With the weeks of Christmas carolling now firmly in the rear-view mirror and 2017 only a matter of days old, Watership Brass, from Newbury, will shortly be welcoming one of the banding world's finest performers to help kick off the New Year.

On Sunday 22nd January, tuba star, conductor and clinician Steve Sykes, will head to Berkshire to lead a band workshop for the day.

Excited

Steve's visit to Watership is the curtain-raiser on what promises to be another busy year for the band, as Musical Director Mark Picken told 4BR: "Following on from the success of our previous workshops with Chris Davies and Alan Fernie, we are excited to be welcoming another of the banding world's very best to our bandroom."

This is another valuable opportunity for us to learn from one of the very finest in the businessMusical Director Mark Picken

Valuable opportunity

He added: "This is another valuable opportunity for us to learn from one of the very finest in the business.

We are delighted that Steve, together with his wife Joanne, has also accepted our invitation to be the guest of honour at the band's annual dinner taking place the night before the workshop."