The Baritone & Euphonium Section
Bob Ainsworth – 1st Baritone
I was born in Northumberland about 7 miles north of Newcastle. I started playing trumpet at the age of 13, taught by my uncle who played soprano cornet in our local brass band – Dudley Colliery. I was soon in the band on 3rd cornet and remember playing at the Northumberland Miners Gala and the annual contest for miners bands in Blackpool. I joined the army as a cornet player at the age of 15 and shortly afterwards changed to trombone. I served in Germany and had many memorable band trips around the continent that I can’t remember a thing about! (must have been good beer) I spent a year at Kneller Hall, the Military school of music where in the first week Trevor Sharp told me to get my hair cut: a year later as I was picking up a trombone prize he passed it over and said “You still need a b…..y haircut!” Back at my regiment (the same one as Don Webb incidently) I reached the dizzy heights of corporal before leaving and moving back to Newcastle. I spent 6 months as a Wine shop manager (!!) before going to college as a ‘mature’ student (i.e. without any ‘o’ levels) to study music. On the Diploma course I gained LTCL and LGSM before deciding I could cope with doing a degree. I then spent 4 blissfull years at Bretton Hall near Wakefield. I got a BA (Hons) and a PGCE for teaching and then I had a near escape as I almost went on to study composition for a MA with Philip Wilby at Leeds University. Luckily a proper job came up in Cornwall as a teacher (Brass and Primary music). This lasted for ten years during which I played trombone and then tuba (Sousaphone) with a trad jazz band (memorable busking holidays in France). I met and married Linda, started a family, settled down …… then the music service I worked for almost went bust (not my fault!) and I took voluntary redundancy rather than reduce to part time work, looked for a job elsewhere and ended up in West Sussex. Not long after starting my new Job I met Kevin Webb, he invited me along for a blow with Chichester City Band and here I am!
Linda Taylor – 2nd Baritone
I learnt to play the cornet at the age of seven, with the beginners group in Ratby Co-operative Band based in Leicester. I quickly moved through the ranks and became the Flugel Horn player in the junior band. During this time we went to the Youth Finals in Manchester and came 3rd. I joined the senior band on back row cornet and went to Holland with them to play in the World Music Festival.
In my early teenage years I moved to Enderby Youth Band and took up the position of first Baritone, who progressed to contest nationally in the 3rd section.
After a good few years in the youth Band I moved to Dundee in Scotland and found a lovely village band called Tayport Instrumental Band who where in the 2nd section. During my time on 1st baritone we came sixth in the National Finals held in Harrogate.
It wasn’t long until I was back in Leicester playing 2nd Baritone for the Senior Band in Enderby; I went on tour with them to Belgium which was great fun. It wasn’t very long until I was moving again, this time to Gibraltar, as I had met my husband Roy Taylor.
Like Roy I also played in the Rooke Navy Volunteer Band but this time on Tenor and Flugel Horn, I had a brilliant time with Rooke band but however I did on occasion have to dress in a Wrens Uniform, which was lovely and itchy!!
We moved back to the UK at the beginning of 2003 and in September 2003 I joined Chichester Band on second Baritone.
Ruth Hartley – 2nd Baritone
I started playing the cornet when I was 10. A few years later I swapped onto flugel which I played in Chichester Youth Brass Band, County Youth Wind Training Orchestra and Chichester City Training Band. I joined the band in 2001 on 3rd cornet. Recently I swapped to euphonium which I play at music centre and in the orchestra.