THE Michelmersh Silver Band has qualified for the National Brass Band Championships.
This comes after the group played a weekend performance in Torquay earlier this month.
Over the past few weeks, more than 500 bands have been competing in the annual UK-wide competition to qualify for a place in the championships, which will be held in Cheltenham in September.
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With the country divided into seven qualifying regions, the locally based band travelled to Torquay in Devon to take part in the West of England Regional Championships.
Competing in the First Section and performing under the baton of their new musical director, Kevin Smith, the band played the test piece High Peak written by Eric Ball.
Under competition rules, the top 3 placed bands in the section qualify for a place in the National Finals.
Michelmersh achieved second place in the qualifiers, only beaten on the day by City of Bristol Brass.
This is only the fifth time in the band’s 148 year history that it has qualified for the national finals.
As soon as the chosen test piece for the finals is announced, work will begin in earnest in the band’s rehearsal hall in Timsbury, to perfect it in time for the September trip to Cheltenham for the National Brass Band Championships.
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