Author: Secre- Tary

What an amazing year 2018 was for Brisbane Excelsior Soprano Cornet player, Jaime Rolfe.

Jaime’s year started with her winning the Soprano Cornet Solos at the Australian National Band Championships, on top of playing with Brisbane Excelsior who took out 2^nd place in A Grade and were awarded the Gal John Trophy for Highest Placed Australian Band.

The New Zealand National Championships was dominated by Jaime, taking out not only the Soprano Cornet Solo, but the distinguished Champion of Champions as well! Jaime was also invited to perform in the Riki McDonnell Invitational Slow Melody competition where she took out the crown.

Jaime’s university lecturer, Mr. John Kellaway, commissioned a concerto for Jaime to perform with Brisbane Excelsior, written by the band’s composer in residence, Mr. Benjamin Tubb-Hearne. A Concerto for Soprano Cornet and Brass Band, subtitled ‘A Newcastle Novel’, Jaime writes, ‘It’s not every day that you get to perform a solo with one of the country’s most outstanding brass bands, but to do so with a piece commissioned and written for you is something few get to experience. ‘A Newcastle Novel’, explores some of the exports that made Jaime’s hometown of Newcastle the city it is today. The concerto is split into three contrasting movements, all of which focus on a different ‘export’. 

The year 2018 ended on a tremendous high for Jaime, being nominated for 4Barsrest 2018 Player of the Year. Jaime was one of ten world class players to be nominated and was the only Australian player in the mix.

Whilst she did not win the Player of the Year, she was awarded the Soprano Cornet Chair in the 4BarsRest 2018 Band of the Year. “These players were chosen as they showed the most significant impact on us with their performances, both on and off the contest stages during the past year” – 4BR.

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Soprano:

Jaime Rolfe (Brisbane Excelsior)

There were a host of stunning soprano players to choose from this year — but here was a player that shone the brightest.

Her band playing was outstanding — adding a cultured topping to the boldest ensemble dynamics, but also able to mix vibrant dabs and dashes of colour and texture too. When the solo spotlight was on her she was exceptional — especially in winning the prestigious Champion of Champions title at the New Zealand National Championships.

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Ten Years on Top – Brisbane Excelsior Band

The last ten years has seen unprecedented success from Howard Taylor and the Brisbane Excelsior Band. The Band is 100 years old, but the last decade has certainly been the halcyon period in their history winning eight Australian Championships and two New Zealand Championships as well as great performances in the UK. The Band is recognised as the finest Band in the Southern Hemisphere, and I would suggest, “one of the finest bands in the world.”

To mark this unrivalled period of dominance in the contest field they have released a CD recording “Ten Years on Top” and it’s a real trailblazer, featuring some historic performances from the past (From Ancient Times – Jan Van Der Roost, live from 2013 Nationals) and several looking towards the future.

Ten Years on Top begins with Stephen Roberts’ Another Opening Another Show and sets the scene for a ‘high -octane’ precise and musical performance that permeates the whole recording!

There are wonderful solo contributions from Paula Russell (Cornet) Jamie Brown (Soprano) Amanda Casagrande (Flugel Horn) Nigel John (Euphonium) and Chrislyn Hamilton (Voice) the latter proving to be a real contrast and a master stroke of programming by Howard Taylor! Special mention must be given to the Nigel John whose silk-like golden tone is only matched by his effortless technique in Phillip Sparke’s Pantomime (a piece I know quite well!).

Other works that are featured include: two marches, The Jaguar – Goff Richards and Melody Shop – KL King, both played with pizzazz and fizz. There are a handful of beautiful lyrical pieces, Candle of the Lord – Joy Webb, Abide with Me – WH Monk, and The Pilgrim’s Prayer – Eric Ball that pull on the heart strings and ably demonstrate the delicacy and finesse which Howard Taylor extrapolates from this fine musical unit. Abide with Me gave me goose-bumps all over whilst absorbing the pure tone quality and perfect balance which Karl Jenkins demands from this super arrangement. Other notable performances featured within include: Phoenix from War of the Worlds by Peter Graham, The Catskills from East Coast Pictures by Nigel Hess and the gigantic most technically demanding piece ever written for brass band, From Ancient Times by Belgian composer Jan Van Der Roost. If anyone is looking for proof that Brisbane Excelsior has out-grown the Southern Hemisphere this performance is it!! Technically perfect and musically sublime, the solo playing is outstanding and the interpretation by Howard Taylor is spot-on.

