2007 Christmas Course Report

A large and enthusiastic audience packed St Michael’s Church in Newquay on December 30th for the Gala Concert at the end of the Christmas Residential Course of The Cornwall Youth Brass Band. The Band spent four days in intensive rehearsal, working on a selection of challenging music under the direction of their Guest Conductor, Dr Stephen Cobb.  For the sixty one musicians in The Cornwall Youth Brass Band it was a rare privilege to be working with him on the Course, held at The Truro High School for Girls.  Dr Cobb is the Bandmaster of The International Staff Band of The Salvation Army as well as Territorial Music Director for The United Kingdom Territory of The Salvation Army. As such he directs the leading Salvation Army Band in the UK and oversees all aspects of Salvation Army musical activity.

 With these onerous duties to perform it is rare for Dr Cobb to be able to accept invitations to work outside The Salvation Army, but such is his interest and commitment to young players that he readily agreed to the invitation from The Cornwall Youth Brass Band to direct their Christmas Course.  His musical talents have been passed on to his son Philip, who also joined the band as Guest Cornet and Trumpet Soloist.  Aged twenty and currently studying at The Guildhall School of Music in London his outstanding talent, lightly borne, was demonstrated in the four contrasting solos he played with Band.

A wide range of challenging music, in contrasting moods, was chosen by Dr Cobb with a natural emphasis on Salvation Army pieces, old and new. This included the first performance of a new Trumpet solo, Flourish, by Paul Sharman, which he had written especially for his friend Philip Cobb. Fourteen year old composer, Ben Larham from St Austell, who is a member of the Band heard his music come to life when they gave the premiere of his major work, Scenes of a Battlefield. In introducing the Band’s committed and enthusiastic performance, Dr Cobb felt no explanation of the music was required and asked the large audience to use their imagination in interpreting the events depicted in the music.    
 
With two such outstanding musicians to work with the members of The Cornwall Youth Brass Band enjoyed four exhilarating days of music making. The Course and Concert was the culmination of a lot of hard work, which had also included preparing the music under their local Tutors at their monthly rehearsals. Dr Cobb thanked the musicians, who are drawn from twenty Cornish Bands, for the friendly way they had received him and his son into the community of the Band. He told the many parents and relatives present at the Concert that they should be extremely proud of the high standard of performance the musicians had achieved and hoped they would all go on to enjoy their music making in the future.  
 
A CD of the Concert is available from PM Sound, to order ring 01872 263300.