As always, December was an absolute whirlwind for the band from our first carolling engagment at Tesco's Stroud on Sunday 1st to our annual trip to Wotton Long Street on Christmas Eve.  We played carols at 14 different venues - from supermarkets to high streets and pubs, and also played two formal concerts.  The first concert was on Wednesday 4th where we performed in a joint concert with the very entertaining Yate Community Choir, and then our own annual Christmas Concert went ahead, despite awful weather and fallen trees en-route, on Saturday 7th.

Thank you to everyone who stopped to listen and those who made donations to the band over the Christmas period.  We rely heavily on our December income to allow us to fund our activities for the coming year, and the generosity and support of our local friends is very much appreciated!

As always, it was a great honour for the band to be invited to lead the remembrance parades on Sunday 10th.

The band played for the Wotton parade in the morning, leading the parade to the war memorial where we played hymns during the wreath laying, and the last post was sounded by Bruce Davies.

In the afternoon we travelled across to Dursley to lead the parade organised by Dursley and Cam RBL.

It was great to be a part of these important community events and lovely to see so many other local organisations represented.

Here are some of the images captured during the day...

On Saturday 2nd we headed to Evesham to take part in the Wychavon Festival of Brass entertainment contest.

Our lively programme took the audience on a short break to France, opening with Saint-Saens' 'French Military March' as we travelled down towards the capital whre we joined the celebrations of a street party with Dario G.'s 'Carnaval de Paris'.  After our busy day, we slip into a deep sleep, as we listen to the beautiful sound of our Principal Euphonium player, Drew Beattie, playing 'Apres un Reve'.  The next day we reflect on our lovely break with Michel Fugain & Pierre Leroyr's classic song, 'Une Belle Histoire'.

Our performance was well received by the audience and we received some lovey comments from the adjudicators, although unfortunately we didn't come away with a prize this year.  Nevertheless, we had a fabulous day and say a huge thank you to the organisers of this enjoyable and very well run contest!

We had a great evening at the Chantry Centre, Dursley on Saturday 26th, playing for the annual Poppy Proms concert along with the Sounds of Music Choir and the DODS Poppy Belles.

We opened the concert with our French themed programme which included a beautiful rendition of Apres une Reve from our Principal Euphonium player, Drew Beattie.  We closed the concert with the traditional, Last Night of the Proms favourites, including Jerusalem, Fantasia on British Sea Songs, and Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance.

Thanks to the RBL for inviting us along to this popular event again and to the fantastic audience for participating so enthusiastically (we particularly enjoyed your input in the Hornpipe!)

On Saturday 21st we had the pleasure of opening the church fete in our home town of Wotton.  We started the celebrations off with a short concert before handing over to other choirs and music groups from the local community.  It's always a pleasure to play in this beautiful old building - thank you for having us!

Sunday 25th at the Wotton Community PARC to celebrate its 25th Anniversary.  Despite the look of that sky we did manage to stay dry, but extremely windswept!

Thank you to those brave souls who stayed to the bitterly cold end to listen to our performance x

Once again we were delighted to be invited back to spend the first Saturday of August in the beatiful Cotswold Village of Cold Aston.  Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures this year, but I'm reliably informed that the sun shone for us as it did in 2022 when this picture was taken!

Thanks to all at the village for making us so welcome as you always do!

As part of our Arts Council England Grant, in addition to our amazing workshops and gala concert with Foden's Band back in June, we were also delighted to be able to welcome Dr Roger Webster to Wotton to talk to us about performance anxiety on Tuesday 23rd.

It was lovely to see so many friends from the local brass band community who joined us for this lively and informative event.  Many thanks to Dr Roger for a very entertaining evening. 

Another sunny engagement for us at the bandstand in the lovely Keynsham Memorial Gardens.

The sun shone for us on Sunday 7th for what has become an annual highlight in our calendar - 'Proms at the Plough' at the Plough Micro Pub in Charfield.

As always the atmosphere was buzzing at this lovely little village pub as we performed a full and varied programme, concluding with all the 'Last Night of the Proms' favourites.

