesterday gave many hundreds of Christchurch people and visitors to the city a magnificent display. Staff from shops and offices joined spectators in the street until the sidewalks along the route were crowded.

Mr Henstridge was bandmaster of the Second 15th Battalion Band during the war, and has conducted A, B, and C grade championship bands. He has been judging in Australia in recent years and in 1962 and 1963 was judge at the Queensland State Championships, one of the leading band contests in Australia.

The assistant music judge, Mr J. Rafferty of Christchurch, has had considerable brass band experience, both in Great Britain and New Zealand. He is a former national euphonium champion and has conducted winning bands at New Zealand and provincial contests. Results from the first day of the New Zealand brass band championships which began in Christchurch yesterday are as follows: A Grade First Test.—Roslyn MillsKaikorai, 1425 points, 1; St. Kilda Municipal and Timaru Municipal, 142 (equal), 2: Maryborough Federal, 1414, 3; Palmerston North City Silver, 140, 4; Woolston Brass, 138, 5; Derry’s Brass, 137, 6. B Grade First Test.—Onslow Brass, 135 points, 1; Addington Workshops, 133, 2; Blenheim Municipal, 132, 3; Christchurch Fire Brigade and Mount Roskill Municipal, 130 (equal), 4; Invercargill Garrison, 129, 5; Wanganui Garrison, 126, 6; Dunedin City Silver, 124, 7. C Grade First Test.—New Plymouth City, 119 points, 1; Te Awamutu Municipal, 113, 2: Upper Hutt Municipal, 112, 3: Papatoetoe Municipal, 110, 4: Woolston Auxiliary, 109, 5. Street March Roslyn Mills-Kaikorai, 69.9 points, 1; Timaru Municipal, 69, 2; Woolston Brass, 68, 3.

Amid swirling autumn leaves driven across Latimer square by a strong northwesterly wind, the Mayor welcomed visiting bandsmen yesterday morning. He said he hoped that the contest and the visit to Christchurch would both be memorable, particularly for the visiting Australian band.

The bands began their march from Latimer square after the band contest had been officially opened by the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr G. Manning). They followed a route along Hereford street and Manchester street to the Edmonds Band rotunda in Oxford terrace.

“We have always had a close cultural association with Australia. We know Australia is making wonderful progress as an industrial country with its growing population and I especially welcome an Australian band because its visit is an example of the close co-operation between our two countries,” Mr Manning said. Mr E. Ormrod, national president of the Brass Bands’ Association of New Zealand, said it was gratifying to know that the work of bandsmen was appreciated in official circles. “Band contests such as this do not just happen. They are the result of a lot of work.” Mr Ormrod said he wel-

The competing bands were judged at different points along the route and the salute was taken by Mr Maning from a dais in front of the City Council Chambers. From start to finish the whole parade lasted 34 minutes. The conductor of the St. Hilda Municipal Band, the present national A grade champion (Mr Elgar Clayton) yielded up his baton to Sir James Hay for the final item in a 15-minute programme given in the Colombo street store of Hay’s, Ltd. Sir James Hay, a former national cornet champion, conducted the St. Kilda Band for the Invercargill March. Returning the baton to Mr Clayton, he said: “As patron