A band details

The LEA originally formed the Band in 1979 as the St. Helens Music Centre Brass Band. Despite falling victim to budget cuts in 1990, it has continued to develop and prosper independently, now renamed the St. Helens Youth Brass Band. Over the last few years the organisation has flourished to the extent that a Training Band and a Beginners Band have also been formed.

The band benefitted enormously from the inspirational leadership of Lynda Nicholson for twenty years. Our current Musical Director, Mark Bousie, succeeded Lynda in September 2008. Mark is known throughout the Brass Band community as one of the leading euphonium players in the country.

The Band is a registered charity, and its success is due to a considerable amount of hard work and commitment from the young musicians and their parents. Running costs are met by various fundraising activities held throughout the year.

The Youth Band currently has approximately 50 members, aged between 12 and 19 years old.

The Band is very proud to have nurtured many players who have been invited to join the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. Players are encouraged to join local brass bands in and around St. Helens, with many progressing into some of the premier bands in the country, including Besses o’ th’ Barn, Black Dyke, Fodens, Marple, Sellers International, and Wingates.

The SHYBB commissioned Howard Snell to write Excelsior! in 1998, with funds provided by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England. The piece is dedicated to Lynda Nicholson and the Band and was given its world premiere in May 1999 at the Theatre Royal, St. Helens, conducted by the composer. The work was subsequently selected as the test piece for the Third Section of the 2000 National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain and also in the Pontins Festival in 2005. 

The Band has made six successful tours abroad - to the French Alps in July 1998, Austria in July 2000, Switzerland in 2002, Paris in 2004, New York in 2006 and Florence in 2008.  The Band is currently planning a tour to Ohio, USA in April 2010.

In February 2000, the BBC invited the SHYBB to perform on the famous Blue Peter programme. The Band has made several appearances on BBC Radio 2s Listen to the Band, Radio Merseyside, GMR Brass and BBC North West Tonight. The SHYBB has also appeared on Sky TV, whilst performing pre-match concerts before crowds of 10,000 people for St. Helens RLFC at the Knowsley Road stadium. 

As well as giving frequent performances in the St. Helens area, the Band performs regularly throughout the North of England and UK; recent concert venues include Southport Arts Centre and the Queens Hall, Widnes. High profile engagements have included appearances at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, and at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Regents Park. In September 2000, the Band was invited to perform at the prestigious Great Northern Brass Arts Festival held at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and most recently performed with Sir Willard White and jazz trumpeter Guy Barker in a charity concert at The Lowry Theatre, Salford. 

In June of 2002 the Band was most priviliged to be asked to attend and perform at the procession during the Queen's Golden Jubilee.  On the 4th June we, as part of a group of five bands, played part of a piece (composed by Elgar Howarth) that, by incorporating old English children's songs, portrayed the 50 years for which the Queen has reigned.

The SHYBB has appeared with a number of renowned soloists, including Roger Webster, Simon Cowen, Nick Hudson, Les Neish and Mark Bousie, who is now our new Musical Director.

The Band has won the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain on six consecutive occasions between 1997 and 2002, winning the Intermediate Class in 1997, Advanced Class in 1998 and 1999 and achieving a ‘hat trick’ in the Premier  Class in 2000, 2001 and 2002. The Band has also been the runner up in the Premier Class on two occasions in recent years.  In 2003 the Training Band won the Junior Class of the National Youth Championships.

In July 2001, the Band participated in the Music for Youth National Festival at the Royal Festival Hall, London and they were announced as winners of the Open Class, being awarded the Outstanding Performance Award