Welcome To The Ampthill Town Brass Band Website
Ampthill Town Band is a friendly, non-contesting brass band that has been supporting and entertaining the communities of Ampthill and surrounding villages for over 180 years. It is currently a UK charitable organisation (Charity No. 1206280) located in Ampthill, Bedfordshire.
Our players are of all ages and abilities and band rehearsals usually take place on Tuesday evenings (7.30pm – 9.30pm) at Ampthill Baptist Church.
New and visiting players are always welcome.
The band can be booked for a variety of public and private events and performs a busy programme of engagements throughout the year, such as school and village fetes, church services, carols, charity fund raising events and entertainment concerts.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the band, would like to attend a rehearsal, or would like to book the band for an engagement please contact our band secretary.
Latest News
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Music In The Park
The band are very much looking forward to continuing our programme of summer 2024 events with a free to all concert of popular music in the Nottingham Performance Area at Ampthill Great Park on Sunday 11th August 2024 @ 2pm, Weather permitting! Bring your own chairs, picnic rugs, picnics, etc.
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D-Day 80th Anniversary Commemorations
The band were proud to perform at the lighting of the beacon in Ampthill Park to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D Day on 6th June 2024. Also in a D-Day Commemoration Concert in The King’s Arms Garden on the afternoon of 9th June with over 300 visitors attending, and then again later at the D-Day Commemoration Service in St Andrew’s Church, Ampthill.
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A Brass Musician’s Essentials Workshop
10am – 12am, Saturday May 11th 2024
Redborne School,
Flitwick Road, Ampthill MK45 2NU
Presented by Paul Cosh
Ampthill Town Band, supported by a grant from the Rookery South Community Trust Fund, invite brass musicians from local bands and secondary schools to a training workshop at Redborne School.
Come and enjoy a relaxed morning with Paul Cosh, one of Britain’s leading brass teachers. Paul was a member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra for 18 years and a Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for 30 years.
Having started in brass bands, Paul has maintained his links with brass bands throughout his professional career. He has conducted numerous well-known Championship Bands in Area Contests and adjudicated at the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall, the British Open Brass Band Championship and the Brass in Concert Championship.
Paul will lay out his thoughts on the basics of Breathing, Embouchure, Articulation, Posture and developing an effective practice routine, with reference to his two books, An Arban Companion, and A Practice Companion.
Please bring your instruments if you wish. There will be an opportunity to play some hymns together at the beginning. Paul is happy to address any specific playing issues you may have. Please come with questions about any aspect of your playing with which you would like some help.
You can learn more about Paul’s career and his teaching style by visiting his website at www.paulcosh.com. His books are available at www.timbercroftpublishing.com/books/
Please let us know by Monday April 29th if you and fellow musicians would like to attend, providing names and affiliations.
RSVP: Rachel at [email protected]
Upcoming Engagements
The band has a busy schedule of performances throughout the year supporting local organisations and events
February 2024
11th @ 2.00pm – St Andrews Church, Ampthill – Ampthill Civic Service
May 2024
11th @ 10.00am – Redborne School, Ampthill – Brass Musican’s Workshop
30th @ 7.00pm – Village Hall, Fllitwick – Jigsaw Club Concert
June 2024
6th @ 7.00pm – Ampthill Park Beacon -D Day Event
9th @ 2.00pm – Ampthill , Kings Arms Gardens -D Day Event
9th @ 6.00pm – St Andrews Church, Ampthill – D Day Service
30th @ 12.00pm – Bedford, Harpur Square – Armed Forces Day
July 2024
7th @ 2.00pm – Church Green Park, Bletchley – Bands On The Green Concert
21st @ 2.30pm – Leighton Buzzard, Parsons Close Bandstand -Concert
Aug 2024
12th @ 2pm – Ampthill Great Park – Concert
Sept 2024
21st @ 11.30am – Silsoe VC Lower School – School Fete
November 2024
10th @ 10.00am – Ampthill – Remembrance Sunday Parade
10th @ 2.00pm – Fllitwick – Remembrance Sunday Parade
24th @ 16.30pm – Fllitwick – Christmas Lights
December 2024
1st @ 4pm – Clophill – Clophill Christmas Lights
8th @ 1.30pm – Redbourne Upper School, Ampthill – Christmas Concert
24th @ 1.30pm – St Andrews Church, Ampthill – Carols & Nine Lessons
March 2025
24th @ 2.00pm – St Andrews Church, Ampthill – Ampthill Civic Service
May 2025
1st @ 7.00pm – Village Hall, Flitwick – Jigsaw Club Concert
June 2025
1st @ 2.00pm – Kings Arms Gardens, Ampthill – Concert
Our History
The band has its origins in a chamber ensemble formed in the 1840’s, allegedly to celebrate a royal visit to the town. By the end of the 19th century this had metamorphosed into a brass and woodwind band. By the 1930’s, cornets displaced clarinets and a brass band emerged.
The band today serves the local community by providing music services for local occasions, such as the Remembrance Parade, Christmas Carols around the Christmas tree and in St Andrews on Christmas Eve, as well as school and village fetes. Having played in the inaugural Ampthill Proms in the Park in 2009 we have played in each one since.
The first performance of the band outside the British Isles was in 2016 at Nissan-lez-Enserune, situated in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France where the Band participated in an exchange trip to Ampthill’s official twin town.
Our Players
The band’s musical director is Mark Lowe. Mark is an experienced euphonium player, having graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire with a Master in Performance and he has conducted a range of ensembles, especially brass bands. He has been a peripatetic brass teacher for over 10 years and recently relocated to Bedfordshire.
| Musical Director/ Conductor | Mark Lowe |
| Soprano Cornet | Rosemary Fisher |
| Principal Cornet | Louis Sherry |
| Solo Cornets | David Fisher Jackie Pratt Philip Hardy Gary Wood |
| Repiano Cornet | Laura Boughton Victoria Blunt |
| 2nd Cornets | Paul Roberts Vacancy |
| 3rd Cornets | Vito Kidman Vacancy |
| Flugel Horn | Steve Hill |
| Solo Horn | Rachel Bartholomew Henry Stoney |
| 1st Horn | Emilia Bolton |
| 2nd Horn | Ruth Robinson |
| 1st Baritone | Paul Miller |
| 2nd Baritone | Peter Thompson |
| 1st Euphonium | Luigi Kidman |
| 2nd Euphonium | Clare Stoney |
| Solo Trombone | Leighton Jones |
| 2nd Trombone | Christopher Wilson |
| Bass Trombone | Geoff Pratt Kiera Bird |
| E flat Bass | Joe Morris Jim Mallams Sue Bell Rosie Cartwright |
| B flat Bass | Tony Huckle Vacancy |
| Drums/ Percussion | Vacancy |
Band Officials:
Secretary: Paul Miller
Treasurer: Leighton Jones
Chairman: Jim Mallams
Librarian: Rosemary Fisher
Safeguarding Officers: Victoria Paulding, Laura Boughton
Ampthill Town Band is committed to safeguarding and follows both Brass Band England’s and the Charity Commission’s Safeguarding Guidance.
A safeguarding policy is in place and can be viewed on request.
Gallery
