Dave Thornton
Sterling Virtuoso Artist

David Thornton is regarded as one of the foremost euphonium players and teachers of his generation and has a global reputation. His work as a soloist, conductor and educator is renowned throughout the brass playing world to have a distinct hallmark of extreme virtuosity, professionalism and an ability to connect with audiences like few others in his field.

His work within the brass band world has seen him at the top flight for already over a decade. He has held solo euphonium positions with the Fairey Band (1997-2000) and the Black Dyke Band (2000-2010) having won European, National and British Open Titles during this time. David is currently the solo euphonium player with the world famous Brighouse and Rastrick Band.

David is constantly working to seek out new solo repertoire in as many different guises as possible. He has given world premieres by composers such as Philip Wilby, Peter Meechan, Simon Dobson, Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen, Peter Graham, Phillip Venables and Lucy Pankhurst.

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Glyn Williams
Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Glynn, Euphonium Superstar, is perhaps best known as principal Euphonium with the famous Foden’s Band, a position he has held with great distinction and success for the last 12 years. He has also appeared as a soloist throughout the UK and abroad and his ground breaking CD (Glyn Williams - Virtuoso) on which he displays his talents on just about every brass band instrument helped to earn him the Brass Herald Personality of the Year 2005. In that same year he was nominated for conductor of the year and has been instrumental in the success of the Marsden Silver Prize Band (Ossett Brewery), assisting them in regaining Championship status.

Glyn’s playing expertise and experience, combined with his approachability and eagerness to see brass bands thrive, have made him the person that many brass bands want to work with when purchasing both new and second hand instruments through his business 'Glyn Williams Musical Instruments'.

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Andrew Williams
Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Andy Williams was born in Hamilton, New Zealand, and commenced playing the tenor horn with his local brass band at an early age.   

He was persuaded to take part in various solo contests and at age 16 won the National Junior Horn title at his first attempt.  Since this early success, he has gone from strength to strength having occupied the Principal Horn seat in all of New Zealand’s leading bands and has been a member of several National Bands of New Zealand, most recently in 2009. 

Andy is currently a member of the acclaimed brass quintet “Shore Thing”, has assisted as a tutor with the NZ Secondary Schools Band, and as an adjudicator at regional and national levels.

Andy proudly plays a Sterling Virtuoso Tenor Horn.

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Nick Ost
Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Nick started his musical studies at the age of 11 at the music academy “Jozef Pauly” Ekeren. After 5 years he went to the Kunsthumaniora in Antwerp, where he studied euphonium with Bart van Neyghem. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of  Ghent with Gustaaf Devolder, where he obtained his candidature with Great Distinction. 

The following three years he was student in the class of Frans Violet at the Royal Flemish Conservatoire of Antwerp. In June 1999 he gained his Master in Music degree at the Royal Flemish Conservatoire of Antwerp and gained for euphonium the Highest Distinction. Nick is now guest professor at the Lemmens Institute Leuven and teaches brass and chamber music at the Kunsthumaniora of Antwerp and at the music academy of Asse. He is also in great demand as a soloist, regularly performing with piano virtuoso and conductor François Glorieux, with whom his first solo-CD Euphonic Moods has been recorded with the Revivat Scaldis Chamber Orchestra.  His latest solo CD Over the Edge was recorded with Fodens Band conducted by Russell Gray.

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Kevin van Giel
Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Kevin Van Giel began his musical career at the music academy of Turnhout (Belgium) with Jef Vleugels. At this academy he earned his high-degree diplomas of ensemble playing and euphonium with highest distinction. After secondary school (Sciences-Mathematics) at the St. Jan Berchmans College in Malle he continued his studies at Group T in Leuven, where he graduated as a Master in industrial sciences. He specialized in ICT with focus on Internet computing.  

He now studies music full time with Nick Ost and is in his first Masters, combined with the specific teacher training. He also follows the three-year HaFaBra conducting course at the Servais academy in Halle with Luc Vertommen.

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Michael Howley
Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Michael began playing at the age of 8 with the Gawthorpe ’85 junior band. After a short time Michael was invited to become the Principal Euphonium of Rothwell Temperance Band. 

In just 5 years, Michael and the band had a meteoric rise from the 4^th section to the championship section. During this time Michael gained a reputation as a very good euphonium player both in the band and especially as a soloist. 

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Robbert Vos
Sterling Virtuoso Euphonium Artist

Robbert started his musical career as a flugelhorn player but later switched to the euphonium.  He is the solo-euphonium player of Brass Band Schoonhoven, and plays regularly as a guest performer and soloist with a range of orchestras, fanfare and forces bands, and is also in demand as a lower-brass clinician.

In addition to his playing, Robbert also started a career in conducting and in addition to his regular commitments to Brass Band Schoonhoven B&C, Harmonie Orkest Brummen and Brass Band Schoonhoven A (as assistant-conductor to Erik Janssen), he is also a welcome guest conductor with several other bands.  Since August 2008 Robbert works at the Muzelinck, Art Centre in Oss, as an instructor of low brass instruments.

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Stijn Berbé
Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Stijn Berbé, born in Belgim in 1978, started to play his first notes on the cornet at the age of 9 at the local fanfare band.

He followed trumpet studies at Dé Kunsthumaniora in Antwerp before switching to tenorhorn at the age of 17 under his teacher Bart Van Neyghem.

He studied tenorhorn and chamber music with Bart Van Neyghem, Frans Violet and Nick Ost.

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist

Patrik Randefalk
Sterling Virtuoso Euphonium Artist

Patrik Randefalk started playing the euphonium at the age of 6 in the Ystad Salvation Army Band in Sweden. He completed his pre-graduate musical schooling in Malmö and went on to Dalarö Folk High School where he studied Euphonium and Tuba with Christer Palm. Patrik then studied tuba and euphonium under Micheal Lind and Sven-Erik Ericksson for his bachelordegree at the renowned Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm where he graduated 1997.

He currently holds the principal Euphonium position with the renowned Eikanger-Bjørsvik Band.

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Sterling Virtuoso Artist