Unassuming Bendigo music teacher and Tuba player Matt Pankhurst has won the Tuba in Bass Clef Section at the Australian National Solo Championships.

These were held in Sydney over the Easter long weekend.

Ten Titles

Matt has now won ten solo titles in various Tuba sections at the Australian National Band Championships. Matt is very modest, and few of his students or colleagues know about his ten successes spread over the past seventeen years.

Busy Weekend

Matt also played with both Warringah and Boroondara in the A grade Brass Band section of the competition.

Day Job

Currently, Matt is the music co-ordinator at Bendigo South East College. He is also the musical director of Marist Brothers Band Bendigo.

A gifted composer and arranger, Matt has composed music for bands, orchestras and small ensembles. Matt's wife Wendy walked down the aisle to one of Matt's compositions at their wedding in 2005.

Matt is looking forward to the completion of the new world class performing arts facilities at Bendigo South East Secondary College in the next year or so.

He hasn’t decided whether or not to compete in the solo events at the 2010 Band Championships but as the event gets closer he will probably enter.