Friary Guildford Band have been invited to play in the prestigious All England International Masters contest, to be held on Sunday 29th May at the Kettering Conference Centre and Lighthouse Theatre.
The test piece for the contest is a new commission by Darrol Barry, entitled ‘Gemini’. The work is dedicated to doyen of the brass band world, Roy Newsome, with the central episode being a personal tribute by the composer to the former principal trumpeter of the London Symphony Orchestra, Maurice Murphy, who died last October. A much-respected player in the orchestral world, Maurice Murphy played on the soundtrack of numerous major films, including Star Wars, Batman and Gladiator, was also one time principal cornet of the Black Dyke Mills band and a professor at The Royal Northern College of Music.
“At this stage we don’t know the full line-up of bands taking part,” said Band Chairman, Tim Gregory. “But we know that we’ll be up against strong opposition from both British and European bands and it’s a real privilege to be asked to compete. It’ll be another good test for everyone. The contest will be hot on the heels of the British Open Spring Festival two weeks earlier, where we’ll be competing for the Senior Cup. May will be a busy month for us,” he added.
Friary Guildford Band’s next contest is the scaba Spring Contest at Hove on Sunday 17th April. The Band won the Championship Section of this event in 2010.