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History
The origins of the Band go back over 80 years to the St James Mission
Church Band established in 1921 but the urge to compete saw the
band set up on its own in 1930 as the Bath Spa Imperial Band. "Imperial"
was dropped from the title in 1968.
By 1939 the Band was firmly established on the local scene but was
disbanded for the duration of the war. Fortunately, unlike many
other fine bands, the players managed to get together again and were
soon back in business attired in an outfit derived from surplus
Special Constables' uniforms.
The Band Today
Although a non-profit making organisation and with no professional
players, the instrumental standards expected are high.
Currently the band is in the Third Section of the National Brass Band
Registry of Great Britain and in the First Section of the Wessex area.
A solid performance of a demanding test piece at this year's regionals
was not sufficient to maintain our position in the Second Section, due to
some disappointing results in previous years. However, we look forward to
the challenges that this new section will present to us next year.
We recently recorded a CD, containing a varied programme of marches, brass
band classics, film music and pop songs. This will be available shortly,
so please reserve your copy now! (Please contact us
for more information.)
With an large programme of events scheduled for the summer season, and
and an increasing number of bookings for Christmas already, it looks like
it is going to be a busy year in 2006.
The Band Calendar includes many engagements each year being particularly
busy during the Summer Months and around Christmas. The wide musical
repertoire includes not only 'popular' pieces for easy listening
but also complex compositions for contest work. Musically the band
embraces the well-loved foot tapping marches of Sousa and traditional
classics through to music from film and stage, and other popular
tunes.
Past Members
March 2006 saw the memorial concert for Geoff Humphries, a long
serving member of the band, who died last year. A tribute to Geoff Humphries.
Gareth Jones (trombone) is currently finishing a PhD in Mathematics
before starting a new job as a lecturer/researcher in Toronto.
Gwilym Jones (cornet) is working towards a doctorate in English.
David Floydd (trombone) is working in Astrophysics in the USA.
More people can also be found under the Bath Spa Band section of
FriendsReunited.co.uk.(Registration on the site is required.)
Training Band
In 1987 a Training Band was set up on the inspiration of the then
Musical Director, Tim Body. One of the objectives was to sustain
the strength of the main band by ensuring a steady influx of 'home
grown' talent from the Training band. Players of all ages and playing
abilities can gain experience and find their musical feet before
joining the main band. The training band is now led by John Harvey,
and plays at a selection of different concerts throughout the year.
See the Training Band section for more information.
The
Band and the Community
The Band plays its part in promoting the City's name on tours to
Bath's twin city in Holland, Alkmaar. It has also played at the
Bath Festival and at the Jose Carreras and Kiri te Kanawa concerts
in front of the Royal Crescent.
The Band can
also be found playing for audiences in the parks and gardens, for
local churches, retirement homes. Concerts in support of local charities
such as the Poolemead centre in Twerton, the Save the Children Fund
and Bath Multiple Sclerosis have also been a feature of the Band's
playing year.
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