More Player Moves for Xmas

19-Dec-2001
One King leaves as the Police get a Fodens man on the beat. All this and more..

Andrew King, the Principal Trombonist of the Leyland Band has left the band. The amazingly talented young man, who this year won the British Open Solo Championships for the second year in succession, leaves after feeling he was unable to give the full time commitment to the band in the New Year.

Andrew will be flying off to Australia in the New Year to represent the UK at the Ern Keller International Soloist of the Year Contest as well as him trying to secure important academic exam results so that he can go to a top rated Conservatoire this year.

Meanwhile news reaches us that Toby Bannan, the highly rated bass trombone player at Fodens has left the band and has joined the South Yorkshire Police Ban based in Rotherham. Toby also takes on the added responsibility of becoming bandmaster of the band he first joined as a teenager some years ago. The move means that he is now much closer to home and for the time being will still see him make the long trek to Sandbach to continue to help Fodens out over the Xmas and New Year period.

Further news on the Euphonium front sees Morgan Griffiths join his brother at the newly constituted ranks of Williams Fairey. No news yet of his replacement at YBS but it could be a big name player.

Brighouse and Rastrick however are in the happy position of being able to announce that Nick Payne who has been playing Principal Cornet for the band for the best part of the last year has been offered and has accepted the top man position with the band on a full time basis. Nick’s performances have been of a constantly high level during a year in which the band as a whole has had as many ups as downs. Nick also led the band with a great degree of assured playing when they took the All England Masters Crown in May.

Meanwhile Pennine Brass has sent out a press release to confirm that Ian Porthouse will continue to lead the band from the rostrum during the year to come even though he has taken over the top chair at Williams Fairey, and BAYV Cory have also released a press statement to welcome Joanne Dean to their ranks as their new flugel horn player in the New Year.

Pennine have also announced that they have signed three new players in the shape of Mike Fox on solo euphonium, Peter Denton on Eb bass and Phil Sanders on cornet.