Lynda Nicholson

LYNDA NICHOLSON
MD, January 2004 - December 2005

Lynda was born in London into a banding family, and from the age of eight, played in several bands in the South of England. She studied trumpet at the Royal College of Music, gaining the A.R.C.M. diploma, and the G.R.S.M. (Hons) degree. She followed this with post-graduate teacher training, and has been teaching brass since 1979.

At the age of twelve she became a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, and was appointed Leader on six courses, so it gives her particular pleasure to be involved with the Band as Cornet Tutor now.

In 1986, Lynda moved to Cheshire to play Assistant Principal Cornet with The Fodens Band under the baton of Howard Snell. In 1991 she joined The Desford Colliery Band as Principal Cornet and went on to win the National Brass Band Championships with them later that year. In 1993 she moved to the Wingates Band with whom she was featured as soloist on many recordings and radio broadcasts, and in 1999 she played for The Black Dyke Band.

Lynda began teaching in St. Helens in 1987, and started conducting the St. Helens Music Centre Brass Band in 1988. When the Music Centre closed in 1990, she continued to run the Band, now renamed The St. Helens Youth Brass Band, winning the National Youth Brass Band Championships Intermediate Section in 1997, Advanced Section in 1998 and 1999, and the Premiere Section in 2000, 2001 and 2002. She is especially pleased that over the last few years the Band has flourished to the extent that a Training Band and a Beginners Band have also been formed, with the Training Band itself winning the Junior Section of the National Youth Championships in 2003.

In recent years Lynda has turned her hand more and more to conducting, and was appointed Musical Director of Besses O’ Th’ Barn Band in January 2002, moving to The Haydock Band in 2004.

She lectured on 'The Art of Brass Teaching' at the Royal Northern College of Music from 1990 to 1995, and since then has been a Mentor for the Associated Boards' Certificate of Teaching course.

Lynda was the 1999 recipient of the prestigious Harry Mortimer Medal, awarded annually by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, and was Musical Director of the inaugural course of The National Childrens Brass Band of Great Britain in 2004.