St Kilda triumphs on national stage
The band played in Christchurch over the weekend, walking away as B-grade champions — their best result since they last won at a national contest in 1992.
It has been the culmination of weeks of hard work for the band, which featured several players who had never participated in the competition before.
Percussionist Ella George joined the band in the past year, and said everything had gone beyond her expectations.
"It's heaps of fun and we've worked really hard. We've done many, many hours in the last couple of weeks, but it all paid off."
The performances at the Christchurch Town Hall were "nerve-racking", but entertaining, she said.
"I think we all came off the stage knowing that we'd done a good job and that's a really good feeling.
"Even before we knew the results, we came off thinking 'Yeah, we played our best'."
Trombonist Nikhil Rawat said it was his first time competing at the national contest.
"It's quite a difficult instrument to play.
"It's not so much the weight, although it is heavy, but the control you need with your breathing."
The band had to play three pieces of music at the finals — a set test piece ( Sounds , by John Golland), a sacred item and something of their own choice ( St James , by Phil Harper).
They were the top-placed band in the set test and own choice, making them the B-grade champions.
Soprano cornetist Jessie Abelia won best soloist in the set test, and principal cornetist Harry Porthouse won best principal cornet in the own choice.
Conductor and recently-retired University of Otago music lecturer Prof Peter Adams said the result was "quite a big deal" for the band.
"It's a band that is full of students, and so every two or three years we've got this sort of wave of rebuilding.
"People come, they study, they leave, they play with us while they're here.
"This year we had five new members show up, which was just terrific, and in three years' time they'll have gone and there will be other people coming."
Prof Adams described the competition as "intense".
"So it was a big deal, particularly for some of the older members, who have been a long time between victories, and also for those young guys.
"It's a terrific sort of confidence booster.
"I think the repertoire appeals to the players.
"There's a lot of percussion and a lot of technical stuff to get their chops around. It's exciting.
"Finally, it's quite a social scene, a bit like the pipe bands as well. The pipe bands like to drink their whisky. We just have a few beers afterwards."
Next year, the band celebrates its 125th anniversary, he said.
matthew.littlewood@odt.co.nz
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