Derek Broadbent
Derek Broadbent began playing the cornet at the age of nine.
Following a services career spanning some eight years, he returned to civilian life as a professional arranger. In 1966 he returned to the world of brass bands and in 1973 became the resident conductor of the world famous Brighouse and Rastrick Band, there to stay for 10 years. During this period he conducted them to premier place in the National Finals in 1980 and was also responsible for their chart-topping success of “The Floral Dance”.
In 1984 he became the resident conductor of the equally famous Black Dyke Mills Band and was an integral part of their 1985 “Grand Slam”, the year they won every major title.
He returned to Brighouse and Rastrick in 1987 as their professional Musical Director for a period of three years.
In 1988, Derek was awarded the Iles Medal of Honour for his services to brass bands.
Since 1990 he has worked as a freelance conductor, taking the opportunity to direct many of the United Kingdom’s top bands. He devotes much of his time to composing and arranging and training the youth of today.
Derek's association with the Manx Youth Band commenced in 1984 and has been relatively unbroken ever since. He conducted the band on its successful tour of New Zealand’s North Island in 1990 as Ian Clague was unavailable owing to the illness of his father.
As well as composing the Manx Youth Band’s signature march, "Manx Youth", Derek has also produced three major works commissioned by Douglas Corporation – Music for a Century for the 1996 Centenary of the Corporation, Millennium Fanfare and Variations which premiered in 1999, and Centenary March: Villa Marina 2013 to mark the centenary of the Villa Marina and performed in public for the first time by the world famous Foden’s Band.
In 2020, the 50th anniversary of the Manx Youth Band and 25th anniversary of Manx Concert Brass, the organisation decided to commission a new piece to mark these milestones. Of course, the obvious choice to compose such a piece was the band’s musical adviser, Derek Broadbent. Supported by the Isle of Man Arts Council, the result is an interpretation of four traditional Manx folk songs called "Manx Tales".