THE CHAMPION BAND

Evening Star, Issue 20117, 6 March 1929, Page 7

THE CHAMPION BAND

ITS PERSONNEL AND ITS DOINGS HO MISHAPS TO REGRET The St. Kilda Municipal Band played in the test selections at Wanganui at the full strength allowed by the conditions, tho list being as follows: E flat cornet—T. M'Lean. Solo B flat cornet —G. Christie. Other cornets —J. Logan, V. Aldridge, E. Kelly, A. Gould, W. Paterson, W. Berryman, W. Clarkson. Flngel horn —C. Smith. Tenor horns —W. Smith, D. Anderson, A. Harrqd. . . ' Baritones —C. Oben, J. Christie. Euphoniums—C. Miller, A. Winslade. Trombones —J. Marshall, T. Stalker, R. Goughian, R. Munro. BB flat basses—T. Williams, T. Rogers. EE flat basses—A. Nelson, A. Homer. That makes the twenty-five to which the tests were limited. A. Douglas, cornet player, went up ns the twenty-sixth man, available as reserve. The drummers were \v. \V allace (bass) and J. Lees (side). The drummajor was W. Donaldson. Mr James Dixon, the conductor, completes tho list, with the exception of Miss Kathleen Whelan, the accompanist. THE CONDUCTOR INTERVIEWED. In the course of a chat this morning, Mr Dixon modestly evaded most of the questions as to what he did and how the band played, but ho let out the remark that it delighted him to find his men rising to their very best form in ‘ The Moorsidc Suite,’ tho necessary brilliance without noise being secured "in the opening march, and the nocturne which constitutes tho middle section delivered with lovely smoothness, warmth, and colour. In those important movements the band never played better in all its practising. Speaking generally the performances were not marred except by an occasional lip blemish that in movements of high tension are common to all bands. Mr Dixon admits that he was touched to the heart by the spontaneous cheering with which the announcement of the result was received. Ho also appreciated very keenly tho congratulations ot other bands, in particular their serenading of ' tho St. Kilda Band in front of Spnggins’s Hotel at 2 o’clock in the morning. To wind up with there was tho most delightful homecoming, making the winners additionally proUd of being in the position of bringing honour to Dunedin. Nothing could have been more gratifying than the reception—the way the people turned out __ ad the brotherly participation of the Kaikorai Band. It had been all through a memorable experience. THE SHIELDS. Chief of the trophies brought back by the St. Kilda Band is the dominion championship shield. Years ago the two islands were separated in band matters. Then the New Zealand Brass Bands’ Association was formed as a federal body, each island governing its own contests. Dr Thacker, first president of the association, gave the shield, and it is now in Dunedin,carrying tho following inscriptions as’winners; — 1925—Malvern (Victoria), at Auckland. 1920—Woolston, at Dunedin. 1927 Queen Alexandra’s Own (Wanganui), at Wanganui. 1928 — Queen Alexandra’s Own, at Christchurch. 1929 St. Kilda, at Wanganui. This Thacker Shield and ihe four others won by St. Kilda are on view in Chas. Begg and Co.’s window. The Conn Shield is peculiarly pretty, and carries on it a real cornet of toy size, but playable, having the same relation to a band cornet as a watch has to a clock.