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New Musical Leadership at St Austell Town!

Published in Band News on 2019-04-03 by St Austell Town Band

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Following the departure of Musical Director David Nicholson due to international work commitments St Austell Town Band have appointed a new Musical Director and Musical Advisor.

Garry Lannie has been appointed as Musical Director after working with the band since the beginning of the year.

Garry’s association with the band goes back to the 1980s when St Austell became Garry’s first Championship Section band as a player. In 1987 he was part of the bands performance of Harmony Music which gained them 6th place in the Championship Section of the National Finals in the Royal Albert Hall. He has played at the highest level in Cornwall ever since, with many successes, most recently with Camborne Town Band.

Garry started conducting in 2005 and has led several local bands such as St Dennis, Bodmin Town, St Breward, Launceston and St Pinnock along with becoming a tutor at the Cornwall Youth Brass Band.

Commenting on his appointment, Garry said ‘I am delighted to be back at St Austell. I have so many memories and friends here and although I have played and conducted elsewhere this has always been home for me. We have some exciting things planned and with a great mix of youthful enthusiasm and experience around the band I cant wait to get stuck in’.

Working alongside Garry will be Derek Greenwood who has become the bands Musical Advisor after most recently carrying out the same role at St Dennis.

Derek was born in Yorkshire and played in his local village band until he joined the Band of the Grenadier Guards as Principal Euphonium, a position he held for ten years. In 1976 he moved to Cornwall to take up the position as Musical Director of the Camborne Town Band.

Derek became the Musical Director of St Austell in the 1980s leading the band for several years with many contest and concert achievements including wins at Bugle and the SWBBA contests, numerous top 3 placings and 6th place in the Championship Section of the National Finals in the Royal Albert Hall in 1987

Derek has conducted all of Cornwall’s premier bands and has also travelled out of the county to conduct bands such as Tredegar, Sun Life, Woodfalls and many others. In the year 2000 Derek was awarded the Mortimer Medal by the Worshipful Company of Musicians for his work with youth bands.

Following his appointment Derek commented ‘I am delighted to be back at St Austell, a band which I have many fond memories of. The band is bursting with young talent and enthusiastic experienced players who really work as a team. I am excited to once again be working with a band where each and every player and member of the management team displays outstanding commitment, motivation and ambition. I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement so far and I’m very much looking forward to working with my good friend Garry Lannie along with conducting the band at Bugle playing Eric Ball’s wonderful music, Journey into Freedom’.

Rob Faro, band chairperson said ‘We are very grateful for the hard work and leadership offered by David Nicholson, someone who will remain a good friend of the band, we wish him well for the future. We also thank Iain McKnight who stepped in at short notice to lead the band to a creditable 9th place at the regional contest last month, Iain is member of the Fodens bass section, a respected educator and an emerging talent as a conductor who started his musical journey at St Austell, he will remain part of our family and collaborate with us in the future. Garry and Derek are both good friends of the band and make a formidable team, combine this with our young talented players, experience around the band and an outstanding youth programme led by the extraordinary talent and experience of Anna Minear, Hannah Hawken and David Mumford we are very much looking forward to an enjoyable and successful future’.

 

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