baritones

Martin Bowker

…i was 12 years old, and I insisted…”I WANT TO PLAY THE DRUMS!!! …so my dad bought me a trumpet?

Anyway, soon after I was booked in for lessons with a man called Sam Sharp. He was a terrific trumpet teacher. A bit of a task master, but a great player who inspired me to have a good go at this trumpet playing lark.

The first band I played with was the Young Australia League (YAL) Concert band. After a year or two in the trumpet section I decided it might be fun to have a go at the Euphonium. The band needed some bass end instruments and there was a spare Eupho up for grabs. I loved it. A couple of years later I joined the Channel 9 Brass Band on Euphonium. This opened up a whole new world to me… the English Style Brass Band, and the brass band repertoire. I have been hooked ever since. That was 1985, and I’m still here.

Even though most people don’t actually know what a Baritone is, when the first Baritone seat became available in 1991 I grabbed it. First Baritone in a brass band is a great spot. It’s mostly a unique part, with a few solo’s here and there. There’s more than enough to do without sweating it too much.

A couple of highlights over the years…winning the Norm Snow Trophy at the State Championships in 1994. And the bands performance at the 2013 Nationals here in Perth ( Special mention of the Bands performance at the Nationals in Tasmania back in 2010 under our past Musical Director Dr Alan Lourens ).

William Bennion

William started learning the tenor horn in Year 4 at Orana Catholic PS. After being introduced to braces, he moved to the euphonium.  In 2016, William won the shield for primary school duet in the Catholic Schools Performing Arts Festival on tenor horn. In 2017 he took out the same prize but this time on euphonium. In 2018 he successfully gained a musical theatre scholarship to John Curtin College of the Arts. As well as showcasing his dancing, acting and singing skills he has continued to play the euphonium throughout high school. In 2023 he joined WA Brass on baritone and since finishing school has started a butchers apprenticeship.

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