On the weekend of 7th September, the GUS Band travelled to Yarm in North Yorkshire, a picturesque market town situated on the banks of the River Tees. The Yarm School at the top of the Main Street was the venue for the Dr Martin contest, at which the band was to defend its win from last year. The contest, for champion section bands, requires each band to perform an own choice contest march, solo piece and a test piece. The GUS Band chose to play the march The President, (William German). James Screaton, the band’s principal cornet performed a stunning rendition of the solo Concertpiece for Cornet, (James Curnow) and the band’s performance was rounded off with the challenging tour de force and previous European Championship test piece From Ancient Times, (Jan Van der Roost). After a thorough examination, the adjudicator Leigh Baker pronounced the band super fit and well and awarded us Best March, Best Soloist and overall winner! Dropping only six points out of a total of 250, Leigh Baker ended his remarks with “A cracking show – a real statement of intent from a band on top, top form”.
