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Cornwall Christmas

The tolling of the bell from the present Penlee Lifeboat, the Ivan Ellen, echoed around St Michael’s Church in Newquay, Cornwall, during the final hushed bars of a major new work for brass band by the young composer Simon Dobson. Entitled Penlee, the work was commissioned with help from a generous bequest from Bodmin Bandsman, Mike Pickett, and given its first performance by The Cornwall Youth Brass Band. In introducing the work Simon, a former member of the Band, explained how he had long wished to pay tribute to those who had lost their lives on the night of December 19^th 1981 in the only way he knew, through his music, when the then Penlee Lifeboat, the Solomon Browne, was lost during the operation to rescue the crew of The Union Star.

The packed audience of parents and supporters included representatives from the Penlee Station of the RNLI, who had kindly loaned the Band the Bell for this first performance, which graphically followed the unfolding of the tragedy through Simon’s highly descriptive music.  

The Band was under the baton of their Guest Conductor, Ian Porthouse, at the Concert which marked the end of their four days of intensive rehearsals during their Christmas Residential Course, which was held at the Truro High School for Girls. Ian is at present Musical Director of The Tredegar Band in South Wales and Head of Brass Band Studies at Birmingham Conservatoire, where he began his own musical training before going on to be a highly regarded Principal Cornet player with Bands such as Leyland Vehicles, Desford Colliery and Black Dyke. He brought with him two new and entertaining pieces for the young musicians to play, Dragons Rise and Spirit of the Valleys, formerly only played by Tredegar and commissioned by them.  

Joining the Band as Guest Soloist, was percussionist Dave Danford, who is a member of the Percussion Section of the The Cory Band, the present European and Brass in Concert Champions. A specialist on the Marimba his amazing dexterity was admired by the audience and Band alike during his solo items, which included music written and dedicated to him. A high point of his performance came when he was joined by the eight musicians of the percussion section of the Band in the highly evocative rhythms of Ghanaia.                

 During the Course the Guest Conductor and Soloist were supported by the Band’s team of local Tutors, all previous members of the Band, including John Mitchell, David Coad, Aaron Harvey, Darren Hawkin, Alan Pope and Jeremy Willcock, led by Brain Minear, their Music Co-ordinator. Together they take Sectional Rehearsals throughout the Course and help direct the monthly rehearsals held at Truro College.  The sixty five young musicians in the Band, who are drawn from twenty six Bands around the County, worked with enthusiasm and responded eagerly to the challenges of the music. At the same time they relished the company of their fellows in the common goal of making and enjoying making music for their own satisfaction and in passing on the results of their enthusiasm for others to enjoy.