Wingates Band
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wingates Band is a brass band based in Wingates, a settlement near the town of Westhoughton in north-west England. It is considered one of the country's finest contesting bands and competes in the championship section (top level) of the British brass band league structure. Its musical director is Andrew Berryman, a trombonist with the Hallé orchestra in nearby Manchester.
Wingates Band was formed in 1873 by members of the local independent methodist church's bible class. Reflecting this origin, the band was originally known as the Wingates Temperance Band. Abstinence from alcohol was a main tenet of church teaching.
Early in the twentieth century Wingates rose to become a member of the elite of brass bands. In 1906 it achieved the "double" by winning the British Open brass band championships and the British National championships (the latter staged at the Crystal Palace in London) in the same year. The following year, in 1907, the band repeated its success and retained both titles, completing the first "double double" in the British banding world. The feat was not matched for over 70 years. In total Wingates has won the 'Open' seven times and the 'National' on four occasions. The band won the French Open brass band championship in 2004 and 2006.
Wingates is an active performing band and also has a long recording history. Its most recent recording (as of January 2007) is Nyman Brass, containing arrangements of compositions by the British minimalist composer Michael Nyman.
