Black Dyke are still in celebration mode at present according to MD Nicholas Childs, following their victory at the Yorkshire Regional Championship on Sunday night – although they are due to come back down to earth with a busy schedule of forthcoming events.

Great performance

"It was a great performance and a great win for the band," the MD told 4BR. "There was considerable pressure on us but we responded as I knew we could. It’s great to win here for the first time since 2002 and it gives us a huge confidence boost for the forthcoming season and the celebrations went on for a long while I can tell you!"

It’s great to win here for the first time since 2002 and it gives us a huge confidence boost for the forthcoming season and the celebrations went on for a long while I can tell youMD Nicholas Childs

Busy schedule

Those celebrations and a few sore heads must now be cleared away as the band has a busy schedule of events planned in the diary.

"We are off to play in Scotland at the end of the month at the fantastic Perth Concert Hall. It’s a bi-annual visit and we get a great reception and welcome there.

We’ve also got a new CD in the pipeline which will feature the new version of Edward Gregson’s ‘Laudate Dominum’ and Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s ‘Vitae Eternum’ and then its all go for the Black Dyke Brass Arts Festival which will take place between the 4th and 6th of April. Over 80% of the tickets for that have already been sold and we have exciting plans to ensure lots more people will be able to enjoy it."

Soprano question

As for the soprano cornet question, the MD was straightforward in his response. "We will be using Bert Van Thienen again with us, but I can assure everyone, Paul Duffy is very much our long term replacement for Peter Roberts. Paul is a fantastic developing player and is an essential part of the future of Black Dyke."