Friary Brass Band

Welcome to Friary Diary issue 42 - a one page monthly round up of news about the Friary Guildford Brass Band. CORPUS CHRISTI PARADE: Once again, Friary provided the musical background for the festival of Corpus Christi in Westerham last month. On a blazing hot day, the Band led the religious procession up the hill from St John the Baptist Church, playing Praise My Soul, Hyfrydol and Divine Mysteries before reaching the green of this delightful and typically English village

Playing Christmas carols helped Friary Guildford Band support the Kent Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust with a donation of £1,116 recently. The Band has had a long association with the Air Ambulance dating back nine years, which coincidentally was just four months before one of the players had to be airlifted to hospital following a serious mountain biking accident. Accepting the cheque from Band Chairman Nigel Stevens, KSSAAT volunteer Kelvin Bossey explained that it cos

Once again, Friary provided the musical background for the festival of Corpus Christi in Westerham yesterday. On a blazing hot day, the Band led the religious procession up the hill from St John the Baptist Church, playing Praise My Soul, Hyfrydol and Divine Mysteries before reaching the green of this delightful and typically English village across the Surrey border into Kent. Friary then entertained the audience with a more secular selection of music. What a wonderful way

There are few more quintessentially British sounds than a brass band, nor events than a flower show, so Friary’s return to the Pyrford and Wisley Flower Show on Saturday was a perfect combination on a perfect summer’s day. Players had another opportunity to practise their marching skills as the Band led the procession in stirring style with Blaze Away, Colonel Bogey and Death or Glory. After the opening ceremony, Friary then entertained showgoers for another half an hour wit

Friary have boosted the strength of its cornet ranks as they look towards the second half of the year. Katherine (Kat) Hawkins, joins from Sandhurst Silver. A former principal cornet of the Southern Counties Youth Band, Kat was awarded 'Player of the Week' by Ian Porthouse at this year's annual Easter residential course, and is currently studying Biomedical Science at the University of Surrey. "I'm thrilled to be joining Friary and I'm especially looking forward to playing in

Friary Guildford is delighted to welcome percussionist William Rowling to the Band. From a brass-playing family, William started playing percussion aged 7, mostly on kit, until the age of 13 when he discovered orchestral percussion. When not hitting things, he can sometimes be spotted playing euphonium and trombone (although not at the same time!). He played with Godalming Youth Band from an early age and joined Godalming Band at the age of 10. In 2016, William was thrill

Latest recruit for Friary Guildford is former Bandmaster of the RAF Regiment and the RAF Central Bands, David Richards who joins the Band on BBb bass. He started to play the tuba at the tender age of 12, when the instrument was almost as tall as he was, and within two and a half years had passed his grade 8. During this period, he played with many local bands and orchestras, including Bucks County Youth Orchestra, and the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. In 1981

Welcome to Friary Diary issue 41 - a one page monthly round up of news about the Friary Guildford Brass Band. FRIARY HELPS AIR AMBULANCE TAKE OFF: Memories of huddling to keep warm whilst playing Christmas carols and seasonal music at The Meadows, Sandhurst and the Hog’s Back Brewery last December may be fading fast, especially in the current heatwave, but we were delighted to present the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust with a cheque for £1,116.26 recently from th

Welcome to Friary Diary issue 40 - a one page monthly round up of news about the Friary Guildford Brass Band. BLACKPOOL ROCK: Once again we made our annual trip to Blackpool for the Spring Festival last weekend. Having been promoted back to the Grand Shield contest last year, we were keen to make the most of the opportunity to qualify for the British Open itself. In a field of 20 bands where only the top two move up, this was no easy task. The test piece was Peter Graham’s