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| Courtney Bosanko, L.L.C.M., T.D., was the son of a Welsh Salvation Army bandmaster and gained his A.L.C.M. (Euph) when he was sixteen years old. He started conducting when he was fifteen years old and later became bandmaster of Salisbury and Boscombe S.A. bands. He was a composer and also became well known as an adjudicator.In 1959 he formed the Oakmead School Band in Bournemouth and a number of his students subsequently played with Woodfalls. Mr.Bosanko started to make his name known on the contest scene in the early 1960’s after conducting the Southampton Albion and Verwood bands with some success. He came to Woodfalls in 1965 as guest conductor taking the band to five contests that year and to one contest in 1966. In 1967 he was engaged to conduct the band in the Championship Section of the West of England Area contest at Bristol and under his direction Woodfalls became champions for the first time in their history. After that great victory Courtney Bosanko was appointed permanent Musical Director at Woodfalls, a position he held for almost ten years. He conducted the band in their first appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in 1967 and he qualified for the National Finals with Woodfalls on a further two occasions in 1968 and 1975 and conducted them at the Royal Albert Hall in those years. Mr.Bosanko’s other major contest success was leading the band to victory in the Grand Shield at Belle Vue, Manchester in 1974 which meant that Woodfalls qualified to take part in the British Open Championship for the first time. He conducted the band in the British Open Championship at Belle Vue in 1974, 1975 and 1976. Courtney Bosanko conducted Woodfalls Band on many radio broadcasts and also in a very memorable TV documentary for the BBC. The programme covered three bands in their preparation for the National Finals of 1967.The three featured bands were Black Dyke Mills, G.U.S.Footwear and Woodfalls. Mr.Bosanko conducted the band at seventy contests and including the march and hymn tune contests was awarded thirty four 1st prizes, eleven 2nd prizes and eleven 3rd prizes. His complete contest record is as follows:- | |||||
JUNE 1965 CONTESTS NOVEMBER 1976 |
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| MONTH | YEAR | CONTEST | TEST-PIECE | ADJUDICATOR | PLACE |
June |
1965 |
Verwood |
Entertainment Programme |
Cyril Suckling |
1st |
July |
1965 |
Downton |
Les Preludes (own choice) |
Fred Roberts |
2nd |
November |
1965 |
Swindon |
Sinfonietta Pastorale |
Cliff Edmonds |
2nd |
" |
" |
" " (Hymn Tune) |
not known |
Cliff Edmonds |
1st |
November |
1965 |
Reading |
Themes from Symphony no.1 (Beethoven) |
Harry Mortimer |
3rd |
December |
1965 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Overture To An Epic Occasion |
Frank Wright |
1st |
" |
" |
" " (March) |
Balmashanna (own choice) |
Frank Wright |
3rd |
" |
" |
" " (Hymn Tune) |
not known |
Frank Wright |
3rd |
December |
1966 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Lorenzo |
Harry Mortimer |
2nd |
" |
" |
" " (March) | Balmashanna (own choice) |
Harry Mortimer |
3rd |
April |
1967 |
West of England Area (Bristol) |
Festival Music |
Jack Mackintosh |
1st |
June |
1967 |
Verwood |
entertainment programme |
E.C.Buttress |
1st |
July |
1967 |
Cirencester |
Scheherazade |
E.C.Buttress |
1st |
" |
" |
" " (March) |
Knights Of Wessex (own choice) |
E.C.Buttress |
1st |
July |
1967 |
Wessex B.B.A (Oakmead) |
entertainment programme |
E.S.Brown |
1st |
October |
1967 |
National Finals (Royal Albert Hall) |
Journey Into Freedom |
Eric Ball, Gilbert Vinter & Frank Wright |
1 7th |
December |
1967 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Kenilworth |
Fred Roberts |
unplaced |
" |
" |
" " (March) |
The President (own choice) |
Fred Roberts |
1st |
March |
1968 |
Cardiff |
Themes from Symphony no.8 (Beethoven)(own choice) |
Arthur Kenney & David Thomas |
unplaced |
April |
1968 |
West of England Area (Bristol) |
Themes from Symphony no.8 (Beethoven) |
F.J.Harris & Wesley Johnstone |
3rd |
June |
1968 |
Brimscombe |
Themes from Symphony no.8 (Beethoven) |
Eric Ball |
4 th |
" |
" |
" " (March) |
The Bombardier (own choice) |
Eric Ball |
1st |
| " | " | Hymn Tune | Penlan (own choice) | 1st | |
June |
1968 |
Verwood |
entertainment programme |
Cyril Yorath |
1st |
October |
1968 |
National Finals (Royal Albert Hall) |
Prelude, The Mastersingers |
Roger Barsotti,Drake Rimmer & Frank Wright |
unplaced |
November |
1968 |
Reading |
Rhapsody in Brass |
Walter Hargreaves |
4 th (joint) |
November |
1968 |
Swindon |
Rhapsody in Brass |
Cliff Edmonds |
3rd |
December |
1968 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik |
Eric Ball |
2nd |
April |
1969 |
West of England Area (Bristol) |
