FREDDIE HELPS RIPON CITY BAND QUALIFY FOR PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 

Richmond School and Sixth Form College have a fantastic music department, with many hard-working, talented musicians, both students and staff. As well as playing in school ensembles, many of these musicians are active in the local musical community. A particular highlight of this community is the rich tradition of brass bands centered around the Dales – Leyburn Band being a fantastic example. Many of our musical students and staff, as well as copious numbers of their friends and family play for or have played for the Leyburn Band – it’s a bona-fide local institution! 

Leyburn Band, however, is not a competitive brass band, though many of their players are very much involved with other local bands that are. The UK competitive brass band scene comprises a highly structured and hotly contested national competition. There are eight national regions, with five different sections, from Championship at the top, through Sections 1-4. Bands compete regionally for a chance to qualify for the national finals, a highly prestigious two-day event, this year to be held at The Centaur, a 2,250-seat auditorium based at Cheltenham Racecourse. 

The above introduction sets the scene for a message that we recently received from Emma Lundberg, Bandmaster and cornet player of the Leyburn band, as well as Year 10 student, Freddie’s mum: 

“Freddie had a great weekend banding recently. He was playing cornet with Ripon City Band in the North of England Brass Band Championships in the Gala Theatre in Durham. This was Freddie’s first time in the area contest. After two months of extra rehearsals the hard work paid off – the band came second and qualified for the national finals. Freddie also picked up the award for the youngest player in the highest placed band.” 

This is clearly a fantastic achievement for Freddie, but raises an interesting question. What was Freddie doing playing for the Ripon City Band – he’s listed as Solo Cornet for the Leyburn Band? Was Freddie out on loan for the fixture?! We were intrigued and had to find out more – we caught up with Freddie to find out some details about his banding, the competition and to clarify which band he plays for! 

RS: Freddie – I thought you played for the Leyburn Band – how did this come about?! 

F: Well, in about November of last year me and mum were asked to play for the Ripon City Band, specifically for the North of England regional competition – me as 3rd cornet and mum flugel horn. Because Leyburn aren’t a competitive band it’s OK – players often play for other bands – it’s called ‘depping’. Mum plays for lots of different bands. My Auntie Becky (Rebecca Lundberg) is first trombone for the Fairey Band – one of the top 20 brass bands in the world, but she’s also conductor of the Leyburn Band. Aunty Vicky (Victoria Lundberg) plays for the Fairey and Leyburn bands too. 

RS: Ah, I see – so, nothing dodgy, just normal practice! Tell us about the competition and the preparation the band went through. 

F: We spent months practicing this one long, complex piece – Introduction, Elegy and Caprice by Morley Calvert. All seven bands in our section – Section 1, one down from the Championship Section – had to play the same piece. Whoever plays it best in the regional competition, wins. If you come first or second, you get an invite to the national finals. We came second, so we qualified! 

RS: Brilliant! But how did the Ripon City Band make the same piece sound different and better than five other bands. And who decides, and how? 

F: It’s about how the conductor and the players interpret the piece. The same piece can sound very different. For example, in the third movement our conductor Gary Hallas made sure we really brought out the notes, made them longer than normal. I think that gave us a very particular sound and made us stand out. We won ‘Best Bass Section’ as well, proving that our sound was really distinctive. 

Coming second and qualifying was a bit of a miracle, I think, because we were drawn first. It’s hard because you have no idea what the standard is like before you play, plus I think the judges find your performance hard to properly remember after all the others. The pressure’s on too, if you’re drawn first, because you have to play the National Anthem. If you mess that up, you’ve got no chance in the competition! Gary Hallas made us play the Anthem quite specifically, with the cornets quite quiet and the lower brass section to the front. It sounded amazing, even though we literally had five minutes to rehearse it – they told us we were drawn first at the very last minute! 

RS: Definitely a high-pressure situation! How did the judging work? 

F: The judges are in the audience, but they don’t know which band are playing, just a number. They’re in a sort of box. We played the Anthem, then there was a klaxon telling us to start playing. There weren’t that many people in the audience, and they were coming and going with the different bands – it’ll be different at the finals. After we played, the band retired to the Wetherspoons next door to the Gala Theatre to wait for the results. We went ballistic when we found we’d come second and qualified for the finals! I then also had to run back to the theatre to pick up my award for Youngest Player. 

It was quite a special evening, actually. I’ve played in contests before but the pride I felt from our result compares to anything I’ve felt before. The amount of effort we put in and the pressure on the band to perform after being relegated from the Championship to First section this year and then nailing it after being drawn first was just such a delight. 

RS: It certainly sounds amazing – all the best for those finals – make sure you tell us about them. 

What about the rest of this year and beyond that? Your enthusiasm for playing really comes across, as does your knowledge and passion for the culture and history of brass banding, especially in the Dales. Is it something you’re keen to stay involved with? 

F: Absolutely. I’d love to take all the opportunities I can to get more and more involved in brass banding. If I get asked to play for another band, I’ll say yes. That’s how you build up your experience and your reputation. I’d love to play for a Championship Section band sometime in the future – the Fairey Band is my dream! I’d also love to come to Richmond Sixth Form College to study music and maybe even become a music teacher in the future – that’s a long way off, though! As you say, also, I do love the history and culture of banding, though it’s dying, unfortunately. 100 years ago, every village used to have a band – now there are only a few left, like Leyburn. It’s definitely worth raising people’s awareness of brass bands and getting more people out to come and see and support them. 

RS: Very true. It’s excellent to have young people like yourself and many other Richmond musicians to keep things going and to help keep banding culture alive. Thank you, Freddie!