Ohio Valley remembers co-cofounder Ed Nickol

Ed Nickol, director and co-founder of the Ohio Valley British Brass Band passed away suddenly after a rehearsal last month doing the thing he loved best: teaching and directing the band.. In addition to performing at his memorial service, the band dedicated their two holiday concerts to Ed’s memory.

Mike Gallahue has since been appointed the new musical director and reflects on Ed’s contributions to the band. “On the podium Ed was irascible, demanding, uncompromising, and a stern taskmaster -- but he also entertained us with amusing anecdotes and delightful tales of his rich and colorful life. Off the podium he was quite simply the most kind-hearted, generous, crusty old rascal ever to inhabit God's green earth.”

“Ed Nickol loved this band; he poured his heart and soul into it for sixteen years. Every gesture of the baton, every note of music, every expressive nuance that you hear today is the result of Ed's guidance, leadership, and inspiration. To say that we miss him is a vast understatement, but his musicianship and his legacy will live in our memories forever.”