Latest News

27/01/2010 Solo Contest Cancelled Regrettably, this year's Annual Solo and Quartet Contest planned for Saturday 30th January has been cancelled. The low number of entries meant the contest could not viably go ahead. Whilst all competitors have been informed, we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to those who had intended participating or spectating. We hope the historic event will continue in 2011.

07/09/09 Aloha Helston! Helston Town Band entered into the carnival spirit leading Helston's Carnival on Saturday 5th September. Keen to support the carnival and encourage other local community groups to do the same, every band member dressed up in Hawaiian costume, as they performed the theme from Hawaii Five-O throughout the entire carnival from Helston's Cricket Club down to Helston Fairground. The band were a colourful sight, in bright Hawaaian shirts, leis (flower necklaces), and in some cases, dodgy wigs, and hopefully they put a smile on the faces of the spectators!

02/09/09 The Lismore Proms 2009 - Huge Success! Helston Town Band’s annual ‘Proms in the Park’ concert, this year re-named ‘The Lismore Proms’, took place on Saturday 29th August in the beautiful setting of Lismore Gardens. The concert was a fantastic success, with many commenting that this was the ‘best yet’. Fortunately, following a week of poor weather, the sun shone down on Helston throughout the whole day, ensuring a large audience of more than 400. Under Musical Director John Hitchens, the band opened the concert in style with a performance of ‘Vitae Lux’, with various soloists positioned in different places in the gardens before making their way on to the stage. Other highlights from the first half included some quality acting from principal cornet Ian Harvey as his cornet fell apart, involving a large smoke machine (you had to be there!); and some beautifully choregraphed Mexican waves from the entire band in ‘Hawaii Five-O Theme’. The first half concluded with a dramatic performance of Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812 Overture,’ enhanced with the chimes of bells (from St Michael’s Church) and the huge canon sounds that could be heard throughout Helston. The vocal soloist this year was mezzo-soprano Karen Hurn who was well received by the band and audience, and gave a great performance including renditions of ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘I Feel Pretty’. Karen has some links with the band, as her sister Debbie Retallack was a member some years ago. The compere for the evening was Phillip Hunt of BBC Radio Cornwall. As ever, Phillip was so professional and informative, and appreciated by band and audience. Each year, the band selects a local charity to make a donation to, which is presented at the Proms. This year, a donation of £200 was presented to Shelterbox . Mr Jay’s Lucky Programme prize was this year won by Christine Hocking (wife of Mike). The second half of the concert commenced with Sing Sing Sing, with the band’s drummer Simon Taylor starting as a solo performer before different sections of the band joined him on stage (some arriving in a Conga). The concert concluded with the traditional Proms anthems including ‘Fantasia on British Sea Songs’, ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. The entire audience were on their feet singing, cheering and waving their flags, ending a fantasic evening’s entertainment. The Proms Concert is most rewarding for the band, but it is also a lot of hard work and so many people need to be thanked, including: the Committee and Ladies Committee; Michael Jay for allowing the concert to happen in the first place; the various businesses who sponsored the programmes and sold tickets; and all the other people who supported the Proms in any way.

12/08/2009 Proms Concert - FAQs!! Where can I buy tickets from? You can buy tickets at Pictures and Things (Meneage Street); Christophers Estate Agents (Wendron Street) or Cancer Care for Cornwall (Coinagehall Street). Alternatively if you do not live in Helston and wish to reserve tickets by email, please do so at enquiries@helstontownband.co.uk Can I buy tickets on the night? There is an audience capacity of 600 in Lismore Gardens. Based on the popularity of previous years, we advise you to buy your tickets in advance to ensure entry, but if this is not possible, there may be a few tickets left on the night (we cannot guarantee this). What time does the concert start? The concert starts at 7pm, gates open at 6pm. The Helston Training Band will entertain the audience before the start of the main concert at 7pm. Where is Lismore Gardens? The entrance is on Cross Street, Helston. Parking is not available so you will need to park somewhere else (walking distance from the town car parks). How much are tickets? A bargain at £6 per person! Given the quality of the entertainment and the wonderful setting - real value for money! What do I need to bring? Bring something to sit on - a blanket or a deckchair (NB please do not bring chairs with "spikes" as this will damage the lawn). We will also provide some chairs. Bring your picnic, your bubbly and your friends! What happens if it rains? Unless there is torrential rain, the concert will go ahead as planned - bring a waterproof and umbrella just in case! If rain is too heavy and dangerous for Health and Safety reasons, then the concert will be in the Church, but this is only as an absolute worst case scenario. Who is the guest soloist / compere this year? The guest soloist this year is Karen Hurn, an extremely talented mezzo soprano with a fantastic voice. Our compere this year is the ever-professional and informative Philip Hunt, from BBC Radio Cornwall's Sounds of Brass. Do you have to like classical music? No! The programme selected offers something for all tastes, from well-known film scores to traditional Proms anthems. The atmosphere is fantastic and we promise some entertainment of a visual variety too - plus some really loud 'bangs'. If you've never been before, why not try it this year? You never know, you might enjoy it!

11/08/2009 Get Your Proms Tickets! Following a busy summer season, Helston Town Band are making final preparations for their annual 'Lismore Proms' concert, to be held in Lismore Gardens on Saturday 29th August 2009 at 7pm, by kind permission of Michael Jay. For many band members, this is the highlight of their year, as they have the opportunity to perform in a beautiful open air setting in front of a large audience of up to 600. The band are delighted to welcome as their soloist this year mezzo-soprano Karen Hurn, who is well known throughout Cornwall for her talents. The first half of the concert will showcase the talents of the band, now competing in the Championship Section of Great Britain, and should make for extremely entertaining viewing! The second half will feature traditional Proms anthems such as Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory - don't forget to bring your flags! Tickets are priced at £6 and available to buy from Cancer Funding for Cornwall (Coinagehall Street), Pictures & Things Gallery (Meneage Street), Christophers Estate Agents (Wendron Street) or can be reserved through the band email enquiries@helstontownband.co.uk This has been a busy and successful summer season for the band, having played at a number of local venues including Porthleven, Gweek, St Agnes and Constantine, as well as some Sunday afternoon slots at Helston's Coronation Park which have proved to be extremely popular.