Leyland’s efforts at the North West Regional qualifying competition in Blackpool (28/02/2016) went unrewarded, being placed 5th.

In common with all the competing bands, Leyland worked tirelessly to deliver a performance worthy of taking one of the 2 qualifying positions for the National Finals in October. Drawn to play number 7, which coincided with a short break in proceedings, musical director Thomas Wyss drove the band through an exhilarating performance of Philip Sparke’s “Cambridge Variations”, full of colour, detail and verve. The audience showed their enthusiastic appreciation at the end of the performance, in which soloists were fantastic, and the band playing terrific. Not for Leyland was a safe and bland rendition of the piece, this was engaging musical performance of top quality.

In less than a year, Thomas has overseen great progress in the band’s week to week performance levels, and this disappointment is all about the result rather than the performance the band delivered. The developing young players deserve particular praise as their talent begins to make massive contributions to the bands music making, and all the band will continue to work hard to make more forward progress.

The results announcements were met, with the understandable exception of the successful bands, by silence and a great deal of head scratching from the audience – a measure of the varying opinions on the performances of the day. Our congratulations go to those four bands the judges deemed to have deserved the higher places, and in particular those who will represent the North West in London in October.