Sad passing of Richard Evans, musical director emeritus of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland

The Scottish Brass Band Association is saddened to report the passing today (Friday) of Richard Evans, musical director emeritus of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland, at the age of 87.

Richard was one of the most colourful and flamboyant characters on the British brass band scene. With a unique ability to instil pride and passion into every player, he was ultimately the driving force behind each band he conducted.

Born in Aldershot, the son of a regular soldier, he spent his first two years of life in India. On return to England, the family moved to Preston in Lancashire. It was in nearby Leyland that he was introduced to the cornet with the British Legion Band.

Within three years, in 1952, Richard was one of the founder members of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, becoming principal cornet under the direction of the late, great Harry Mortimer, OBE, CBE. Leaving his first band, he moved to the Leyland Motors Band (the original forerunner of the now Leyland Band) and studied under founding fathers Harold Moss and William Haydock.

National Service took Richard to Berlin, and on return to civilian life, he spent two years with the Black Dyke Mills Band.

However, it was in the art of conducting that Richard was to carve a brilliant career. Upon graduation from the Royal Northern School of Music, he began full time teaching and worked as a freelance trumpet player with the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra. While conducting Wigan Cecilian Choral Society, he was asked to audition for the position of musical director with the Wingates Temperance Band. He accepted the position and within three months he had won the 1975 British Open Championships with Elgar Howarth’s Fireworks at his very first attempt!

1976 saw him moving to the Fairey Engineering Band, continuing to gain a reputation for flair and innovative musical direction to the highest standard.

At the beginning of 1978, Richard was recruited to rebuild the Leyland Vehicles Band with the specific remit of achieving championship status from the third section within three years.

Under his direction, Leyland grew into one of the UK’s top bands with their distinctive white dinner jackets their trademark. The band was now a contender at every major contest and it came third at the Nationals in 1984 and at the 1989 Nationals, won the North West Area title in 1990, ‘91, ‘93 and ‘94 and became All England Masters Champions in 1989 and 1992. The crowning glory was in 1994 when finally, after a series that read 2nd, 3rd, 2nd and 5th, Leyland achieved the British Open Champions title playing John McCabe's Salamander.

Richard’s prowess as conductor, teacher, adjudicator and movement leader was rewarded in 1986 when he was the recipient of the J. Henry Iles Medal presented by the Worshipful Company of Musicians of the City of London, and he is now a Freeman of the City of London, admitted in 2010.

He worked with bands all over the world – Japan, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and Denmark – and held the post of musical director emeritus of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland for over 20 years.

It was an association of which he was immensely proud and brass students from throughout Scotland who attended the NYBBS Easter and summer courses delighted in his unique way of inspiring them to play their best.

He was also musical director emeritus of Leyland Band. Most recently, he was the worthy recipient of the 2021 Brass Bands England Lifetime Achievement Award at the band’s patrons’ concert at Chorley Town Hall on Sunday 13 March.

Richard was a larger than life character who will be sadly missed by everyone whose lives he touched. SBBA and NYBBS send their condolences to his family.

“Richard – or Mr Evans as present and former players always called him – was so very well respected by everyone in both NYBBS and SBBA,” said SBBA president Carrie Boax. “He was pivotal to the success of our dear NYBBS family.

“He added that magical touch and was so passionate about our young musicians. NYBBS was so dear and so special to him.”

She continued: “His smile was infectious, he always had a wicked twinkle in his eye and you could always hear the silence in the room as everyone was mesmerised by stories of past experiences and the characters that he’d met along the way.

“A master of the march, the greatest showman with high expectations and huge successes – I am so proud to call him my friend and privileged for those young NYBBS lives he has made such an impression on along the way.

“You are at peace now, dear friend. Take care and God bless – Boss!”

A Covid handshake with Ian Porthouse at last summer's NYBBS course in Strathallan