About the Band
The Cornwall Youth Brass Band is the oldest county youth band in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1955 and held its first residential course in 1959, the start of a long tradition, which has continued without a break until the present time. Indeed the band now holds two courses a year, at Christmas and Easter, each culminating in a public concert.
The season starts in September when we welcome our new musicians who were successful in their auditions in August. Rehearsals are held once a month at Truro College prior to the Christmas residential course and then monthly in the new year, culminating in the Easter course when the season ends.
Members are drawn from brass bands all over Cornwall, although any brass player is eligible, they do not have to be in a band to become a member. The Cornwall Youth Brass Band exists to challenge and stretch the young players musically by playing music they may not encounter in their parent bands and by engaging national names from the brass band world as guest conductors for the residential courses.
These guest conductors continue the work done at the monthly rehearsals by our team of local tutors. Many of the local tutors have themselves been members of the Cornwall Youth Brass Band in the past. They are happy to put something back into the band which gave them such memorable musical experiences in their formative years.
The list of visiting guest conductors reads like a "Who's Who" of the brass band world over the last fifty years, and many of our former players have gone on to become professional brass players or teachers. The late Dr Goff Richards was involved as our Musical Adviser, and he was a trombone player with the band on their first course.
The band is financially self supporting. It is constituted as a charitable company and welcomes donations.
