Delight With Doyle For Milnrow

We are delighted to officially announce the appointment of John Doyle as our new Musical Director with immediate effect.

John joins Milnrow from Northop Silver where he enjoyed a successful 2 year spell as conductor, highlights of which included winning the Senior Cup in 2018 and qualification to the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019.

Hailing from Preston where he lives with wife Rebecca and two children Oscar and Gracie, John found banding fame as Black Dyke’s Flugel Horn soloist, a position he held for nearly a decade. During his time with current Yorkshire Area Champions John won all of the major contests, and also enjoyed personal success by winning the Stanley Wainwright Memorial Trophy as Best Soloist at the 2001 British Open.

After leaving Dyke John moved closer to home holding cornet and Flugel positions with The Leyland Band before turning his focus more recently to adjudicating and conducting.

John’s first official engagement was due to be at our recently postponed 150th Celebration Concert, but we are looking forward to working with John when we return to the band room hopefully in the next month or so.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank those who have conducted the band over the past 6 months, with a special mention to former Milnrow Solo Trombone and friend Chris Binns. Chris stepped in at very short notice to take us to the Scottish Open back in November, and helped the band to a respectable 5th place at February’s North West Area, a result which helped secure our position in the Championship Section.

We would like to wish Chris all the very best for the future, both as a soloist and conductor.