The Leyland Band has confirmed the appointment of Harry Porthouse as their new principal cornet.

It follows the decision of Lewis Barton to step down from the role to concentrate on his increasing schedule as a trumpet student at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Rising stars

The two rising cornet stars, both former colleagues at the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, have been closely linked in demand over the past couple of years, with Lewis joining Leyland from Elland Silver with Harry now following in his footsteps from Hepworth.

Both have also enhanced their playing reputations on the concert and contest stages by helping their bands to top-six finishes at the recent British Open and National Championships.

Standout performer

Speaking about Lewis Barton's departure, the band stated: "Lewis has been a standout performer for us during his fantastic tenure and has been truly phenomenal as a soloist at both concerts and contests.

We know he is destined for greatness in the future, so we are all fully supportive of his decision. Everyone at Leyland wishes him all the very best — we know we are lucky to have had Lewis leading the band in such an incredible way."

Like Lewis, Harry is one of the brightest young talents in banding, and will be a great addition as we continue to build on our result at the British OpenDanny Brooks

Great addition

And on welcoming his replacement, MD, Danny Brooks added: "Like Lewis, Harry is one of the brightest young talents in banding, and will be a great addition as we continue to build on our result at the British Open. I'm extremely excited to see what the future brings."

The name Porthouse has also been associated with the principal cornet chair at the band in the past, with Harry following in the footsteps of his father Ian, who held the role under Richard Evans from 1984-1988.

Supportive

He told 4BR: "I'm very proud of Harry's achievements as he builds on his studies at the RNCM under the guidance of Roger Webster.

Both he and Lewis are young performers building substantive futures for themselves, and Leyland Band continues to be a welcoming and supportive organisation that promotes talent."

Harry Porthouse is also looking forward to the challenge. "I'm really excited by taking on the role. I have been very fortunate to play with supportive bands and people since coming to study at the RNCM. Now starts a new chapter in my playing with a top class band."