Exchange News
Exchange Communications Whitburn Band is delighted to announce the appointment of an exciting new conducting team of Ian Porthouse and Lynda Nicholson, plus the addition of two fine players to its ranks.
Ian has agreed to take the band to the Scottish Championships and the Grand Shield in Blackpool. He has enjoyed a fantastic year with Tredegar Band, winning seven contests out of the nine that it has entered including the Grand Shield, the Welsh Championships and the British Open.
"Ian is one of the best conductors working with brass bands in the world", said a spokesman for the band. "Everyone at Exchange Communications Whitburn is looking forward to working with him as we aim to win the Scottish Championships and bounce straight back to the British Open by qualification from the Grand Shield."
Ian added: "Whitburn is a band with a tremendous history and I'm very much looking forward to being involved in the next stage of the band's development.
"Having worked with Lynda recently at several workshops, I know that the standards she sets will be of great benefit to the band and also means the preparation before I arrive will be of the best quality."
Lynda Nicholson has been named as the band's new resident conductor. Lynda is one of the finest brass teachers in the UK and her work with the St Helens Youth Band - who she led to six national youth championship titles - is widely recognised. She became only the second woman to conduct a band at the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, when she led Besses to the Royal Albert Hall in 2002, and in 1999 she won the prestigious Mortimer Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians for her work with brass bands.
"I am very excited to be working with Ian Porthouse and the musicians of Whitburn," she commented. "The band has a very positive outlook, with a professional and determined management team, which can only bode well for the future."
The position of resident conductor at Whitburn became available after the previous incumbent Jim Chamberlain decided he wanted to return to playing after taking time out to address an embouchure change. Therefore, the band is pleased to announce the return of Jim to the band on flugelhorn.
"I'm absolutely delighted the band have welcomed me back as a player," he noted. "I'm working full out to ensure I'm playing at the standard required for the challenges ahead. I'm really looking forward to the future of the band."
Jim has been one of the leading soloists for Whitburn for nearly ten years. Some of the many prizes he has won during this time include Best Horn/Flugel at the 2004 Scottish Solo Championships, Best Instrumentalist at the Land o' Burns contest in 2007 and Best Soloist at the Scottish Open later that year.
Completing the line-up is Rachel Neil - one of the rising stars in Scottish banding - who has joined the band on second horn. The 19-year-old Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama student comes to Whitburn after successful periods with Kingdom Brass and Dunfermline Town. As a soloist, Rachel has won many accolades in recent times. In 2009, she finished 2nd at the Scottish Youth Solo Championships, following that up with a 3rd place this year.
A band spokesman concluded: "Jim did a fantastic job as resident conductor and we are now pleased to have him back as one of our fine soloists. Rachel, meanwhile, is already considered one of the leading horn players in Scotland. The band would like to thank the Edmond family - Hayley (flugel), Alan (horn) and Laura (baritone), who all left after the National Championships to pursue other interests.
"The family have been excellent servants to the band in recent years, with Hayley in particular delivering some fine performances at the major contests this year."
"Exchange Communications Whitburn Band still has vacancies in the cornet and baritone sections. If you would like to be considered for these roles as the band embarks on an exciting chapter in its future, contact Band President Dave Kinross on david.kinross@airtimem2m.com."
