Under the spotlight: Brass Sounds Inverclyde
Thursday 27 October 2016
Brass Sounds Inverclyde is taking part in the Band Supplies Scottish Challenge.
HOPING to make its mark at the Band Supplies Scottish Challenge is fourth section Scottish champion, Brass Sounds Inverclyde.
Fresh from recent performances at the National Brass Band Championships and the Fife Charities Brass Band Association contest, the band will be looking to impress under the baton of Musical Director, Chris Mansfield at the event in Kilmarnock on November 19.
Principal players
History
Brass Sounds Inverclyde (BSI) was formed in 2004 and took part in its first competition in November of that year at the 32nd Annual Whitburn Contest. In March 2005 BSI entered the Scottish Regional Championships for the first time and was placed sixth out of 10 contesting bands in the fourth section.
From its inception and in the earliest concerts and contests the band was conducted by Alistair G McCorkell, who is the band’s current principal trombone player.
Progress was made and the band moved up the ranks under the baton of Gareth Bowman, who conducted the band at Harrogate after BSI finished second at the 2009 Scottish Regional Championships.
Further success followed with Lynda Nicholson, when the band won the third section of the Scottish Regional Championships in 2011, which took the band on its first trip to Cheltenham. A creditable fifth place was achieved. Sadly, due to personnel changes the few years that followed saw the band unable to compete and slip back down to the fourth section.
Over the last two years, an influx of new players and a change in MD has seen the band grow again in number and playing ability.
MD Christopher Mansfield took over the baton in 2015, leading the band to commendable seventh place from a standing start of only 6 weeks of rehearsal and following a year of not having contested at all.
Chris is an accomplished trombonist, a graduate at bachelor's and master's level from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He plays regularly at the highest level of classical musicianship, including with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Chris also conducts King’s Park Brass in Glasgow.
