Black Dyke's Director of Music, Prof Nicholas Childs has received a further Professorship award following a presentation ceremony in Tokyo.

Nine day trip

It came at the end of special nine day visit to Japan by the Queensbury conductor, during which he was presented with the honour at Senzoku College of Music by Massanora Fukuda,(Director of Brass Bands) and the legendary Takeo Yamamoto (above).

Prof Childs told 4BR: "It was a great honour to accept the Professorship award, especially as it took place during a concert in which I was conducting at Senzoku College of Music.

I have huge admiration for the amazing educational work that is undertaken here, and to receive the award from such distinguished musicians as Massanora Fukuda and Distinguished Professor Takeo Yamamoto was very humbling."

Fans

Prof Childs also revealed that Japan now boasts more Black Dyke fans than almost anywhere in the world.

"Black Dyke made ground breaking trips to Japan in 1984 and 1990, inspiring a new generation of brass players.

As a result the band now has a huge fan base and it's wonderful to meet up with so many of them and to also find out first hand just how the superb teaching and direction of Massanora Fukuda and Takeo Yamamoto continues to provide young players a life-long love of brass banding."

It was a great honour to accept the Professorship award, especially as it took place during a concert in which I was conducting at Senzoku College of MusicProf Nicholas Childs.

British Brass

The presentation was made during a concert in which Prof Childs was leading the Senzoku College of Music Elite Band in a concert entitled 'British Brass' — which was first started in 1979.

Under his baton the Elite Band performed the Japanese premiere of Peter Meechan's 'The Legend of King Arthur', whilst Distinguished Professor Takeo Yamamoto conducted the Intermediate Band in James Curnow's 'Trittico'.

Finale

The finale saw a massed band of over 140 musicians, plus organ and the fantastic herald fanfare trumpets, in Malcolm Arnold's, 'Peterloo Overture' and Sir William Walton's, 'Crown Imperial'.