Alan Jenkins, the doyen of brass band journalists has just celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by family and friends.

Alan has matched his outstanding musical career with over 60 years of wonderful marriage to Michelle, with the celebrations alongside their daughter Amanda seeing them all tuck into a special 90th birthday cake.

From Halle to Huddersfield

A former tuba player with Stockport Citadel Band before enjoying a professional career with the Halle and London Symphony Orchestras (where he was also a member of the its Board of Directors), he also enjoyed a period of study at the University of Texas and teaching in the USA before returning to the UK in 1982 where he became Head of Brass and Voice at Huddersfield College of Technology.

Alan also enjoyed a close association with the banding world for many years, conducting Hepworth Band as well as being accomplished singer and choral conductor.

Brass Band World magazine

In 1991 he joined forces with publisher and friend Robert Mulholland to become the Chief Feature Writer with the newly launched Brass Band World magazine.

Over the following two decades and more his insightful opinions and deep reservoir of musical knowledge made him essential reading for anyone in the banding world.

He was also a generous supporter of fellow brass band writers, offering invaluable advice and guidance.

Dinner guests

When asked by 4BR in 2008 who he would invite to his own brass band dinner he named the great cornet player Ken Smith, alongside Amanda Roocroft, Alison Balsom, Bramwell Tovey, Ray Steadman-Allen, Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen, Hans Gansch, Elgar Howarth, Stan Bennett and his great friends Robert Mullholland and his wife Jennifer to join him and Michelle.