2008 Easter Course Line-up
The Cornwall Youth Brass Band will be joined by Guest Conductor Garry Cutt and guest Tuba/Bass soloist Les Neish for their 2008 Easter Course.
The Band start their 4 day course on Friday 21st March in Truro, working towards the end of course concert which is to be held on the evening of Monday 24th March. More details to follow.
Les Neish
At the age of 22, Leslie’s tuba playing career has already taken him to venues that span from the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia to Matt and Fred’s Jazz Bar in Manchester.
He has recently finished his studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, gaining a first class honours degree and a Professional Performance Diploma.He is looking forward to embarking on the one year postgraduate diploma course at the RNCM with the financial help of a ‘Star Award’ from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust and a ‘Professor Charles Leggett Award’ from the Musicians Benevolent Fund.Leslie has also been selected for inclusion on the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme.
From a young age, Leslie was very keen to play solos and won numerous prizes and scholarships, including Liverpool Echo Young Musician of the Year, the Solo Prize at the Tuba Euphonium Conference and a scholarship from the MUSICAS Fund. He has also performed concertos with the Merseyside Youth Orchestra, Wirral Symphony Orchestra, RNCM Junior School Orchestra, RNCM Brass Band and the RNCM Symphony Orchestra.More recently, he performed the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto with the Wimbledon Symphony Orchestra as an artist for the Young Concert Artist Trust.Away from the UK, he travelled to Finland to compete in the finals of the International Tuba Euphonium Competition and was the guest soloist with the Point of Ayr band at the World Brass Band championships in Kerkrade, Holland Also, Leslie reached the Brass Final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year, the Final of the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe and was awarded the Goronwy Evans Memorial Award for outstanding brass playing at the RNCM.
As a freelance musician, he has worked with many of the leading orchestras in the UK, including the Halle Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra and Remix, a contemporary music ensemble based in Portugal. Leslie is also a keen chamber musician.He plays in the brass quintet “Polyphonic Brass” which works extensively throughout the Northwest as part of the Live Music Now! Scheme and the tuba quartet, “Tubalate”.Leslie is a Besson performing artist with Tubalate and their busy touring schedule has seen them performing in Latvia, Russia, Budapest and America this year.
Garry Cutt
Since graduating in the early 1980's, Garry Cutt has developed a reputation as one of the banding worlds most respected and successful conductors.
His 17 year relationship with the Marple Band resulted in many of Garry's early contest success: A hat-trick of 4th prizes during 1992/3/4 and their British Open victory of 1996 are some of the most remarkable results in the history of the contest. This was Garry's second "Open" title, having previously guided the Kennedy's Swinton Band to their 1989 win and at the same time, becoming the youngest winning conductor in the competition's history and the very first recipient of The Mortimer Maestro Award.
He was appointed Musical Director to the Grimethorpe Colliery Band in 1991, a position he held for twelve years. The phenomenal impact of the film "Brassed-Off" resulted in Garry leading the band on sell-out tours, notably Australia on three occasions and performing in that iconic building, Sydney Opera House. Other overseas trips have included Japan, New Zealand. Hong Kong and in April 2003, witnessed band and conductor, make their debut in New York's Carnegie Hall! He has an enviable reputation on the concert platform, cemented by six victories at Spennymoor's Brass in Concert.
In September 2003, he was awarded the Iles Medal by The Worshipful Company of Musicians in recognition of his services to the Brass Band Movement.
September of 2004 witnessed the history books of The Fodens Richardson Band being dramatically re-written. For the band and after several near misses, their 1st British Open victory since 1964, for Garry, his third Mortimer Maestro award! He took up the position of Professional Conductor as from January 1st 2005 and since then has added two North West Area titles, English National winners 2006 and International Masters Champions 2007.
Between 2000 - 2005, Garry was the Associate Conductor of The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, working closely with his dear friend and mentor, Elgar Howarth.
Garry has returned to Grimethorpe in the role of an Associate Conductor leading the band in their busy concert diary and when time permits he enjoys working as a guest conductor with numerous bands across the UK, Europe and Japan. In May of this year he will lead Stavanger Brass Band in their challenge at the European Championships.