Dr Robert Childs has stepped down from his role as Chairperson of the National Youth and National Children's Brass Bands of Great Britain.

It followed the organisation's highly successful hosting of its 'National Youth at Home' summer course initiative which was hailed as an innovative response to the restrictions imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic in the UK and which culminated in their Grand Finale 'virtual concert' on 7th August.

Long term commitment

Dr Childs worked in the voluntary role with the National Youth Bands for over a decade — one which started as a player himself in the 1970s. He subsequently went on to become a tutor, guest soloist and guest conductor as well as a trustee and board member, alongside his wife, Lorraine.

He was also instrumental in maintaining a close musical relationship with Artistic Director Bramwell Tovey as well as with the late Course Administrator, Phillip Biggs.

Confident

Speaking about his decision, Dr Childs told 4BR: "The past year has been one of the most difficult in the history for various reasons, but I'm confident that the new managerial structure will herald a new and prosperous future for the organisation."

The newly appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees is John Gillam — also a former member, tutor, trustee and Chairperson, who added: "We are certainly quickly learning new ways of working in this new banding landscape.

I'm extremely impressed we were able to deliver a virtual course this Summer for both the Children's Band and the Youth Band, largely due to the extraordinary efforts of Alun Williams, our interim administrator, and Robert Childs.

We are a busy organisation with lots of exciting opportunities ahead of us and we look forward to further announcements around our structure in due course."

New Chief Executive Officer

Meanwhile, in a significant administrative move, Mark Bromley, who has been a trustee since 2015, has been appointed to the newly created post of Chief Executive Officer.

Mark, who was Chairperson of Orchestras Live for ten years, is currently Vice-Chair of St Martin in the Fields Ltd, Vice-Chair of the Hinrichsen Foundation and a member of the Supervisory Board of music publishers Edition Peters.

Speaking about his role, he told 4BR: "The band has a long and proud heritage, but has also demonstrated this year that it is flexible and able to change.

My vision is simple: To equip the present generation of young musicians to inspire the next. Our culture will be open and inclusive and give people from all backgrounds experiences that make them advocates for brass music.

I'm delighted to be working alongside John, Bob and the rest of the team who together have a huge wealth of experience."

My vision is simple: To equip the present generation of young musicians to inspire the nextNew CEO, Mark Bromley.

Marketing appointment

Also joining the team as Marketing & Communications Manager is Ben Stratford — who took the lead role in bringing together the demanding technical aspects of this year's 'National Youth at Home' project and Grand Finale virtual concert.

Find out more

To find out more about the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education, by going to Facebook and Twitter @nybbgb or via www.nybbgb.com