MICHAEL Fowles, aged 26, is one of the youngest conductors to be appointed to Wingates Brass Band.

He replaces John Maines who resigned because of other banding and business commitments.

Michael was born in Stoke-on-Trent and his musical career started at the age of seven with piano lessons. Three years later he started to learn the trombone and became a member of the school band.

Subsequently he graduated with honours from the Royal Northern College of music.

He has played with a number of brass bands including the Coventry School of Music Band (now City of Coventry Band), Ind Coope Burton Band and Greenway Selectus Band (Biddulph). He spent four and a half years as second trombone for the Britannia Building Society Band.

Employed as Junior Fellow at the RNCM, Michael is manager and resident conductor of the College's Brass Band.

Since 1995, Michael has been Musical Director of the Point of Ayr Band from near Prestatyn and recently led them to second place in the CISWO ( Coal Industry) contest at Blackpool and to the Championship of Wales at Aberyswyth. He plays as a freelance musician for orchestras in the North Staffordshire area and has been closely involved with the annual courses organised by the Wessex Youth Band.

Michael has been a guest player for a number of Wingates concerts and played Principal Trombone in this year's North-west Area Championships and Blackpool and also for the All-England Masters Brass Band championships in Cambridge when Wingates were runners-up.

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