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History of the Manx Youth Band
The Manx Youth Band was founded by the late T J "Jim" Crosbie, M.B.E., in 1970. The Band has a reputation
for excellence, as shown by its success in past Manx Music Festivals and various off-Island contests including
taking part in the National Youth Finals in 1974 and 1975 in London. The highlight of these being the winning
of the Daily Mirror Challenge Trophy at Belle Vue, Manchester in 1978.
The Manx Youth Band has performed with some of the greatest names in the classical music and entertainment
worlds including Roy Castle, Ted Heath, John Ogden etc. as well as a number of military bands including the
Bands of the Scots Guards, Royal Marines and Royal Artillery. The Band have also played with a number of
Championship section brass bands from the UK including
Brighouse & Rastrick, Britannia Building Society Fodens, the
Flowers Band from Gloucester and the now defunct Sunlife Band of
Bristol.
The Band has made several continental tours, notably to Norway (1975),
Switzerland (1981), West Berlin (1984),
Holland (1980 & 1988) and the Czech Republic
in 1998. In October 1999 the Band travelled to Waterford in Southern Ireland
as guests of the City of Waterford Band and in August 2001 the Youth Band and Manx Concert Brass undertook a
Concert Tour of Northern Italy, the first time a combined tour has been
undertaken. The most ambitious tour however, was undertaken in 1990 when the Band carried out a concert tour of
the North Island of New Zealand for 3 weeks.
The Manx Youth Band has also performed for members of the Royal Family including Her Majesty the Queen and
Duke of Edinburgh at a private luncheon during their visit to the Island in 1989.
The Band can boast 5 winners of the prestigious bi-annual competition, Young Musician of Mann including the very first winner, Jonathan Kneale back in 1983. November 2002 saw Charlotte Chambers, a previous Principal Cornet of the band, become the first member to be accepted for the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. This year James Aire, the current Principal Cornet of the Manx Youth Band, followed in Charlotte’s footsteps making his debut with the National Youth Band in their annual Easter concert.
The Manx Music Festival has brought a great deal of success to the Manx Youth Band and Manx Concert Brass over the years. This year the bands combined to win all of the band classes as well as picking up numerous 1st and 2nd prizes in the solo, quartet and ensemble classes.
In 1995, it's 25th Anniversary year, the Manx Youth Band Organisation formed Manx
Concert Brass, a new band whose membership was not restricted by age. This allowed the Manx Youth Band to
be restructured as a ‘proper’ Youth Band, with an upper age limit of 19 years, thus providing greater
opportunity for younger players than had been offered previously.
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