National Championship Victory for St Austell Town Band!

Following their victory at the Regional round of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain in March this year, St Austell Town Band accepted an invitation to represent Cornwall and the West of England region at the Second Section National Finals, held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Sunday 15th September.

The band made the journey to Cheltenham to perform the challenging set test piece “Albinus Variations” composed by Swiss tuba player and composer Etienne Crausaz. The band’s performance, crafted in the rehearsal room by recently appointed resident Musical Director Anna Minear and highly experienced professional conductor Steve Sykes, was extensively praised by the adjudicators. Several of their remarks complimented the band’s key soloists Hannah Hawken (cornet), Jason Wilton (horn) and Sue Pope (euphonium) for their “colourful”, “dramatic”, and “evocative” playing.

At the results ceremony, St Austell was announced as the Second Section National Champion band, beating no less than 18 other competing bands and demonstrating the continuing strength and spirit of Cornish banding on the national stage. The band’s investment into young players was evident, with 11 players out of 30 who took to the stage on Sunday being aged 20 or under. Nine of those are also members of the band’s inclusive, award-winning Youth Band.

Victory at Cheltenham adds to the array of silverware accumulated over a hugely successful contesting year for the St Austell Town Band organisation, with the Senior Band winning Second Section titles at the Regional Championships, the West of England Bandsmen’s Festival, and the National Finals, and the Youth Band taking home the Youth Section title at the West of England Bandsmen’s Festival as well as third place at the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.

Band officials were delighted with the victory, with resident Musical Director Anna Minear saying “It's been a busy three months for the band combining the usual summer engagements with extra rehearsals for the National Finals; the players have however been committed and worked extremely hard. All the hard work paid off, and I’m extremely proud of every single player". Chairman Ben Minear added “It’s an honour to lead the St Austell Town Band organisation. As well as playing to a high standard and winning the National Finals, we have a thriving youth programme and an incredible sense of community and inclusivity. The band go to great lengths to ensure a friendly, supportive atmosphere and the organisation is going from strength to strength.”

The Senior Band will be focusing on community engagements for the remainder of the year, including appearances at Remembrance Sunday and a busy Christmas schedule, whilst the Youth Band head to Torquay in November to compete at the South West Brass Band Association annual contest. The Senior Band will be returning to the contesting arena in 2025 at the Regional Championships, with promotion effective from January seeing the band return to the First Section.