Thanks to Darren and the staff at the Plough for making this such a fun event on the band calendar.  As always, it's great to play for such an appreciative and enthusiastic crowd!

On Sunday 30th we began our programme of summer concerts with a trip to the lovely John Coles Park in Chippenham. 

The programme of popular music included solos 'Evermore' from Ian Brown on Tenor Horn and 'When I Fall in Love' from Principal Cornet, Jules Farron, along with a variety of music from pop songs to film scores. 

Thanks to everyone who turned out to listen to us - It was fantastic to see so many people!

Sunday 23rd will be a day which will never be forgotten by all at Wotton Silver Band when we took to the stage with the world's No.1 brass band, Foden's in our Champions of Brass Concert.  This celebratory concert marks 130 years of Wotton Silver Band (formerly Abbey Band) and was made possible due to a grant from Arts Council England.

The day began with an introduction from Foden's MD, Michael Fowles, followed by workshops for different sections of the band led by Foden's principals - Mark Wilkinson, Gary Curtin, Stewart Baglin and ex-wotton percussionist, Sam Iles.

After lunch, the gala concert was opened by Wotton Silver Band with a programme which celebrated the bands 130 years, including special celebrations of two ex-players who continue to make music at a high level - David Tutty with the Coldstream Guards, and Sam Iles with Foden's Band.

Foden's band then took to the stage, performing a selection of brass band classics, including a spectacular performance of 'The Pines of Rome' and we were then treated to their Brass in Concert performance based on the story of Robin Hood.  The finale saw all the players from the morning workshop join Foden's and Wotton for a wonderful massed-band performance.

We have so many to thank for making this day so special, in particular Renishaw plc for hosting the event at their state of the art Innovation Centre.  Special thanks go to: the Renishaw volunteers - Paul, Hester and Katie who worked so hard to make the day run seamlessly; Arts Council England for their generous funding; our fantastic band family helpers for all their help at front of house; our wonderful compere - David Lawrence; Fodens Band, their MD and workshop leaders, and Darren Lea who sorted all the details in planning and executing the event on behalf of Foden's; all those lovely banding friends who joined us for the morning workshops; everyone at Wotton Silver Band who contributed their time in so many ways; and of course, everyone who came to watch this very special concert.

On Saturday 8th we performed an outdoor concert in the High Street, Dursley for their D Day event organised by Dursley and Cam Royal British Legion.  The concert included music from the 1930's and 40's, along with film music from The Great Escape to Hymn for the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan.

It was lovely to see so many people stopping to listen despite the chilly wind!

On Thursday 6th we joined in with the DDay event in our home town which took place at the top of Wotton Hill.  The views from the hill were stunning on this beautiful evening and we played from 8pm ahead of the lighting of the beacon at 9pm.

Thanks to those who braved the chilly wind to support this lovely event.

Well it must be the first Sunday in May again!

On 7th, to mark the anniversary of a tradition that began in 1910, the band climbed to the summit of Wotton Hill to perform it's annual morning concert of hymns and marches to 'welcome in the summer'.  It was lovely to see that a crowd had come along to support us in this madness - thank you all, and we also owe a debt of gratitude to our Musical Director for the morning, our friend Jason Andrews, who stepped in at the last minute to help us out - Great job Mr A!

And then in the afternoon, to mark the anniversary of a tradition that began in 2023, the band played a concert in the town which was planned to take place in Market Street, but due to the disappointing weather, was moved to the undercover area behind the Star Inn.  Again, huge thanks to all those who came along to watch us in the rain, and a really big thanks to Lita and the staff of the Star for saving the day and providing the much needed shelter.  We also mustn't forget our guest MD for the afternoon, the brilliant David Lawrence - Thank you once again David.

We are now in the process of preparing for our special anniversary event...

