Black Dyke has announced it will become a Geneva Partner Band with immediate effect.

It will be seen as a major coup for the instrument maker as they continue to build on recent player and band links.

It also follows the announcements that the Queensbury band's star soloists Richard Marshall, Dan Thomas, Siobhan Bates, Zoe Lovatt-Cooper and Gavin Saynor had already become Geneva Group Performance & Development Artists.

Ideal partnership

Geneva Group General Manager Brett Baker told 4BR: "This partnership is ideal in that we have Geneva staff playing in the band and soloists playing on the instruments.

We have now finished the eagerly awaited baritone horn and we will focus attention on developing a new BBb tuba.

No band is better placed than Black Dyke to showcase Geneva Group's full range of brass instruments. We've been delighted with the reaction from players when they've tried the various models."

Mutual benefit

In response, Black Dyke Music Director, Prof Nicholas Childs expressed his delight: "We've been in discussion with Geneva for a considerable period of time, taking care to reach a partnership that brought mutual benefit.

Most of all, we've listened carefully to the endorsement of the Geneva instruments provided by the players who have given them extensive trials. Our primary interest of course is in maintaining that legendary Black Dyke sound and the instruments do just that."

Now in their 20th year, the Geneva Group told 4BR that they can now boast an instrument range from Eb soprano to tuba, with a focus very much on the worldwide brass band movement.

It's always been my ambition to see the most famous brass band in history playing instruments that bare my family name, and this agreement brings us full circleGeneva CEO Tim Oldroyd

Pride

The company's founder and CEO, Tim Oldroyd who continues to lead the instrument design along with Director of Technical Design, Dave Walker told 4BR: "These superb quality instruments are manufactured in both the UK and Europe and are warehoused at our head office in Stokesley, North Yorkshire.

It's always been my ambition to see the most famous brass band in history playing instruments that bare my family name, and this agreement brings us full circle.

Given that an Oldroyd played in the Black Dyke band as far back as 1865 it really is a connection I'm very proud of."

Image copyright courtesy of Lorne Campbell