Band History

Arrow Valley Brass started its life in 1977 as Alcester Victoria Youth Band with a small group of children in Alcester town hall.  Mr. David Stanley who was the originator of the band has stuck with it, giving unbroken service as musical director. 

As the band's popularity grew and more people joined, the age and ability gap grew, so it was decided to create two groups, the "Main" band and the "B" band.  The latter continues to attempt to develop and improve young (and not so young) players.  In 1990 the name was changed to Arrow Valley Brass to avoid confusion with another local band.

The main band performs quite a few concerts during the year up to date details of which you can find on the engagements page.  The band plays either inside or out depending on who hired it and their requirements. 

During the summer months the band plays many outdoor events such as "Music In The Park" in Evesham and Stratford, Leamington and Cheltenham have become annual engagements.  Performances have also been given for the National Life Saving Association at the NEC in Birmingham and at The Serpentine in Hyde Park.  The band has also been seen at Worcester County Cricket club and the ICC.  The band also undertakes foreign tours and this usually goes down very well both with the band itself and the audiences who come to listen to it.

Indoor events include concerts for Rotary Clubs, supporting reputable and deserving charities, indeed, the band's constitution requires the band to perform at least twice a year for charity free of charge.

In the contest field, the band originally started in the 4th Section and at present is placed in the 3rd section.  During this period in the 4th section it qualified in the area contests in 1989 and 1990 to compete in the National Finals in Central Hall Westminster and now in the 3rd Section it has qualified for the national Finals in 2002 and 2005 where it came 7th and 2nd respectively.