Bugle Preview

Next month 15 bands will take part in the 97th West of England Bandsmen's Festival to be held at Molinnis Park, Bugle on Saturday 17th June. The Festival was first held in 1912, where excited onlooker will see bands march through the village to the contest venue where they perform in their bid to win some of the fabulous trophies on offer, including the famous Royal Trophy presented to the Festival in 1913 by Edward Prince of Wales. Defending champions St Dennis will be looking to retain the silverware fresh from victory last weekend at the British Open Spring Festival.

Championship section bands will be performing 'The Essence of Time' by Peter Graham, as well as 'Prelude on Lavenham' by Geoffrey Nobes. The work is dedicated to the memory of the late David Jane, the festival treasurer untimely passing in September last year. The First Section entrants will be performing set-work Joseph Horovitz's wonderful 'Ballet for Band', alongside William Rimmer's march, 'Black Knight'. Second Section repertoire includes the march 'Gruss an Thuringen' (Herman Louis Blankenburg) and Goff Richards' colourful 'Hollywood!'. There will be own-choice works on show in the Third, Fourth and Youth Sections.

To celebrate the recent Coronation of King Charles III the contest committee have decided to replicate presentations made at the contest in 1953 when the conductor of each band was given a special commemorative plaque to mark the Coronation of Elizabeth II. The morning march is due to start at 10.30am, with the contest itself starting at Molinnis Park at 11.30am. Steve Sykes will be adjudicating at Bugle for the first time with the Deportment judge, Jonathan Lush-Camps. The full list of competitors is below:

 
Championship Section:
Bodmin Town
St Dennis

First Section:
Forest of Dean
Lanner & District Silver
Regent Brass

Second Section:
Mount Charles

Third Section:
Bideford Town
Indian Queens
Pendennis Brass
Verwood Town

Fourth Section:
Bugle Silver
Illogan Sparnon
Indian Queens
Lostwithiel Town

Youth Section:
St Austell
St Dennis