Whitburn welcomes new faces
THE Whitburn Band has announced the arrival of new players ahead of its performance at the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.
Joining the Scottish champions on principal trombone is Dan Eddison, formerly of Brighouse and Rastrick and Rothwell Temperence. Gerard Hennan joins on second trombone from Coalburn Silver. Both players are students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. They replace Alex Phillip, who is taking a break from banding after almost ten years with the West Lothian outfit, and Colin Buchanan, who is stepping down due to work commitments.
Caron Robson, formerly of Co-operative Funeralcare and Kirkintilloch, joins on flugel horn to step in for Caroline Farren, who is due to give birth prior to the National Championships. Elsewhere in the horn section, Michael Fleming will swap seats with his father Iain, taking over the solo horn chair - a position his dad has held for more than 30 years.
Finally, Whitburn has announced the signing of percussionist, Daniel Fairley. Also a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Daniel previously played with Co-operative Funeralcare.
Charlie Farren, band manager, said: "Everyone at Whitburn would like to offer a huge thanks to Alex and Colin for their fantastic contributions over the years and wish both players every success in the future. Iain Fleming has consistently proved himself as one of the best tenor horn players in Britain and his devotion to Whitburn is unmistakable.
"It's a fantastic, exciting time for the band and we offer a warm welcome to all our new members."