I unreservedly recommend this CD to the brass band community and ask the question why we don’t see Howard Taylor and Brisbane Excelsior Band as guests at the British Open and European Championships. Their standard of performance would enhance both events and push other ensembles to an even higher standard.

Dr Robert Childs
ARCM (hons) FLCM (dist) FRWCM M.Mus (dist) PGCE (dist) DMA

A compelling battle between the two finest bands in the southern hemisphere ended in victory at the New Zealand National Championship for Brisbane Excelsior, as they won the 2017 title under the direction of MD Howard Taylor.

In a contest featuring a number of high class performances at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre, Brisbane Excelsior’s sacred item, ‘Swedish Folk Song’, the set-work, ‘Journey of the Lone Wolf’ and own-choice of ‘From Ancient Times’, saw them repel the challenge of defending champion Wellington Brass to the claim the Champion Band Gold Cup for a third time by the narrowest of half point margins.

Iain Culross and Tamaryn Heck share the soloist’s trophy after a small mix up at the contest venue.

An outstanding interpretation of Simon Dobson’s evocative portrait of composer Bela Bartok, aided by the superb contributions of the ‘Best Section’ percussion team, guest principal cornet Iain Culross from the UK and flugel horn Tamaryn Heck who won the ‘Best Soloist’ award, had earlier given them a two and half point buffer over their main rivals.

That was to prove crucial come the own-choice element on Saturday evening, as they secured their first New Zealand title since 2008 with a resounding rendition Jan van der Roost’s epic work to finish in second place — just two points behind Wellington.

Before the announcement of the results, adjudicator Nigel Seaman gave a perceptive analysis of the A Grade competition — stating that the best had ‘made light work’ of the Dobson composition, whilst he felt the ‘best in the frame’ on the own-choice had provided him with what he called, ‘a very musical experience’.

Jared, Rowan, Matt, and Tamaryn hold all of our new silverware as we board the plane home!

The victory however belonged to Brisbane Excelsior and MD Howard Taylor, who before praising the efforts of his own band and celebrating winning the world’s oldest National Championship title, gave a gracious speech acknowledging the outstanding contribution of David Bremner to Wellington Brass and to New Zealand banding in general.

The standing ovation that resulted was heartfelt and prolonged, and was a wonderful show of communal support to the young MD who now takes his leave from conducting the home town band after a decade of unprecedented success.

Howard also acknowledged what he called, ‘the unbelievable standard in New Zealand with the top bands’ that meant his own band had to ‘pull out all the stops’ .

Howard Taylor, MD and the fine bunch of ladies of Excelsior.

That was certainly backed up by the adjudicator’s written remarks which saw Nigel Seaman write about their rendition of the set-work; ‘A powerhouse performance’, whilst also singling out the ‘exceptionally controlled’ flugel and percussion.

He was also full of praise for their sacred item which he called, ‘rich and balanced’, whilst he thought their own-choice was ‘ a performance of not only exceptional virtuosity but one of immense musical stature as well’.

“Rehearsals went so well — and they had to,” Howard went on to say in his victory address.

“We came to do the business and we did,” although at that point his victory speech was cut short by his mobile phone going off in his jacket pocket. Much to the delight of the audience, he revealed it was from his mother!

The Whole Team Celebrating On Stage

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Brisbane XLCR band are working diligently towards our second outing of the year after our very successful CD launch in February.

Performing one of our New Zealand nationals testpieces, the band will be joining Feds, Brisbane Brass and the Brisbane City Temple Brass Band for an afternoon of music in the centre of Brisbane.

It is free entry and begins at 2pm. It is the perfect opportunity to hear all of the bands in the height of their performance modes if you’re unable to go to Tasmania or Wellington.