Under the spotlight: Bathgate
AHEAD of the Band Supplies Scottish Challenge, the spotlight now falls on Bathgate Band and its Musical Director, Anne Crookston. The first section band is the oldest musical group in West Lothian and boasts an impressive contesting history, including considerable success at the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain.
Here's what the band has to say...
Soprano cornet: Richard Tobin
Principal cornet: Stuart Macaulay
Flugel: Ali McCorkell
Solo horn: Lindsay Green
Solo baritone: Brian Mitchell
Solo trombone: Gerry Duggan
Solo euphonium: Lorna Bryce
Solo Eb bass: Darren Whitehead
Solo Bb bass: Maurice Whitehead
Principal percussion: Scott Logan
The Bathgate Band is the oldest musical group in West Lothian and can trace our origins to the earlier part of the 19th century, and our first documented high profile engagement was to play for Queen Victoria at Linlithgow Palaces in 1842.
Major achievements for the Bathgate Band include winning the National Championships of Great Britain (second section) in 1989 and 1997, the Pontins contest (First Section) in 1998 and the National Mineworkers contest (first section) in 2001.
Anne Crookston has been the band's Musical Director since October 2014 and the band thoroughly enjoys and appreciates the opportunity to work with such an experienced and knowledgeable MD.
The conductor
Anne Crookston was educated in Our Lady's High School, Motherwell from 1977 to 1983. She then graduated with a BMus (Hons) from Glasgow University in 1988. Her musical experience is wide-ranging, having been involved in choirs, brass bands, orchestras and wind bands throughout her career.
Her earliest musical training was on tenor horn, moving to baritone at the age of 14. At the same time, the school music department was given an oboe and Anne was the lucky pupil to have the first chance to play it. She studied oboe with Hughina Naylor and later with Judith Herd and began playing piano at that time.
Whilst studying at Glasgow University, Anne began conducting the university brass ensemble and wind band. She was later given the chance to conduct the university orchestra.
Anne's banding career began in Newmains Band in 1979. She moved to the CWS Glasgow band in 1985 and success followed shortly, when the band became the first Scottish band to lift the National Championship title in 1990. She moved to the Whitburn Band and remained a member until October 2010 when she left to pursue a career in conducting.
Following a short spell conducting Kingdom Brass, Anne was appointed musical director of Whitburn Band in late July 2011, a position she held until she stepped down in May 2014.
She is currently head of the performance and design faculty at St Margaret's Academy in Livingston.
