Brass bands attuned to major competition in Marlborough

When members of the Marlborough District Brass Band head up the stairs to the entry door of their rehearsal space, they get a visual reminder of what they aspire to achieve.

Right across the river sits Whitehaven Theatre – the performing arts venue where, this weekend, their organisation will host the Provincial Brass Band Concert. This event is not just a showcase but also a competition for distinction among musicians who live in, or hail from, the northern part of the South Island.

Eight bands will participate – two from Marlborough, the organisational namesake Marlborough District Brass Band and developmental First Class Brass. They will be among 200 players, including 65 soloists and ensembles, serenading audiences and judges.

In brass band circles, Marlborough’s province incorporates Nelson-Tasman and the West Coast. Christchurch has two bands on the bill, Nor’West Brass and Nor’West Zephyrs – and groups bring along performers from even farther southward. Mat Patchett, who honed his talent locally, has come up from Dunedin to join the Marlburian contingent.

The event – free to attend, no RSVP required – runs Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon. An hour before the first-day start, 9am at Seymour Square, bands will play a set before proceeding to the theatre.

“Brass band is a big family, a big community,” Brian Nicholas, MDBB’s chief executive, noted last week during a rehearsal in an adjacent room. “So, there are people helping out their fellow bands.”

Any concern about surprise parts of programmes getting revealed? “It’s very precious – except it’s not that precious,” Brian quipped.

Open ears
Integrity of judging is, in fact, precious. Chief Adjudicator Grant Langdon, from Auckland, will sit behind a screen for Saturday’s round so as not to see who is performing. (As an added precaution, the competition order is not public.)

He will get to utilise all his senses on Sunday. The adjudicator for entertainment value has no such restriction. That judge is Councillor Gerald Hope, a former Marlborough mayor who grew up – to use Brian’s words – “with brass in his veins”. Gerald’s father, George Hope, was Marlborough’s longtime bandmaster.

Attendees can make their own assessments. Brian suggests listening for “unity of the band and timefulness” – but, more than anything, “what makes your feet tap, smile and be happy.”

Provincial Brass Band Concert
Where: Whitehaven Theatre
When: 13 June, 10am-10pm & 14 June, 9am-3pm
Admission: Free