Chris Wormald

Contact details

42 Sandileigh Drive, Sandfield Park, Bolton, Greater Manchester, BL1 8UF
email: cj.wormald@btopenworld.com
website:

home: 01204 307555
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work: 01204 842382
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More about Chris

Chris Wormald was presented with the Mortimer Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians in 1998 and has adjudicated all over the World since 1991, specialising in Championship Section and major contests since 2004. These include three English National Championships (2006, 2008, 2012), two Scottish Opens (2004, 2008), Brass In Concert, Grand Shields (Senior Cup and Senior Trophy), National Brass Band Finals in Harrogate, multiple Yorkshire, North West, Midlands, London, South West and Scottish Area contests, Muse Festival (Singapore), Pontins, Wilkinson Northern Open, Carnegie Trust, NWCBBA Preston Guildhall, Durham Association, Leicestershire Association, BBL (Northern Ireland), Scottish Borders, Buxton, Weston-Super-Mare, National Eisteddfod of Wales, Easingwold, Skipton, Fleetwood, Ebbw Vale, Hardraw Scar, Minsthorpe, Morley, Rhyl and the British Open Solo & Quartet Championships.

Now 51 years of age, Chris has been conducting brass bands for thirty years. It is two decades since he first conducted Brighouse & Rastrick at the Leek Arts Festival, fifteen years since he made his conducting debut as MD of Wingates at the British Open and Masters contests and since 2007 Chris has conducted Grimethorpe Colliery in concerts from South Wales to Reading Town Hall. He has been a long time member of the National Association of Brass Band Adjudicators (A.B.B.A.) and National Association of Brass Band Conductors (N.A.B.B.C.) and has won numerous contests, competitions, festivals and awards as a conductor, horn player, teacher and arranger.

Chris has been an Assistant Headteacher at Smithills School in Bolton since 2003 and prior to that was Director of Music at Smithills from 1990, the year he also joined James Shepherd Versatile Brass. He is formerly a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain alongside Ian Bousfield, Nick Childs, Steven Mead and Martin Winter, playing under Harry Mortimer at Belle Vue, and was Head of Brass Instrumental Teaching for Bolton MBC from 1983 to 1990, during which time he also taught at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He formed his internationally renowned Smithills School Senior Brass Band in 1991, since when they have won over fifty major national competitions. He has conducted Smithills all over the World, from Norway to New Zealand and Japan to the USA (four times) in addition to eight times at the Royal Albert Hall in London. As an orchestral horn player, Chris made his professional London debut in the Philharmonia Orchestra at The Barbican in 2003 after two decades of freelancing throughout the UK.

In 2001 Chris was named Classic FM Music Teacher of The Year at a lavish ceremony in London, since when he has won both the Brian Hicks Memorial and Gerald Taylor Awards for continued outstanding dedication to brass bands. His arrangements for band have been published by Wright & Round and Studio Music but, since 2007, exclusively by Obrasso (Switzerland).