Once again the band has had a very busy December playing carols in local town centres and supermarkets.

Thank you so much to everybody who has donated to the band over the Christmas period - it's this fundraising that keeps us running!

Our annual concert took place on Saturday 15th in a packed Kingswood Village Hall.  We were joined by the amazing Training Band for a night of Christmassy music including, as is becoming band tradition, the training band's very own version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (thanks to Training Band MD Diane Ansel).

During the concert the band presented honary lifetime membership awards to Brian Chappell and Stan Rodman who both played a huge part in the progress of the band over many years.

Congratulations to cornet player Emma Henderson who married Nick Williams on Saturday 8th.  Nick is also a good friend of the band and has helped us out with his percussion skills on many occasions!

Sunday 11th was a busy day for the band, leading the parade in Wotton in the morning and then crossing to Dursley for their parade in the afternoon.

Both events were extremely well attended in this centenary year, and the band were extremely proud to have been part of the day.

To mark the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War 1, the band takes this opportunity to remember its two players lost during the conflict ...

Private Charles Smith of the Gloucestershire Regiment - died 19th October 1915 aged 21.  Son of Mr and Mrs James Smith.

Lance Corporal James Davis of the Royal Army Medical Corps - died 26th August 1916 aged 34.  Son Mr and Mrs J Davis and husband of Ethel B Davis.

On Tuesday 6th the band took part in a fantastic evening of music, joined by musicians of all ages from different brass groups in the local area.  The bands included Wotton Training Band, Cam Learners' Band and The British School (Wotton) Band.

All groups performed on their own and then joined the Wotton Silver Band in a mass band performance of two pieces from Modest Mussorgsky's from Pictures at an Exhibition - 'The Hut on Hen's Legs (Baba Yaga)' and 'The Great Gate of Kiev'.

This was a great opportunity for the band to get to know the fantastic music groups in the area and for everyone to experience making music as part of a large team!

Legacy - price £10.00 is now available to buy from ... 

Band members

The Heritage Centre in Wotton

Coventry / Bennett Jones in Wotton High Street

or you can contact us here to order one.

'Legacy' reflects the band's journey through its 122-year history and is dedicated to all members past and present who, together with our many supporters, have worked hard to maintain a brass band to serve Wotton and its surrounding area.

Click here for more details about Legacy.

On Saturday 20th the Band played along with the Panache Steel Band at the annual Poppy Proms in Dursley to mark the start of this year's Poppy Appeal.

As well as the usual 'last night of the proms' music, the band performed a varied programme which included Peter Graham's arrangement of Ronan Hardiman's 'Cry of the Celts'.  This piece featured our fantastic percussion team - Sam, George & Nick, Alan & Pete on Euphonium, Ian on Eb Horn, Ken on Flugel Horn, Marcus on Soprano & Jules on Principal Cornet (in fact, most of the band really!)  Well done all!

The band's outdoor programme ended with our performance at the Horsfall House summer fete on Sunday 9th.

The rain held off while the band played a variety of music to a large audience at this popular fund-raising event.

September began with a concert for Under the Edge Arts in the Chipping Hall, Wotton on Saturday 1st.  It was great for the band to perform in a different local hall to a new and appreciative audience.

Our concert included solos from Dave McWhirter on Trombone, Bruce Davies on Cornet and Ian Brown on Tenor Horm and also featured the cornet team playing the quartet 'Mr Sandman'.

We were delighted to be invited to take part in The Royal Oak's Fun Day on Saturday 11th.  

A quintet from the band performed at the event which was part of the Community Public Access Defibrillators Appeal organised by Wotton Lions.

We have since heard that the event raised enough funds to purchase a new defibrillator for the town, so congratulations to all at the Royal Oak!

On Saturday 4th we were welcomed back once again to a sunny Cold Aston to take part in their annual Village Fayre.

As always, we received a warm welcome from a very attentive audience!

On Sunday 1st the band played in the bandstand in the beautiful setting of Bath Parade Gardens.  The sunshine attracted a large and appreciative crowd who were treated to a programme which included solos from Ken Stout on Flugel Horn, Ian Brown on Tenor Horn and David McWhirter on Trombone.

On Saturday 16th we played for the locally-run festival 'Party in the Parc' in Wotton.

Sadly for the organisers, the weather was not kind while we were playing during the early afternoon, but hopefully the sunshine later in the afternoon pulled in a larger crowd for the evening performances.

Despite the weather, the band played on with a popular programme of music, featuring the cornet quartet - 'Mr Sandman' and the ever-popular 'Post Horn Gallop' from Bruce Davies.

On the evening of Sunday 10th the band performed in the Stinchcombe Rugby Club marquee at the Proms event organised by Dursley Rotary Club.  This is a popular, annual event that raises funds for a range of local good causes.

The band were joined this year by singers Anne Martin and Elizabeth Flemming, and as always, the event was expertly compered by Mr Terry Pascoe.

On Saturday 19th the band performed in concert at St Bartholomew's Church in Cam.  

This was a lovely venue for the band and one which we hope to return to (although we will try to find a less popular date next time).

Thank you to all the audience members who turned out to watch us despite the lure of royal weddings and football matches!

On Saturday 28th the band performed its annual concert as part of the Wotton Arts Festival at St Mary's Church in Wotton-under-Edge.

This year we privileged to be joined by guest soloist, the fantastic Tom Hutchinson, principal cornet player of world number one brass band, Cory.

Tom displayed his awe-inspiring playing, treating the audience to a real variety of music including 'The Paragon', 'Tico-Tico' and 'Carnival of Venice'.

Tom is without doubt one of the finest cornet players of his generation, and it was a wonderful experience for all of us at Wotton to work with him.  Not only an amazing cornet player, but a friendly and engaging visitor for us too.

Thanks Tom! 

As is usual for the start of the year, the band is busy preparing for its performance at the West of England Brass Band Championships in Torquay where we will be competing in the First Section on Saturday 10th March.

This year we will be playing Brass Metomorphosis which is a set of five variations based on original theme.  Each of these variations is in a different style with the first being a lively rondo, the second slow and intense, the third an agile scherzando, the fourth slow and expressive and the fifth full of majesty as it brings the piece to a triumphal close.

We will be holding an Open Rehearsal at the Chipping Hall in Wotton-under-Edge where everyone is welcome to come along and listen to our progress.