To mark the occasion of the band's 130th anniversary, we are proud to present a joint celebration with Foden's Band - the world's number one ranked brass band.  The concert will take place at The Innovation Centre, Renishaw, New Mills, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge, GL12 8JR, and in addition to the concert, thanks to funding from the Arts Council, we are delighted to be able to offer FREE workshops with Foden's Band for brass and percussion players of all ages and abilities.  The workshops run from 10am to 1pm and provide a rare opportunity to learn from some of the best players in the world, and for a discounted ticket price of £5, workshop attendees can watch the Gala Concert with Foden's Band and Wotton Silver Band and take part in the massed band performance.

Sign up for workshops, and buy tickets here

We are delighted to release details of an exciting event that we have planned for June..............

One of the proudest moments in Wotton Silver Band's 130 year history came in 2021 when Sam Iles - a young percussionist who developed his skills with the band between the ages of 13 and 17 - lifted the National Champions of Great Britain trophy at the Royal Albert Hall aged 20 as a member of Foden's Band! They did it again in 2022 then went on to win the prestigious British Open title at Symphony Hall, Birmingham in 2023 too.

The traditional "British brass band" genre has outposts across the globe. Cheshire-based Foden's Band is now ranked as the World's Number One Brass Band and is coming to perform at Wotton-under-Edge in June!

Wotton Silver Band has championed brass tuition and performance for players of all ages continuously for 130 years, serving their community and the wider district. To mark this anniversary the band is delighted to announce a landmark event entitled Champions of Brass to be held at Renishaw's New Mills Headquarters at Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge. Incredibly this was the very place of the band's genesis; it was for the benefit of the workers at the mill that the band was originally founded by the Tubbs & Lewis Company.

Funded by Arts Council England, Wotton Silver Band is delighted to announce that Foden's Band will join them on Sunday 23rd June at Renishaw's state-of-the-art Innovation Centre. Their virtuoso players will provide free Masterclass Workshops from 10am until 1pm - brass and percussion musicians of all ages and abilities are invited to apply. At 3pm there will follow a joint Gala Concert with a massed band finale to include workshop participants.

Present at the event will be another of Wotton Silver Band's alumni - tuba player and military bandsman Dave Tutty. Having joined the Band of the Coldstream Guards in 2008, Dave is currently serving with the British Army near Salisbury. He has travelled the world and played at many notable events including the wedding of Prince William and Katherine, the 2012 London Olympics, three FA Cup Finals and the 2014 NATO Summit. Dave's tuition with Wotton Silver Band began at 9 years old and he credits the band for providing him with the opportunity and inspiration for his amazing career.

There is no sound comparable to an elite brass band live. Foden's Band’s performances epitomise musical excellence. For an emotive experience that will live long in the memory, book your tickets now.

Our preparations have started for this year's West of England Regional Brass Band Championships.

This year's test piece is Eric Ball's 'High Peak', written for the 1969 National Final and described by the composer as a Rhapsody for Brass Band is in four descriptive movements - Vision, Aspiration, Ascent and Attainment.

We will be travelling down to Torquay in March to perform High Peak at the Riviera Centre in the First Section Championships.

On Monday 8th we said a fond farewell to Stan Rodman, a dear friend and honorary life member of the band.  The band attended Stan's funeral at Westerleigh Cremetorium where we played a selection of Stan's favourites from his time with the band, including music from 'Beauty and the Beast', 1970s/80s brass band classic 'Hootenanny', and Glenn Miller's 'In the Mood'.

Stan played an active part in the band for over 50 years, both as a player and as band treasurer, and he features in photos of the band from the 1940s with a cornet to the 1990s with his beloved Euphonium.

Stan was a very talented Euphonium player, but he contributed so much more to the band over the years.  Those of us who have been around long enough can remember Stan driving the band coach to take us to band contests at distant venues such as Coleford, Weston and Stroud! and he served as band treasurer for many years.  When Stan retired from playing, he continued to support the band in many ways, always providing us with beautiful, handmade birdtables that we were able to auction at our annual Christmas Concerts, and always coming along to support us at concerts and contests from Wotton Hill to the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse.

We will miss you Stan, but you leave us with some very fond memories.

Our love & thoughts go out to the Rodman family x