ABOUT ELLINGTON COLLIERY BAND
Based in Morpeth, Northumberland, the Ellington Colliery Band is one of the busiest (and best!) brass bands in the North East of England, entertaining at dozens of concerts, weddings and events every year.
The band also partakes in a busy contesting schedule, currently competing in the third section.
We welcome players of all backgrounds and abilities to the band so whether you’re an experienced bander, want to get back into playing or have never played before we would love to hear from you.
We have a dedicated rehearsal space in the heart of Morpeth, just 15 miles north of Newcastle.
Repertoire
Whilst a traditional colliery brass band, we have a large, diverse repertoire. So whether it’s Pomp and Circumstance, Uptown Funk, James Bond or a little bit of Abba, Ellington Colliery Band caters to every audience!
We don’t just perform at traditional brass band concerts, but at all types of public and private functions. So if you’d like a versatile brass band at your wedding, corporate function, community event, music concert, school fair or anything else, head over to Book the Band.
Have something in mind you would love us to play at your event? Just ask!
Who are we
Ellington Colliery Band is a amateur music organisation, made up of people of all ages and background with a passion for making music.
We welcome people of all abilities. There are no auditions or tests, we just ask for your commitment to working hard and enjoying yourself!
Want your child to learn an instrument? Or always fancied learning to play yourself? Then come along to our Brass Roots Training Band!
Do we get paid? No, we are an amateur organisation made up of volunteers who give up their time because they love all things brass bands! All the proceeds towards the band go to maintaining the band and our community outreach.
Charity
We are a registered charity (Registered Charity Number: 1152299) aiming to further the study, practice and enjoyment of brass band music in all its forms in order to advance the education and appreciation of the public in the art of brass band music through public performance, training and education.
We are very active in the North East and beyond. We play in public dozens of times a year, reaching audiences of small groups all the way up to 5000 people. While rehearsing and performing we pride ourselves on helping to bring the community together across all generations and backgrounds.
Ever buy from Amazon? You can help Ellington Colliery Band by using Amazon Smile and choosing the Ellington Colliery Band. It doesn’t cost you a penny but is an easy and effective way to help support the band. Thank you!
Our History
The Band was formed in 1925, initially as a mixed instrumental group. In 1926, due to a lack of string players it converted to all Brass and was asked to become the Ellington Colliery Brass Band. The Band thrived throughout the following years, winning the National Brass Band Lower Section Championships twice in the 1950s. Unfortunately the Band started to decline in the late Sixties and its survival looked to be in jeopardy. However a small number of players started an ambitious programme of youth recruitment and development which rebuilt the Band, something we continue to this day with our thriving Brass Roots Training Band.
The 1980s saw a period of great success for the Band, winning many contests. The Band moved confidently into the 21st century, qualifying twice for the National Brass Band Championships and winning promotion up to the First Section. The closure of Ellington Colliery in 2005 and the loss of the miner’s support was a severe blow to the band however, the passion and commitment of its members kept the band going leading to the flourishing organisation we have today.
We are proud to carry our name, along with it’s wonderful tradition, in homage to our mining history.
As a band we have competed at various levels over the years, but currently we are in the third section of the North of England Brass Band Championships. As part of this, we attend the regional championships annually, in the middle of March. This competition determines our ranking within the section and, much like in football, the highest performers from each section are promoted and the lowest performers relegated.
Alongside this annual commitment, we quite often choose to compete in a range of other, more voluntary contests. These contests do not have any impact on our standings in the Championships mentioned above, but we choose to attend and compete as a form of preparation for other contests, or simply because we like to show people how good we are! These can take the form of contests with test pieces - a standardised piece that all bands in the contest play to provide a level playing field - or “entertainment contests”. An entertainment contest allows us to choose a short programme of pieces ourselves and showcase our strengths as a band.
Contesting is entirely voluntary for individual members. Whilst we encourage playing in competitions, if a member would like to play solely in other engagements, then we can accommodate that with ease.
Contesting
Band ‘Jobs’
Throughout the year, the band will have a wide variety of engagements, which are often referred to simply as ‘jobs’. There are so many different types of engagement that we will undertake throughout the year, but there are two main types.
The first is a concert. They are generally held on an evening at an indoor venue, for example churches. We will prepare in advance by choosing a programme of pieces which we will practice in the lead up to the engagement. This is more formal, with the band wearing our traditional “concert uniform”, made up of a smarter “concert jacket” and bow tie.
Secondly, there is an outdoor job. This will usually coincide with other community events, for example Morpeth Gathering. Like many other bands, we have a repertoire of pieces that require less rehearsal than others which we will play on the day. They are slightly less formal due to the nature of the event, and we wear our band blazers and Northumbrian tartan ties to reflect that.
Of course there is no way to shoehorn every type of gig into two categories. We often perform at weddings, or play Christmas carols. We often play with smaller ensembles rather than a full compliment. It all depends on what is being asked of us and the circumstances.