On Saturday 23rd March Lions Youth Brass took their three bands (71 young people) to Dean Close School in Cheltenham for The National Youth Brass Band Championships 2024, organised by Brass Bands England! Lions Youth Brass were the only organisation to enter a band into every section. Lions Debut Band Lions Debut Band, the starting point of Lions Youth Brass, entered the Besson Prodige Section. “The Besson Prodige Showcase Section is the Youth Champs’ non-competitive section, offering an opportunity to take part and contribute a great performance without the pressure of competition.” The young players were delighted to walk away with a certificate of Merit and a special mention for… Read More
Continue ReadingNew Musical Director is Announced
We are very proud to formally announce Ian Raisbeck as the new Musical Director of Lions Youth Brass. “I am humbled to have been asked to follow in the footsteps of such an icon of the youth brass band scene in Nigel Birch. Lions has been a huge part of my life for the last 20 years, and I will put all of my efforts into continuing the work Nigel achieved for more than 30 years leading the organisation. I was fortunate to sit with Nigel only a few short weeks ago and discuss his hopes for Lions’ future, and I will endeavour to make his hopes come to reality.… Read More
Continue ReadingRemembering Nigel
On Tuesday 24th January, past players of Lions Youth Brass and friends joined together to pay tribute to Nigel Birch. The night consisted of a thank you message from Nigel’s Daughters, Charlotte & Frankie, followed by some of Nigel’s favourite pieces along with heartfelt words from Ian Raisbeck and Mike Fowles.
Continue ReadingNigel Birch
It is with extremely heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Lions Youth Brass Musical Director, Nigel Birch. No words could ever do justice to the amount of hours and hard work that Nigel put into our organisation. Nigel was our Musical Director for 35 years. He loved each young person that came through Lions as an individual and only ever wanted to see them shine. He enjoyed all concerts and competitions, but he absolutely loved going on tour, socialising with the players and getting to know them better. He cherished every moment spent with the committee, who he was very proud to call his friends. We send our… Read More
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New Musical Director for Lions Academy Band
We are very pleased to announce that we have appointed Peter McDonough as Musical Director of our Academy Band. Peter graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music with Distinction in Euphonium Performance in 2019. Since then he has taught at many schools and ensembles including Weaverham High School, Chetham’s School of Music and St Helen’s Youth Brass Band. Peter is currently Principal Euphonium with WFEL Fairey Band and was recently awarded the prize for Best Euphonium at The British Open Brass Band Championships earlier this month. We are very excited to see what’s in store for our Academy Band!
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Proclamation marking the accession of King Charles III
Yesterday, 11th September 2022, players from Lions Youth Brass joined together with members of other local brass bands to perform the National Anthem as the town formally recognised King Charles III.
Continue ReadingSeptember is here!
After what feels like the longest summer break ever, Lions Youth Brass are back and preparing for a very exciting academic year! We have a jam packed year ahead of us and we can’t wait to share it with you! To see all upcoming events, please head to our events page. We welcome all young people to come and join Lions Youth Brass. No brass playing experience is necessary, just a willingness to try your hardest, and regularly attend rehearsals and playing engagements. Membership is £10 per month which includes the loan of an instrument, tuition and uniform. We have a progressive system which allows players to join as absolute beginners from… Read More
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Tour 2022 – North Wales
After three long years…Tour is back!!
Continue ReadingMusical Youth 2022!
We had an absolutely brilliant day yesterday as we performed at the very first Musical Youth Event! Lions Youth Brass played alongside other fantastic musicians from Macclesfield Youth Band, Stockport Schools Brass Band, and the Junior and Senior Jazz Orchestras from Music for Life. It was such a pleasure to sit back and listen to other music groups whilst soaking up the sun and indulging in the delicious crepes! After all the music groups had performed we all came together for the Grand Finale! This was a real treat and a great way to showcase just how brilliant young musicians are. A big thank you to Tony Wyatt and his… Read More
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