Spotlight on...BlowSoc
The University of Nottingham Brass Band may not be the most well-known musical ensemble, but we're certainly growing to be one of the biggest! Starting not too many years ago, we're now a group of 40 keen players (almost double the size of a regular brass band). We feature in many concerts and contests throughout the year, including a joint concert with one of the UK's best bands, Thoresby Colliery, and Blowsoc's infamous Christmas Extravaganza, but our highlight definitely has to be UniBrass. UniBrass is the University Brass Band Championship of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, held annually every February. This year, twenty bands from up and down the country competed in two sections of the competition. This was our third year of competing, and after coming 3rd place last year behind Manchester and Birmingham Conservatoire, it's fair to say we were all pretty excited to return again! Many of our players play for other bands in the area such as Foresters Brass, Thoresby Colliery, and the Reg Vardy Band so to have the chance to be involved in something similar at university was a great opportunity to show off our talents.
After a seriously intense rehearsal schedule following the January exams, with 12 hours of rehearsals per week, we were finally ready for the big day on the 18th of February. An early morning coach trip transported us to the year's venue: the prestigious Harrogate International Centre. A quick warm up to blow away our nerves, and we were ready to prove our worth to the adjudicators once again. Our set was called "Prometheus Unbound", themed around Greek Gods. We had our very own Titan on stage (complete with a toga and gold leaf crown!) to tell our story and inspire the imaginations of the audience. Our performance went very well and the relief of all our hard work meant time for a celebration! We stopped to support our friends playing for Nottingham Trent, then hit the local 'Spoons. The results came later in the evening. This year we were placed 7th out of a tough field of 9, but we weren't too disheartened because we knew we'd played our very best on stage. After a bit more celebrating, we retired to our luxury overnight accommodation. An extremely cold sports hall floor... Not the most pleasant night of my life, I can tell you! The Band have much more to look forward to for the rest of the year. We're taking part in the Whit Friday Marches in June, shortly followed by a special guest concert with the awesome Geneva Artist, Ben Godfrey. If you play an instrument, or would like to learn, then get in touch! Blowsoc is the society not just for brass, but woodwind and percussion too. With ensembles ranging from Concert Band to Percussion Ensemble, there really is something for everyone. Membership for Blowsoc, including access to all the ensembles, is only £6 a year. For more information, like our Facebook pages 'Blowsoc' and 'University of Nottingham Brass Band' or visit our website at www.blowsoc.com. You can also watch our 2017 Unibrass performance here:
https://www.la1tv.co.uk/playlist/176 playing in the Trophy section at 1 hour in.