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Pangbourne and District Silver Band (The Pangbourne Band) is a brass band located in the village of Pangbourne in West Berkshire, England. The band is registered by the British Brass Band Registry and, when taking part in brass band competitions, is ranked in the fourth section.
History[edit]
Although the history of there being a band of some sort in Pangbourne goes back to 1893, when a fife and drum band used to rehearse in the village, but it disbanded on the outbreak of the First World War. Between the armistice and the outbreak of the Second World War there was a brass band in the village, called the Pangbourne Silver Prize Band in honour of its success in local competitions. However, when war was declared in 1939 the band was forced to break up again as many of the members served in the armed forces. This time, however, the instruments were retained in storage.
The current band's history began in 1962, when the late Mr Henry Fuller began teaching six local children to play brass instruments. When Mr Fuller arranged to retrieve the old band's instruments from storage, local musicians came forward to help. By 1968 the group had expanded to become a full-size brass band and was able to take part in band competitions.
Notable Members[edit]
The principal members of the band's current line-up are:
- Principal Cornet: Ania Zbirohowska-Koscia
- Soprano Cornet: Dave Finnerty
- Flugel Horn: James Ford
- Principal Horn: Faye Buttery
- Principal Trombone: Emily Somerville
- Principal Euphonium: Rosie Ellis
The band's current Conductor and Musical Director is Stewart Lewins, and the band's President is Norman Rogerson MBE.
Notable Former Members[edit]
- James Tappern, who (while serving as a military bandsman of the 11th Prince Albert's Own Hussars) made the famous 1939 BBC recordings of the silver and copper trumpets which were discovered during the excavations in 1922 of Tutankhamun's tomb.[1]
Pangbourne All-Comers' Band[edit]
In 2009, The Pangbourne Band established The Pangbourne Youth Band, which ran for two years, until being re-branded in 2011 as The Pangbourne All-Comers' Band, which runs to provide music education in a band setting, giving people of any age the opportunity to rehearse and perform music in a group.