Alistair Cupples, Musical Director of City of Bristol Community Brass Band
Exciting Times Ahead
City of Bristol Brass Band Learner Band has relaunched as City of Bristol Community Brass Band. The band is fortunate to have Ali Cupples as Musical Director – he joined at the time of the relaunch – September 2024 and was immediately involved in a set of music at a fund-raising concert for the music department of CST Trinity Academy in Bristol. City of Bristol Community Band was delighted to be able to support this.
The band comprises a mix of young people who are learning their skills and putting them into practice with a larger group, and adults who are returning to brass banding after a break, or who themselves have taken up a brass instrument later in life.
City of Bristol Brass Band Learner Band has relaunched as City of Bristol Community Brass Band. The band is fortunate to have Ali Cupples as Musical Director – he joined at the time of the relaunch – September 2024 and was immediately involved in a set of music at a fund-raising concert for the music department of CST Trinity Academy in Bristol. City of Bristol Community Band was delighted to be able to support this.
The band comprises a mix of young people who are learning their skills and putting them into practice with a larger group, and adults who are returning to brass banding after a break, or who themselves have taken up a brass instrument later in life.
Come and Join Us!
City of Bristol Community Brass Band meets on a Friday in school term times from 6:15-7:30pm. The band room is at Parkway Methodist Church, 1 Jubilee Road, St Werburghs, Bristol, BS2 9RS.
We are always happy to welcome new members. Membership is open to players of all ages who are able to play one octave in range.
Contact the Senior Band Secretary, at [email protected] or using the contact form here
Regular Performances
The band regularly plays in a variety of venues including allotments to entertain the community gardeners, schools and nursing homes. We have a regular audience at St Monica Trust who look forward to seeing familiar faces at the concerts we put on for them. Our summer concert saw us perform an ambitious piece based on The Jabberwocky poem by Lewis Carroll. We will be back there in the Spring, Summer and Winter 2025.
The band regularly plays in a variety of venues including allotments to entertain the community gardeners, schools and nursing homes. We have a regular audience at St Monica Trust who look forward to seeing familiar faces at the concerts we put on for them. Our summer concert saw us perform an ambitious piece based on The Jabberwocky poem by Lewis Carroll. We will be back there in the Spring, Summer and Winter 2025.
Looking Forward
Brass Bands England confirmed that following a third round of applications,
City of Bristol Brass and Community Band will take part in its award-winning 'Elevate' programme.
The bands will work with Sonic Threads Duo — innovative artists whose mission is to merge Eastern and Western influences to create unique and powerful performances. “The idea is that together we'll create something with a distinct
sound that transcends cultural and genre boundaries — we're excited at the
prospect of these different musical worlds colliding! Sonic Threads”.
Brass Bands England confirmed that following a third round of applications,
City of Bristol Brass and Community Band will take part in its award-winning 'Elevate' programme.
The bands will work with Sonic Threads Duo — innovative artists whose mission is to merge Eastern and Western influences to create unique and powerful performances. “The idea is that together we'll create something with a distinct
sound that transcends cultural and genre boundaries — we're excited at the
prospect of these different musical worlds colliding! Sonic Threads”.
Community Band Gallery
Previous Events
Concorde 2020
The band was delighted to take part in Innovation 216: A concert under the wings of Concorde in 2020. This was the culmination of a project three years in the planning and the centrepiece was Liz Lane’s ‘Innovation 216’ that celebrated Bristol’s connection to some of the great aeroplanes of British history; from the earliest Bristol Box kite biplane and Blenheim light bomber, to the Brabazon, Britannia and of course, Concorde.
St George's, Bristol 2021
2021 saw the band taking part in another innovative project organized by Making Music, which paired emerging composers with groups of musicians to create a new piece of music together. We were paired with Laura Shipsey who wrote a magnificent piece called Of Far Flung Skies, which premiered in St George’s Bristol and was aired on BBC Radio 3 a few months later.
Trinity Academy, Bristol 2022
In the summer term of 2022, the Community Band and the senior band put on a wonderful event with Bristol Beacon tutors and their young brass students at the fabulously appointed Trinity Academy in Lockleaze. The excitement on the faces of the young players when they got up and personal with a Bb bass was a sight to behold. This is why we all do it – why we want to engage with young people and give them the tools to realise that they too can take up an instrument and join in. We want to put on many more of these rewarding events.
The band was delighted to take part in Innovation 216: A concert under the wings of Concorde in 2020. This was the culmination of a project three years in the planning and the centrepiece was Liz Lane’s ‘Innovation 216’ that celebrated Bristol’s connection to some of the great aeroplanes of British history; from the earliest Bristol Box kite biplane and Blenheim light bomber, to the Brabazon, Britannia and of course, Concorde.
St George's, Bristol 2021
2021 saw the band taking part in another innovative project organized by Making Music, which paired emerging composers with groups of musicians to create a new piece of music together. We were paired with Laura Shipsey who wrote a magnificent piece called Of Far Flung Skies, which premiered in St George’s Bristol and was aired on BBC Radio 3 a few months later.
Trinity Academy, Bristol 2022
In the summer term of 2022, the Community Band and the senior band put on a wonderful event with Bristol Beacon tutors and their young brass students at the fabulously appointed Trinity Academy in Lockleaze. The excitement on the faces of the young players when they got up and personal with a Bb bass was a sight to behold. This is why we all do it – why we want to engage with young people and give them the tools to realise that they too can take up an instrument and join in. We want to put on many more of these rewarding events.
Testimonials
I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU! For your fantastic generosity in all coming along to play so beautifully for us all on Saturday
Having you there greatly added to the sense of occasion. I do hope you will be able to play at the event next year too. Everybody that I spoke to said how wonderful it was to have the Learner Brass Band playing and how accomplished they sounded
Kerry
Thank you very much for coming along to St Bon's today with the Bristol Learner Band
They were great and we all really enjoyed listening to them
Ali
Again thank you so much for bringing the band on Saturday! You guys were fantastic! Everyone loved it and people who heard you before they saw you couldn't believe the band was so young and yet so talented! I'm sorry if the hectic busy day meant that you didn't all mange to get free cake and drinks - I forgot to check/remind you that you were due them!
Lucy
