Latest signing for Friary Brass Band is Ben Miller, who joins the Band on E flat bass.
Ben’s tuba playing has taken him to all sorts of places, including a rehearsal in a multi-storey car park in Vancouver and Pinewood Studios as a brass playing extra in the Oscar-winning movie Les Miserables.
He grew up in West Lothian, the brass banding heartland of Scotland, and spent his teenage years playing with West Lothian Schools Band, Broxburn and Livingston Band and at the Royal Conservatoires of Scotland Junior Academy before going to Edinburgh University and playing with the university symphony orchestra. He was taught by Lorraine Bisson (CWS Glasgow) and Philip Hore (RSNO).
Since moving to the South East of England in 2010 Ben has played with a number of bands and orchestras, most notably as principal E flat bass of Thundersley Band for most of 2011 - 2019. His favourite banding memory is being part of Thundersley’s rise from the second section to the top table of banding, culminating at the National Championships at the Royal Albert Hall in 2018.
On joining Friary, Ben commented: “I’ve been rehearsing with the band for a few months now and I’ve been able to see all the ingredients that make it such a successful group up close: a wonderful conductor in Chris King, an ambitious, highly-organised management team and a hard working, talented group of musicians which I am proud to join. Forza Friary!” “Ben is another top quality player whom we’re delighted to welcome to the Friary family,” added Friary chairman, Nigel Stevens.
Ben works in tech education and lives in Hove where he can occasionally, for very short periods of time, be found swimming in the sea.