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2003 4BR Awards:
Player of the Year
Read our nominations below for the above category. To vote, follow
the links at the bottom of this page.
Last year Morgan Griffiths
capped a wonderful 12-month of top class euphonium playing when
he took the award as our “Player of
the Year”. He beat off the challenges of Andrew King on trombone,
Ian Porthouse on cornet, Tormod Falten on euphonium and Alan Wycherley
on soprano to take the top prize as instrumentalists of all types
made their mark.
This year however, it has certainly been the cornet players who
have shone the most – what with two soprano players taking
the major soloist awards at the Open and National, a cornet player
doing the same at the Masters and another winning the British Open
Solo Championships. Where have all the others gone?
We had a good hard think about this one before we came up with
our five nominations, but we also think there are quite a few other
names that could well come into the reckoning as well. Our criteria
for this award is not who we think the “Best” player
is around, but the player we think was consistently the most impressive
performer both on the contest, concert and CD stage during the past
12 months – so give it a bit of thought before you send off
your nomination. It is not just about choosing your favourite, or
the best looking (as that would rule a couple of us out here at
4BR!).
These are the five who most impressed us most this year.
 Martin Winter
It wasn’t the breathtaking solo CD, or the awesome European
Gala Concert performance, or the incredible trumpet playing with
Eikanger on “Trumpet of the Angels” that got Martin
Winter his nomination on as one of our “Players of the Year”.
No – it was a little eight bar bit of solo playing on “Kensington
Concerto” at the Norwegian Nationals that did it.
Not one player all year could play those few bars, two thirds into
the piece, just before the soprano comes back in to start off the
finale of the piece. Martin Winter did, and did it in such a way
that it made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. It
was 100% pure class. After that all the rest of the stuff he did
all year was easy in comparison. What a player.
 Alexandra Kerwin
Alexandra Kerwin is a 27 year old mother of two who lives in a
Scottish Laird’s castle and just happens to have been the
star solo performer of 2003. She has of course impressed critics
with the quality of her playing on the contest and concert stage
for well over 10 years, since we first heard her at YBS, but the
last twelve months have seen her become a real star performer.
2003 saw her really come of age and she produced two immaculate
solo performances at the British Open Solo Championships where she
took the title playing the cornet, and then again at the Spennymoor
Brass in Concert where she wowed the crowds playing soprano with
the Scottish Co-op band. In addition she produced two very fine
performances at the British Open and National Finals and ended the
year giving another belter on the very demanding soprano part of
“Paganini Variations” at the Scottish Open, where she
played no mean part in securing the band their victory. She is one
heck of a talented player.
 Gavin Saynor
Where as all the cornet players have been grabbing the headlines
during 2003, the quiet giant on the Eb tuba at YBS produced a series
of top class performances that were quite something else.
The highlight of course was his performance with YBS at the European
Championships, where on “Aubade” and then quite brilliantly
on “Concerto Grosso” he simply brought the house down.
It was immense playing – a tone that at times sounded like
an euphonium and a technique that was as scintillating as the best
Principal Cornet at the contest. The reception that he received
when he was announced as the winner of the solo prize and 3100 Euros
was so well deserved.
That wasn’t all though. At the other contests during the
year he has been outstanding, adding a depth and lustre to some
very special performances from YBS and generally outshining even
their array of brilliant soloists. He’s also been pretty impressive
with the baton – but with a tuba in his large hands, he has
been just awesome.
 David Daws
What can you say? He may have stepped down from the end chair of
the International Staff Band of the Salvation Army, but he certainly
hasn’t stepped down from being the best cornet player in the
land. We have managed to hear him on a number of occasions throughout
the year, both in concerts and on recordings and on each occasion
we have left breathless with admiration for his innate musicality
and incredible technique.
The highlight for us (and for all the fortunate souls who were
there) was undoubtedly the Eric Ball Centenary Celebration Concert,
where at less than 12 hours notice he stepped into the shoes of
Roger Webster and performed the immensely difficult cornet solo
“Clear Skies” without music and too a full hall audience
of the great and good from both spheres of the brass band world.
It was simply incredible.
Added to that has been the recent release of his solo CD, and a
series of performances of solos that are quite something. It is
hard to describe how good a player he is until your hear him live
– the CD though will have to do until his next eagerly awaited
impromptu show.
 Robert Westacott
The fourth cornet player in our list has been for us the most consistent
performers on any instrument on the contest stage all year.
He has put in outstanding shows of the Principal Cornet’s
art throughout 2003 - first with Yorkshire Imperial and then with
Tredegar and latterly Hepworth. On each occasion he demonstrated
a beautiful true cornet tone and cast iron technique which on at
least three occasions was the reason why the bands he was playing
with featured so highly in the major competitions.
He was the best cornet player at the Yorkshire Regional Championship
and then again both at the National Finals with Tredegar and with
Hepworth at Pontins and the recent Scottish Open. He has been a
very fine player now for a very long time, but in 2003 he raised
himself up to the very top pedestal of Principal Cornet players
in the country.
Previous winners:
2002: Morgan Griffiths
(Williams Fariey)
2001: Peter Roberts (Yorkshire
Building Society)
There should also be mentions for others as well, such as Stuart
Lingard at YBS, Julia Telling at Flowers, Steven Barnsley at BAYV
Cory, Gordon Jenkins at Whitburn, Sheona White at YBS, Nick Hudson
at Yorkshire Imps, Roger Webster at Black Dyke, David Childs at
BAYV Cory, the list can go on and on...
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