|
2003 Pontins Brass Band Championships
Pontins Holiday Camp, Prestatyn, North Wales
Sat/Sun 25/26th October
The Adjudicators:
These are the details about the six wise men in the box this year.
 David
Read
David Read was born in Wales and did his Military service with
the Regimental Band of the Welsh Guards. His playing career came
to fruition with the Askern Colliery Band, followed by a spell with
Carlton Main Frickley Colliery. He later joined the Munn and Feltons
Band (later named GUS) later becoming Principal Cornet. During his
time with the band, GUS became National Champions on four occasions
and World Champions once.
He was also assistant principal cornet for the Virtuosi Band of
Great Britain and Kings of Brass and was three times Champion Cornet
Player of Great Britain and once outright Solo Champion. He was
also a member of the famous GUS quartet that with John Berryman,
John Cobley and Trevor Groom who on a number of occasion were British
Quartet Champions.
He has been an educationalist as Senior Instrumental Teacher for
Cambridge Area Education Authority, and in 1983 was honoured by
the Worshipful Company of Musicians and in 1996 by receiving the
English Masters Dedicated Service Award.
He is perhaps the most highly respected brass band contest adjudicator
currently on the banding circuit, who's written comments are constructive
and detailed and who has an acute ear for musical shape as well
as technical clarity.
More importantly he is seen as a "safe" adjudicator in
the eyes of the bandsmen themselves, in that he invariably gets
the vast majority of decisions concerning the prize winners correct.
This has been further emphasised by the bands themselves voting
him as their first choice to judge them at the All England Masters
for the past few years. He has officiated at all the major brass
band contests both in the UK and abroad and has been in "the
box" at the last eight National Championship Finals at the
Royal Albert Hall and retired this year as Chairman of the Association
of Brass Band Adjudicators.
It was at the 1975 Pontins contest that David Read, who has covered
more Pontins Championships than anyone else started a his personal
journey in the Pontins story as he adjudicated the 3rd & 4th
Sections on that day.
 Malcolm
Brownbill
Malcolm Brownbill has more than 40 years involvement as player,
teacher, conductor and adjudicator within the band movement. His
wide musical experience has involved brass and military bands plus
orchestral and choral work.
Originally staring to play the cornet in the Salvation Army, he
became solo cornetist with several bands, and has conducted brass
bands with prolific success since 1974, winning many prizes at all
levels.
He is a former Police Inspector and Musical Director of the Merseyside
Police Band, completing over 20 years in a position that involved
him organising and directing many highly prestigious engagements.
At the same time Malcolm has been professional conductor of such
bands as Wingates, Cory and Laporte Industries.
He has also proved over the years to be a very successful instrumental
teacher and many of the young people who benefited from his guidance
are now playing with our finest bands.
His experience as an adjudicator is widely appreciated. Malcolm
has officiated at numerous prestigious events throughout the UK,
including Area contests and National Finals. A council member of
the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and a member of the
British Federation’s approved Adjudicators Panel, he holds
the position of Public Relations Officer for the Association of
Brass Band Adjudicators
 C.
Brian Buckley
Brian holds regular appointments at major brass and wind band festivals
throughout the United Kingdom, including the National and Pontins
Championship Contests; these are an integral part of his busy schedule.
Holding Conducting, Performing and Teacher Diplomas, Brian is a
busy, widely travelled and experienced adjudicator and examiner.
He is at present, the only member of the Association that has just
been elected an Executive member of the Council of the Association
of Brass Band Adjudicators (ABBA) and who lives in Wales. He is
also the Chairman of the N.A.B.B.C. (Wales Area).
For the past fifteen years, Brian has enjoyed the challenges of
freelance conducting – a situation that has been strongly
by his demanding and continuing role as a leading Consultant in
Water Sciences and Risk Management.
Since taking up the baton in 1968, Brian has focused his attention
on bands mainly within Wales and the West Country and has been extremely
successful. Promotion form the lower sections through to the Championship
Section status in successive years, collecting National honours
en route has become the norm.
