More Holme Comings Required for Slow Melody Contest

Preparations for the 8th Annual Holme Valley Slow Melody and Ensemble Competition are well underway but organisers are concerned about the current level of entries, and have also made a late change to the adjudicator.

Due to a date mix-up, Leigh Baker has now provisionally been booked for 2019, and stepping into his shoes for this year is Jonathan Bates. Jonny needs no introduction as a player, composer and conductor and certainly owes a great deal of his success to entering these competitions over the years.

Jonathan told A4B: “We’re light on entries so far but given how busy people are these day I appreciate sometimes it’s only when the calendar turns to June that players send in their entries but we really need to know by 2nd June if the event is going to be viable Gone are the days when there was a competition nearly every weekend and (with a few exceptions) these events are gradually falling off the calendar, which can only be to the detriment of players and the movement as a whole”.

Graham Bates, who also organised a similar event at Skelmanthorpe for nearly a decade told A4B: “We’ve always offered a relaxed, friendly environment to encourage people of all ages, but to be blunt – if it doesn’t go ahead this year then it’s highly unlikely to go ahead nest year. It’s a shame, given the recent support from the likes of Geneva, Kirklees Music and Black Dyke Band that we just can’t seem to attract entries, but hopefully the next few weeks will see a turnaround”.

Details are available or from Graham on 07999 751988, or [email protected]