National Finals 2008
Following the bands 2nd place finish at the Scottish Championships in March 2008, we were invited to attend the National Finals in Harrogate in September; our first time there since 1998!
We worked hard fundraising to get the required amount to be able to hire a bus, pay for a hotel etc and held events such as a Race Night, went to car boot sales and were helped by several organisations such as North Ayrshire Council, GlaxoSmithKline, BAE Systems, and Irvine Incorporated Trades.
We spent months rehearsing the piece, "The Shipbuilders Suite" by Peter Yorke; a 4-part epic portraying the design and building of a ship, following on to the maiden voyage through the waves.
4barsRest.com gave an initial prediction on what they expected to happen over the course of the weekend, and included comments on their site from members of the band:
Kelda Shelton, Solo Cornet: “I think we're all looking forward to playing this on stage on Saturday at Harrogate. September has come around pretty fast since our 2nd place finish back in March! I for one have found the constant high range of my part challenging… but my pitch has certainly improved when in the screechy top G & above range!
Kirsty Galbraith, second cornet: “It’s very descriptive in parts, but what on earth were they thinking putting a 2nd cornet in the 4th section on top A's for LOTS of bars and the last note!”
We were placed a very respectable 11th place in the finals, and it was a gruelling but enjoyable and rewardable experience that we hope to emulate again in the near future!