Helen Minshall

Helen first started playing brass at school in Ayrshire, first with the Ayr Area Schools Band, then Benquhat Band. In 1980 she was one of the first students to study on the pioneering Brass Band Musicianship Course at the University of Salford.
 
Helen has a vast amount of experience both as a performer and teacher. Over the last 30 years she has held teaching posts throughout the North West of England, and in 1988/9 she spent a year in the Sultanate of Oman, as Low Brass Tutor to the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra. 

After a successful 15 years as Head of Brass for Bolton Music Service, Helen is now pursuing a freelance career, and has set up a very successful music teaching company, Minshall Music Ltd, with her daughter and son in law, Samantha and Neil Raisbeck. The company delivers high quality brass tuition in a growing number of schools in Salford and Bolton.
 
Helen has spent 25 years directing the Astley Youth Band organisation, a registered charity which now includes 3 bands and a choir, with a weekly membership of around 140 in total. Helen is also the Musical Director of Lancashire Youth Brass Band, Lancashire Youth Street Band, and is an Education Consultant for the Warwick Music Group.

Helen’s many years of hard work with young people in brass bands were formally recognized in 2014 when she was presented with the Mortimer Medal for services to young brass players from the Worshipful Company of Musicians. 

In January 2021, Helen was appointed Youth Development Brass Specialist at Brass Bands England and is enjoying playing a leading part in the Brass Foundations Team, delivering projects for new beginners all over the North of England. 

Helen has never forgotten her Scottish roots, and is always keen for any opportunity to visit Scotland and get involved with musical activities and events. In the last couple of years she had undertaken successful recruitment projects in schools on behalf of Dalmellington Band, Kirkintilloch Band and Arran Brass, a series of workshops for Ayr Salvation Army Band, and workshops for beginner players at the West of Scotland Brass Band Championships in Troon in August 2019.
 
Helen is delighted to be invited to tutor at the Coalburn Band Open Day, and is looking forward to it very much. 

Helen Williams

Helen began playing the cornet at the age of ten encouraged by her father who played cornet with Poynton Band where she also played for 10 years.

She joined The Marple Band in 1986 as Principal Cornet, performing with the band in many concert and contest successes, culminating in Helen becoming the first and (so far) only female principal cornet to win the 1996 British Open Brass Band Championship title in its 149 year history. She was also awarded the Stanley Wainwright Memorial Trophy as the day’s best soloist.

In December 1999 Helen was appointed as Flugel Horn Soloist with Foden’s Band where she stayed for just over 15 years enjoying many contest and concert performances. Contest successes with Foden’s were many, including 6 successive years as North West Regional Champions, English Nationals Champions, All England Masters Champions, US Open Champions, 3 British Open wins and of course the historic “double” when the band also won the National Championships in October 2012.

In the Summer of 2015 Helen was invited to take up the Flugel seat at the Cory Band, subsequently becoming a part of the unprecedented Grand Slam band winning the European, British Open, National and Brass in Concert titles in 2016. She was also awarded the Best Instrumentalist Prize at the Open & the Nationals, Best Flugel Horn at Brass in Concert and earned the accolade of Player of the Year from her peers at Cory. Topping off an incredible year of personal achievements Helen was also named as Player of the Year by 4barsrest.com.

Helen is proud to continue to be flugelhorn soloist with the Cory Band helping to achieve yet another Grand Slam in 2019 and a further European win in 2022.
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Helen is an Adams Artist, playing a custom model flugelhorn.

Glyn Williams

lyn Williams was born in Aberystwyth, Wales where he was introduced to music by his Uncle and enjoyed playing euphonium with Towyn Silver Royal Oakley and Menai Bridge, all local bands.

Glyn was appointed as solo euphonium with the Foden’s Band in 1995 contributing to many contest victories including the Swiss Open, All England Masters, French Open, Brass in Concert, North West Area Finals more than 10 times, the titles of National & British Open Brass Band Champions of Great Britain, English National Champions and All England International Masters Champions. 2012 was the pinnacle of this contesting success when Foden’s won both the Open and National Championships.

After 20 consecutive years service at Foden’s Band, Glyn took the heart wrenching decision to move to South Wales and to join the Cory Band in the Summer of 2015, beginning a whole new chapter in his brass banding career. Since then Glyn has been pivotal in helping Cory to make history in an unprecedented Grand Slam year of 2016, when the Band won the European, British Open, National and Brass in Concert titles. Glyn has been awarded many best instrumentalist awards along the way, the most recent having been at the 2017 European Brass Band Championships in Ostend, Belgium. In 2019 Glyn was a part of the Cory Band as they again achieved the Grand Slam…..and added the BrassPass UK Band of the Year title to their accolades.

He is also highly regarded as a Musical Director having held the position of Professional Conductor at the Marsden Silver Prize Band from 2004 to 2015 with great contest success. More recently he has been working with the Aldbourne Band, directing them to be South West of England Regional Champions in 2022 and in preparation for contest appearances at both the British Open Championships and the National Brass Band Championships since 2019. He is very much looking forward to leading Aldbourne Band to their first appearance at the prestigious Brass in Concert Championship in the Autumn of 2023.

Glyn is keen to pass on his knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for brass playing, and is proud to be a regular tutor at the National Youth Band of Wales (of which he is alumni) and the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. He has also enjoyed working with the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland and the National Youth Brass Band of Switzerland in recent years.

Glyn is an Adams Euphonium endorsee.