Diadem of Gold |
Frank Wright |
5 th |
May |
1969 |
Weston Super Mare |
Scheherazade (own choice) |
George Thompson |
unplaced |
June |
1969 |
Verwood |
entertainment programme |
F.J.Beckingham |
1st |
November |
1969 |
W.D.& H.O.Wills Area (Plymouth) |
The Frogs of Aristophanes |
John Carr |
4 th |
December |
1969 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
A Downland Suite |
Eric Bravington |
2nd |
1970 |
Swindon |
Prelude, The Mastersingers (own choice) |
Geoffrey Brand |
unplaced |
|
April |
1970 |
West of England Area (Bristol) |
The Corsair |
Eric Ball |
unplaced |
May |
1970 |
Weston Super Mare |
The Corsair (own choice) |
Sam B.Wood |
4 th |
June |
1970 |
Verwood |
entertainment programme |
Bram Wiggins |
1st |
September |
1970 |
Plymouth Mayflower contest |
Blackfriars (own choice) |
Drake Rimmer |
1st |
" |
" |
" " (March) |
Castell Caerffili (own choice) |
Drake Rimmer |
1st |
November |
1970 |
W.D.& H.O.Wills Area(Cheltenham) |
Embassy Suite |
John Baldwin |
1st |
December |
1970 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Themes from Symphony no.1 (Beethoven) |
Eric Ball |
1st |
February |
1971 |
Swindon |
Embassy Suite (own choice) |
Geoffrey Brand |
unplaced |
March |
1971 |
Cardiff |
Resurgam (own choice) |
Geoffrey Brand & Bram Wiggins |
3rd |
April |
1971 |
W.D.& H.O.Wills Final (Royal Albert Hall) |
Essay |
John Carr |
3rd |
May |
1971 |
Weston Super Mare |
Essay (own choice) |
Harry Mortimer |
2nd |
September |
1971 |
Plymouth Mayflower contest |
James Cook Circumnavigator (own choice) |
Cyril Yorath |
1st |
December |
1971 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Resurgam |
Wesley Johnstone |
1st |
February |
1972 |
Swindon |
Resurgam (own choice) |
E.C.Buttress |
unplaced |
March |
1972 |
Cardiff |
Le Roi D'ys |
Geoffrey Brand |
unplaced |
April |
1972 |
West of England Area (Bristol) |
Concert Overture for Brass Band |
Eric Bravington |
unplaced |
April |
1972 |
W.D.& H.O.Wills Final(Royal Albert Hall) |
Prometheus Unbound |
Vivian Dunn & Harry Mortimer |
unplaced |
June |
1972 |
Verwood |
entertainment programme |
Arthur Golding |
1st |
September |
1972 |
Plymouth Mayflower contest |
Severn Suite (own choice) |
Arthur Kenney |
1st |
" |
" |
" " (March) |
Glemdene (own choice) |
Arthur Kenney |
1st |
November |
1972 |
Reading |
Resurgam |
Roy Newsome |
1st |
December |
1972 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Themes from Symphony no.5 (Beethoven) |
E.J.Williams |
1st |
January |
1973 |
W.D.& H.O.Wills Area (Cheltenham) |
Prometheus Unbound |
Ernest Woodhouse |
3rd |
March |
1973 |
West of England Area (Bristol) |
The Plantagenets |
Geoffrey Brand |
5 th |
April |
1973 |
W.D.& H.O.Wills Final (Imperial College) |
La Forza Del Destino |
Cliff Edmunds & John Baldwin |
unplaced |
May |
1973 |
Weston Super Mare |
La Forza Del Destino (own choice) |
James Howe |
3rd |
June |
1973 |
Wessex B.B.A (Weymouth) |
Les Preludes |
Eric Ball |
1st |
" |
" |
" " (March) |
Glemdene (own choice) |
Eric Ball |
2nd |
" |
" |
" " (Hymn Tune) |
Penlan (own choice) |
Eric Ball |
1st |
1973 |
Bideford |
La Forza Del Destino |
Eric Ball |
1st |
|
September |
1973 |
Shaw |
entertainment programme |
Don Paxton |
1st |
November |
1973 |
Reading |
Essay |
George Thompson |
2nd |
December |
1973 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Comedy Overture (choice of two test pieces) |
Walter Hargreaves |
1st |
April |
1974 |
West of England Area (Bristol) |
Variations On A Ninth |
George Thompson |
5 th |
May |
1974 |
Belle Vue, Manchester Grand Shield) |
Prince Igor |
Roy Newsome |
1st |
May |
1974 |
Wessex B.B.A (Weymouth) |
Prince Igor (own choice) |
Bernard Hazelgrove |
1st |
September |
1974 |
Belle Vue, Manchester (British Open) |
James Cook Circumnavigator |
E.Bravington, W.Relton & T.Sharpe |
unplaced |
November |
1974 |
Reading |
Le Carnival Romain |
Arthur Kenney & M.Lane |
1st |
December |
1974 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
Journey Into Freedom |
Geoffrey Brand |
1st |
April |
1975 |
West of England Area (Bristol) |
Journey Into Freedom |
William Relton |
2nd |
May |
1975 |
Weston Super Mare |
James Cook Circumnavigator (own choice) |
Fred Roberts |
2nd |
September |
1975 |
Belle Vue, Manchester (British Open) |
Fireworks |
E.Howarth, W.Relton & R.Newsome |
9 th (joint) |
October |
1975 |
National Finals (Royal Albert Hall) |
Un Vie De Matelot |
Eric Ball, Noel Cox & Joseph Horovitz |
1 6th (joint) |
November |
1975 |
Reading |
Le Roi D'ys |
Kenneth Dennison & R.Ridings |
4 th |
December |
1975 |
Wessex B.B.A (Bournemouth) |
A Kensington Concerto |
Kenneth Dennison |
2nd |
September |
1976 |
Belle Vue, Manchester (British Open) |
An Epic Symphony |
V.Dunn, E.Bravington & W.Relton |
unplaced |
November |
1976 |
Reading |
Freedom |
Arthur Kenney & W.Rees |
3rd |
