Welcome to Whiston Brass.
Whiston is a beautiful picture-postcard village situated just south of the industrial town of Rotherham in South Yorkshire. There are records of a Brass Band in the village dating back to the late nineteenth century when rehearsals were held at the Golden Ball public house.
The present Band was formed in 1984 with funding from ‘Phillips Alarms’ and in its early years it boasted some very accomplished players and established itself in the South Yorkshire area by winning local competitions and performing at many prestigious events.
Unfortunately the Band was, in 1989, in a slow state of decline, but following an amalgamation with the recently defunct Rotherham Town Band, it began to re-invent itself. Following restoration work on the ancient 1000 - year old Manorial Barn in Whiston, the Band moved into the premises to rehearse in 1991 and has remained there ever since. This rehearsal venue must be one of the most impressive Brass Band rehearsal spaces in the country - the Band also uses this venue to provide local community concerts three times a year! Over the last eighteen years the Band has continued to grow, both in size and musical ability and now has a junior ensemble known as the ’Barn Brass’. Young players are given lots of encouragement to learn as they will in the future hold vital positions in the Senior Band. Learning and understanding is vital in the Barn Brass Ensemble and the Band has created a series of Proficiency Tests in Brass Musicianship to help youngsters on their way to becoming accomplished musicians.
The Senior Band has a very active concert diary especially during the summer and Christmas seasons. It can be seen actively supporting local galas, marches and formal civic events organised by both the Whiston and Rotherham Town Councils. In 1998 the Band received a National Lottery award, through the Arts Council of England and for the first time in its history was able to purchase good quality instruments for all of its players. In 1999 the Band, through much local sponsorship, bought new concert uniforms, and released its first CD containing, amongst other things, music composed by Musical Director Joe Johnson. A second CD of Christmas music was released two years later.
Recently the Band has performed in many impressive places including the Millennium Dome in London, Brittany in France, Meadowhall Shopping Centre, Rotherham Civic Theatre (where it was central to a performance of ’Brassed Off’) and Joe Johnson has represented the Band through hosting a radio series called ‘Listen to the Band’ on ’Red Road Radio’.