One of Alford’s top musicians will shortly be heading off over 6,000 miles to play with one of the country’s top brass bands in Vietnam.
Andrew Taylor, Alford Silver Band’s principal cornet and assistant musical director has been invited to join the world famous Desford Colliery Band in a week long tour of the country.
The highly successful, Leicester based band is renown for the excellence of its performances. Competing in the ‘Championship’ section of brass band contests, Desford are the current Midlands Area champions, and are also champions of the annual Butlin’s Mineworkers’ band contest held in Skegness. Most years, the band goes on an international tour, and usually to Asia.
Andrew is a professional musician and music teacher who teaches at schools throughout North East Lincolnshire.
One of his colleague teachers, Adrian Clarke invited Andrew to join this year’s tour when one of the cornet players had to stand down.
Andrew said, “I was quite amazed to be asked. Desford is after all one of the top bands in the country and I am sure that any number of top class cornet players would have been delighted to have been asked. Indeed, players from Black Dyke Mills and Fairey’s Band will also be playing on the tour.
“Of course, I said ‘yes’ immediately. but it wasn’t until my flights had been booked that it sank in that I would soon be on a plane to Vietnam as part of this Championship band It is an amazing opportunity, not just to experience a different culture, but to play alongside such amazingly talented, top class musicians.”
The busy, week long tour commences on Monday 28th October, and as well as performing major concerts, the band will run workshops for young Vietnamese players and will visit an internationsal school in the country’s capital, Ho Chi Minh City.
Andrew will maintain a blog of his experiences in Vietnam on his own website, www.andrewiantaylor.com and the blog can also be accessed from Alford Silver Band’s website, www.alfordsilverband.co.uk
Alford Silver Band’s chairman, Mike Green commented, “This is a tremendous honour for Andrew and one that is justly deserved. He will be playing alongside some of the true legends of the brass band world. It will be an amazing experience for him.
“For a small town, Alford is lucky to have talented musicians such as Andrew. Alford Silver Band has produced some excellent musicians over the years through our training scheme, some of which have gone on to be professional musicians like Andrew. We currently have three such members, all of whom first learned their music with Alford Silver Band.”
