WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN RAIL WEBSITE
York RI Golden Rail Band, and York RI Development Band are constituent
parts of York RI - a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration
number 1165513
The Golden Rail Band is a non-contesting 4th section equivalent band. It performs a variety of concerts all year round to the local community in York and further afield. Should you be interested in booking the band or playing with us, please contact our secretary (information on the right hand side of this page).
.jpg)
Latest News
Golden Rail on new track with Kevin Moxon
Kevin Moxon will be spending three nights a week at the York Railway Institute’s busy band room adjacent to York Station from now on, having been appointed Music Director of the York RI Golden Rail Band in addition to playing for Championship section York Railway Institute Band.
Kevin Moxon and his wife Jayne joined York RI six months ago, but when the position of MD for sister band Golden Rail became vacant in January, the veteran soprano cornet player agreed to take over. The band is delighted to confirm officially his position as their new conductor and welcomes the strengthening of ties across the RI’s family of bands.
Moxon has studied conducting under Ray Farr and has conducted North Yorkshire bands Shepherd Group Concert Brass, Bilsdale and Simply Brass. However, it is his soprano cornet playing for which he is best known. Trained by the best – Moxon was tutored by Dr Keith Wilkinson after winning the sop seat aged 13 with Yorkshire Schools Band, where Robert Childs was also a tutor – he went on to play for Andrews Heat for Hire (now City of Sheffield), moving on to Hammonds in 1982. He took a career break but the lure of banding proved irresistible and in 1992 he returned to it, taking up the end-row seat for a variety of bands including Barnsley Building Society, Old Silkstone, Shepherd Group, EYMS (where he renewed acquaintance with Bob Childs), Midlands band Oddfellows and Yorkshire Imps, as well as a spell on cornet for Brighouse and Rastrick.
INTO 2016...
The Golden Rail and Development Bands were proud to be invited once again to Brassed On! York's 'Come and Play' day at The National Centre for Early Music on Sunday 31st January.
Members of both bands helped out in the morning introducing all ages to brass instruments before each gave a short concert in the afternoon to round off the day.
AUTUMN/WINTER 2015
Autumn began with the rededication ceremony at Duncombe Place with the Royal British Legion on Saturday 31st October.
Remembrance weekend was a full commitment with a concert and ceremony on Saturday 6th November in the Riley Smith Hall in Tadcaster featuring marches from all branches of the armed forces, Proms classics and band favourites. All those present thanked and applauded the band for our contribution and the press reports were very pleasing. The weekend continued with the traditional march and service on Sunday.
Christmas got started with Tadcaster Christmas Market on Sunday 29th November, then a small band entertained at Scarcroft School Christmas Fair main stage the following Saturday.
A joint concert with Skipton Band in Haxby Church was a first for us with the bands being recorded and broadcast on Vale Radio, both the following weekend and repeated on Christmas Day.
Stamford Bridge concert was the finale for our Christmas pieces with the remainder of December being filled with carolling at a variety of venues.
The Band was very sorry to lose Peter Andrews after Christmas and would like to take this moment to formally record our thanks for his time conducting us.
SUMMER 2015 Part 3
We were very lucky with the weather during the first fortnight of August, managing to perform between cloudbursts.
Our first August outing was the annual concert at Goole bandstand. Last year's appearance had been moved to a different location and had been a complete wash-out so this year, so as not to tempt fate, brass band concerts were moved back to the original bandstand in the gardens by the river. As usual, an appreciative crowd turned out, as if by magic, to be entertained.
.jpg)
The following week saw the band performing at a garden party in the village of Lastingham at the base of the moors just above Pickering.
.jpg)
The Golden Rail Band returned to one of its favourite locations on the middle weekend of August. Burnby Hall Gardens in Pocklington holds band concerts on Sunday afternoons every summer. This year saw a bigger crowd than ever turn out to be entertained by our varied programme.
.jpg)
SUMMER 2015 Part 2
The concert season has progressed with typical english weather. We had four seasons in one day for our performance at Knaresborough Castle on Sunday 21st June followed by an absolute scorcher at the York Circuit Methodist AGM and garden party on Saturday 4th July.
.jpg)
It was the band's first appearance at Knaresborough Castle and, despite the occasional inclement burst of precipitation, we entertained the gathered crowds well with a programme including Bruce Jackson's march 'Eboracum' and our new finale 'The Lone Ar-ranger'.
.jpg)
This year's Methodist garden party was held on a farm just outside Stillington. It was a very (VERY) warm day so the band played in shirt sleeves and a wide array of protective headgear, including one or two knotted handkerchiefs! The afternoon's activities concluded with a communal service of hymns and thanksgiving.
.jpg)
SUMMER 2015 Part 1
The Golden
Rail Band made a bold start to the 2015 summer season playing as part
of York’s St George’s Day Parade. On a bright if windy day we gathered
outside the Minster to play to the gathered crowds. The band was well
received and commended for stamina as we set the thousand strong stream
of scouts and guides off on their parade around the city
The
Bank holiday weekend saw Golden Rail out twice with a sociable ‘Picnic
and Play’ in the glorious Homestead Park and a firm band favourite at
Poppleton Children’s Sports Day.
The weather smiled on
the joint event with Development Band opening the proceedings, followed
by Golden Rail (with participating RI members) and a highly competitive
Rounders match to round off a lovely day.
Bank Holiday
Monday saw Golden Rail play again as part of a busy backdrop of
children’s races, tiny owls, maypole dancing and many stalls. The Band
enjoyed a great family day out and took the opportunity to play out a
variety of new pieces for the summer programme. As is customary, the Band led off the parade, marching the fancy dress entrants to the Maypole.
.jpg)
May was
rounded off with a charity event for St Leonards Hospice where
volunteers celebrated 30 years of successful fundraising in style. Poor
weather brought the event inside but the elegant surroundings, cheerful
audience and excellent cake selection lifted the band to a rousing
performance.
.jpg)
The audience was treated to such classics as Floral Dance
and Craig Lea, entertained by Best of Bond and The Lone Arranger, and
enthralled by fantastic solos from our percussionist Alistair and a
debut from cornet player Charlie.
.jpg)
.jpg)
DEVELOPMENT BAND - New Absolute Beginners Sessions
It is with great pleasure that the Golden Rail Band has set up a new "Absolute Beginners' Session" aimed at any newcomer that would like to learn a brass instrument. It can be extremely daunting to simply start in a band on a foreign instrument, so the absolute beginner sessions is aimed to work on basic brass playing skills in a friendly and relaxed manner.
This session is open to all beginners young and old that would like to take part in this opportunity. The sessions will take place on Wednesdays at 6.00pm down at the York RI Band Room.