Helen MinshallHelen 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. |
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Sheona Wade
Internationally renowned as, ‘The Voice of the Tenor Horn’, Sheona Wade has performed and toured as a soloist throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia and the USA. During her early years her prodigious talent was recognised when she won the prestigious title of BBC Radio 2 Young Musician of the Year performing at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Winning this event allowed her to help bring the tenor horn to the forefront of mainstream music, appearing as guest soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra including her very own ‘Soloist Showcase’ featured on BBC Radio 2 and Friday Night is Music Night. A special moment in her career was when she was chosen to perform in Westminster Abbey for the Commonwealth Day Observance Concert live in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen. Other individual achievements include the first female winner of the British Open Solo Championships, the Harry Mortimer Performance Prize, the Stanley Wainright Memorial Trophy for Best Soloist at The British Open Brass Band Championships and being selected as a finalist in the Cosmopolitan Women of Achievement Awards. Sheona has performed with many of the world’s premier brass bands including Brighouse & Rastrick, Black Dyke and the Yorkshire Building Society Brass Band with whom she was Principal Horn for many years. During the 'YBS era', Sheona shared in the band’s huge success worldwide. This included winning the All England Masters 3 times, the British Open 4 times and representing England in the European ‘EBBA’ festival on 10 occasions, winning the European Championships an unprecedented 8 times in these 10 appearances. She also performed in the Sydney Opera House as part of the YBS 'Kings of Europe' Tour. Her recording accomplishments include her latest Solo CD ‘Timeless’ and first solo CD ‘Voice of the Tenor Horn’ both highly acclaimed and receiving rave reviews. Other innovative recording projects include a solo feature on the BBC’s Children In Need single 'Perfect Day' and performing on the Mercury Prize winning album 'The Seldom Seen Kid' by the distinguished Manchester band 'Elbow'. Sheona is proud to be at the forefront of developing new repertoire for the Tenor Horn, including music by Philip Sparke, Kenneth Downie, Peter Graham and Derek Bourgeois. Sheona previously held the position of tutor of Tenor Horn at The University of Salford and the Royal Northern College of Music until recently where she made the choice to concentrate on her passion of classroom teaching at Bolton School Girls’ Division. She currently holds the post of Head of Academic Music. As well as performing and teaching Sheona is Chair of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators (AoBBA) and has adjudicated at some of the most prestigious competitions around the world. Sheona is a Besson Artist, playing the Besson Sovereign Tenor Horn, a Denis Wick Artist, playing a Denis Wick 3 mouthpiece and an endorsee for the Shhhmute practice mute range. |
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