Mark Glover, the solo euphonium player of Grimethorpe Colliery Band, has just returned from a trip to the USA where he was a guest artist at the Midwest Regional Tuba & Euphonium Conference (MWRTEC).

Hosted by Dave Saltzman and Brendan Ige at the Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Mark performed as a soloist alongside Adam Frey and Velvet Brown with the 2023 US Open champion, Five Lakes Silver Band conducted by Christopher Ward.

Masterclass and soloist

He also gave a masterclass for the finalists of the euphonium artist competition, led several private lessons and gave a solo recital accompanied by pianist Liz Ames, featuring works by Singaporean composers Jinjun Lee and Erica Goh, as well as Dani Howard, Samuel Shelley and Zaidi Sabtu-Ramli.

The conference theme of 'diversity and equality' saw participants perform music by under-represented groups, whilst the conference itself maintained a focus on correct safeguarding policies.

The conference theme of 'diversity and equality' saw participants perform music by under-represented groups, whilst the conference itself maintained a focus on correct safeguarding policies4BR

Memorable event

Speaking about the experience Mark told 4BR: "It was wonderful to be able to perform once again in the US.

The conference has an international flavour and outlook, and it was good to join Boonyarit Kittaweepitak from Thailand to showcase music from different genres for the instrument.

My thanks go to the organisers for the invitation to a memorable event which saw players learn so much from each other. I hope to return in the future to check on the exciting progress being made."