Friary is delighted to welcome three talented new players, Dave Wicks, Ross Graham and Isobel Daws.
Dave Wicks joins the Band on cornet, moving across from Egham Band where he held the principal seat for nine years, after initial spells on flugel and soprano. During that time Egham progressed from 2nd Section to First and then Championship section, and took part in two National Finals at Harrogate.
Dave started playing the cornet when he was 11, joining the Leeds Schools Junior and then Senior Brass Band led by the retired Liverpool Philharmonic principal trombone, George Bradshaw, where he became principal. He joined the Yorkshire Schools Brass Band on repiano cornet, and was encouraged by his trumpet teacher to apply to the Royal Academy of Music but the call of a career in scientific research was too strong.
Dave has helped Friary out on a number of occasions as a dep. and we are delighted that he has now made the move permanant.
Dave enjoys family life and is now pursuing a career in commercial software development.
Ross Graham joins Friary’s Bass Section on Eb bass. He started playing the cornet aged 7, as he was told to by his parents. After a near career threatening lip injury after jumping off a climbing frame aged 8, his lips became too fat for a cornet mouthpiece and he moved onto horn.
Thirteen lucky years followed, where Ross sat principal horn in the Salvation Army Territorial Youth Band, and toured with the Household Troops Band. He then moved on to Eb Bass. Ross joined Friary in late 2015, and is looking forward to competing at the highest level with the band.
Isobel Daws who joins Friary on trombone is 16 years old. She began to play the cornet at the age of 3 with tuition from Maisie Ringham Wiggins MBE. Under Maisie’s direction she moved onto the trombone in September 2008. After an extensive audition process, Isobel was chosen as one of the five finalists in the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year 2014 Brass Category Final. In March 2014 Isobel received a Gold Award from the ABRSM for obtaining one of the highest marks in her Grade 8 exam. Isobel is member of The Salvation Army at Regent Hall where she is a member of the Junior Brass Band and is principal trombone of the Territorial Youth Band.
For further information please see their profiles in the Players section here.