The Committee

 


Committee Members

 

Valerie at Castle Howard Valerie

Our principal Trombonist is probably the only professional musician in the band - that she earns her living on the bassoon is irrelevant!  With the departure of Jane to sunny Cornwall, Valerie takes over the unenviable role of Minutes Secretary!

Kath

After a brief break from serving on the committee, Kath, our first horn player is back!  Kath is yet another of those who came in as adult learners along with their offspring.  Donna may come and go, but Kath stays a dedicated player regardless!

 

Kath at Castle Howard

 

Sarah

Sarah is our principal cornet and holds strong views on most things!  She will be off to university in the autumn but we hope she will still be able to participate in the band, even if at a distance!

Ellis

Ellis is the youngest member of the committee and represents the majority age group of the band as a whole.. As second euphonium, she is well equipped to put forward the view of the underdog!

 

Ellis

Julian

Julian first joined the band a while back as 2nd trombone but left for a while, Now he is back with us and after a flirtation with the baritone he is now firmly settled as a second cornet.

 

Andy

Andy is a recent arrival in the main band from the Learners group. One of a growing number of adult learners, he is an enthusiastic member of the back-row cornet line-up.

 

Mike

Mike

While, on paper, Mike is a Bass player, he spends most of his time hitting things (usually timps) at the back of the band. Before his offspring started learning brass instruments he was a cellist!

Catherine

As well as playing E flat Bass (thus proving that whiskers are not compulsory for Bass players!) and being the librarian, Catherine is also responsible for the newsletter and website.

Catherine at Darlington
 

 

Life Members - Colin, Ray, Polly, Derek, Jane, Steve and Dorothy

Colin

Colin was one of the first group of learners and has played with the main band for 65 years.  As a back row cornet he has been a huge support to youngsters as they move up from learners.  He was made a life member in 1997 and has recently retired from active playing.

Ray Ray was also one of the first learners and played for 66 years with the main band on euphonium, baritone and most recently trombone.  He was immensely active with the learners group and served as Chairman for some years.  When he retired from this role he was made  life member in 1997. He died aged 79 in 2004. Polly was the wife of Clarrie Cartwright who was Bandmaster for thirty years.  After his death she continued to be a key figure in the band for the rest of her life, both fundraising and caring for the Bandroom. She was made a life member in 1997, shortly before her death Polly Cartwright
Jane at Band dinner Jane was one of the original group of girl learners in 1968 and is now the only one of them still playing in the band. She has played flugel for us for most of the intervening years. As well as playing, Jane has made a huge contribution to fundraising and to the profile of banding within the  broader community  and was made a life member in 2006. Derek is probably the longest-serving player in the band, having been our percussionist since at least the early sixties (he is rather coy as to exactly how long!) and was made a life member in 2006. He has given a splendid grounding to untold young percussionists and continues to be at the heart of our percussion section.

 

Dorothy first became involved with the band when her son David joined the euphonium line-up in the 1980s.  Since then she has been a superlative Band Secretary, running the band with staggering efficiency and dedication. "Mummy Band" is probably THE key figure in the band and was made a life member in 2006 Steve has been a member of Swinton for some 25 years and has played a variety of instruments over the years as well as conducting the band on numerous occasions. These days he is our principal Bb bass player though he is also our Eb soloist!  A key figure in organising the band's social life he was made a life member in 2006. 

 

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This page was last updated 16/06/2009