From his early teens, Brian established a sound reputation as a
cornet and trumpet soloist of quality having occupied the Principal
Cornet chair with one of Wales’ leading bands – Tredegar
– for almost 25 years. One of the early products of the Youth
Music policy in Wales much of his time is taken up with steering
and acting as mentor to aspiring young musicians, to stimulate and
benchmark their progress both musically and technically.
 John
Maines
John started his playing career with the Wigan Boys Club Band and
the Cammell Laird Band in Birkenhead. Some of his playing career
was spent in Cornwall with St.Austell and Bodmin bands where he
quickly made his mark with a succession of competition victories
at solo competitions throughout the South West. It was at that time
that he gained the title of Champion Trombone Player of Great Britain
on three successive occasions. One of only two players ever to achieve
a hat-trick in this event.
After playing solo trombone with the Stanshawe (Bristol) and Fairey
Engineering bands with whom he also held the post of principal trombone
with Harry Mortimer’s Men o’ Brass, he became principal
trombone with the Black Dyke Mills Band. With this famous band he
won many major titles including a hat trick of European Championships
and toured such countries as Holland, Switzerland, Spain and Japan.
Since 1979 he has been a music tutor for the National Youth Brass
Band of Great Britain and is a Council member of the organisation.
John is a member of the National Association of Brass Band Adjudicators
and regularly adjudicates both at home and abroad. He travels extensively
in Europe taking him to such places as Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg
and Denmark where he takes part in various musical activities including
the direction of the National Youth Band of Denmark.
John is in great demand as a conductor in the UK directing many
of our finest bands, as well as undertaking the role of Master of
Ceremonies at many of the country’s prestigious events such
as The National Youth Band Championships, The Great Northern Brass
Arts Festival, The Harry Mortimer Centenary Concert and acting as
compere for many of the world’s finest bands.
John writes as a critic for the weekly journal the British Bandsman,
and has taken part in many recordings for CD, Radio and Television.
In addition to his everyday banding activities John is the presenter
of the long running BBC weekly band programme "GMR Brass".
David Horsfield
Born in Rastrick in the town of Brighouse, David can certainly
claim ot come form brass band country. He began playing with his
local Clifton & Lightcliffe Band and after graduating to Principal
Cornet with them he became a member of the Brighouse & Rastrick
Band at the age of 13 years that was very young for a Championship
Band in those days.
In 1960, aged 16 years he was appointed Principal Cornet of B&R
and made his British Open debut as principal that year under Alex
Mortimer. During this time he won many solo competitions, was solo
cornet of the B&R quartet that became National Champions in
1962.
After nine years with B&R he moved up the road to Black Dyke
with whom he played for 9 years taking three National titles and
two British Open wins. He was the band’s Repiano Cornet.
When James Shepherd formed his Versatile Brass in 1972 David Horsfield
was a founder member and played with them for 12 years featuring
as Flugel Horn soloist. In 1984 on retiring form playing he decided
to concentrate on his music publishing business ‘Kirklees
Music’.
In recent years he has turned his attention to conducting and adjudicating
and is the Secretary of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators.
Work in this field has led to engagements all across the UK and
in Europe including Belgium, France, Holland, Norway and Switzerland.
 Kevin
Wadsworth
Kevin Wadsworth remains the youngest ever player to become a member
of Black Dyke Mills Band. He joined the Queensbury outfit aged 14
and remained as a player for 16 years in which the band won every
Major contest on more than a few occasions.
His father was a euphonium player with Brighouse and Rastrick,
but the young man joined their greatest rivals and after qualifying
as a teacher remained there during some of their greatest years.
After retiring from Black Dyke he didn’t undertake any serious
playing for about ten years before he returned with the Marple Band
and played with them as they won the British Open Championship in
1996. He had suffered with problems with his lips due to metal poisoning,
but his return gave him the bug back and he then finally followed
his father and joined Brighouse and Rastrick. He finally retired
from serious banding with the band after the European Championships
held in Munich.
Kevin has also built a fine reputation as a boat builder in Cheshire
– his canal boats have won numerous awards, including the
prestigious Lionel Monk Award. He was also for many years a radio
presenter on Greater Manchester Radio and a member of the famous
“Kings of Brass”.
© 4BarsRest
back to top
|
