About john
Born in Liverpool in 1978, my family and I relocated to Barnard Castle in 1986. The opportunity arose to learn the cornet at the tender age of nine, first through the peripatetic school services and then the Barnard Castle Youth, and soon after senior band.
I progressed through the ranks of the Durham Palatine and Regional bands finally ending up as Principal Cornet with the Durham County Wind Ensemble.
Playing alongside my Father Fred on trombone, I gained invaluable solo and small ensemble experience performing on the North East music festival circuit at venues including St. Johns Chapel, Upper Weardale, Teesdale, Darlington, Stockton, Wansbeck, Sunderland, Consett and Saltburn.
A change of instrument was suggested by the conductor of Barnard Castle Band. In the summer of 1995 I relinquished my role in the County Wind Ensemble and moved from the solo cornet bench straight to the Solo Tenor Horn position. Soon after, I commenced private tuition from the legendary Geoffrey Whitham (former solo euphonium Black Dyke Mills Band). Traveling down to Drighlington, near Leeds every fortnight for Saturday morning lessons was to be my first real venture away from the North East band movement.
September 1997 proved to be the start of a new chapter in my life. For the next five years I was to be a student at the University of Huddersfield. I joined the Hepworth Band on Solo Horn just in time to play in the 1999 Regional Championship Section contest at St. George’s Hall, Bradford. By this time I had deputized with a number of Championship bands, and my short residence at Hepworth was soon to be overshadowed when I successfully auditioned to join the world famous Grimethorpe Colliery RJB Band. I was now performing at the best concert venues around the country and involved in numerous CD, BBC TV and radio broadcasts. With Grimethorpe I worked with artists such as Lesley Garrett, Elgar Howarth, Major Peter Parkes, Andreas Sporri, Peter Bassano, Bram Gay, Richard Edwards, John Barclay and Chris Batchelor and at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Royal College of Music, Westminster Abbey, Regent Hall, BBC Wood Lane, Air Lyndhurst, BBC Manchester Studios and Symphony Hall. A fantastic trip to Germany as part of the Niedersachsische Musiktage concluded my time with the ensemble.
A welcome invitation was handed to me by the Edinburgh based Whitburn Band from their Professional Conductor (and visiting lecturer at Huddersfield) Phillip McCann. A vacancy had arisen on their First Horn seat, and would I like to play at the Edinburgh Festival accompanying trombone star Christian Lindberg, and then travel down to Birmingham to play for them at the British Open? Of course I accepted and enjoyed a fantastic experience in Scotland.
My time at Huddersfield ended with a spell on First Horn with the celebrated Brighouse & Rastrick Band. I made my contest debut with Brighouse at the 2001 British Open at Symphony Hall. A traditional styled brass band, quite unlike Grimethorpe, I was able to play at the 25 Year Celebration of their pop hit ‘The Floral Dance’ of 1977.
I returned to the North East in April 2003 recommencing contract employment at GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceuticals in Quality Assurance. In March 2005 I was invited to play First Horn with the Kellogg sponsored Brass Band of Battle Creek (Michigan, USA) for a major tour of Florida performing alongside artists including Jens Lindemann, Wycliffe Gordon and Steven Mead.
I am a member of 5play brass group, encompassing the Tenor and Flugel horn roles with Mellophonium and also Cornet and Trumpet when required. 2007 proved to be an interesting year including a months return visit to America undertaking invaluable tuition at the Virginia Commonwealth University with Rex Richardson, and the New England Conservatory from Rich Kelley (Boston Brass) and James Pandolphi (NY Met). Further notable engagements have been a concert tour of Lillestrom, Norway, a weeks residence at The Stadium of Light for the Univesity of Sunderland Graduation Ceremonies and a further visit to Michigan at Christmas to perform in concert for the second time with the renowned professional Battle Creek Band under the baton of Sarah Ioannides
This year has begun with an exciting demo disk recording from 5play and a further Florida tour with the Battle Creek Band (performing alongside trumpet legend Maurice Murphy). Other highlights so far include music adjudication for St. Joseph's Middle School Festival Day in Hexham, Northumberland, Sunderland University Graduation Ceremonies once again and employment with the Newcastle Music Service as a Visiting Music Teacher.
LINKS
eQUIPMENT
1967 Conn Mellophonium
1981 Sovereign Horn
.464 R25 Smith Watkins Bb Trumpet
Yamaha Maestro
Heavy-Weight Flugel Horn