Our Percussion Section
Alun Horgan
Gavin Pritchard
Simon Brittlebank
Hailing from Stafford, Simon originally started playing clarinet at the age of 8 but then discovered drums and percussion at the age of 12 whilst being in school. During this time, Simon was involved heavily with Wind Orchestras and Symphony Orchestras with local music services before being asked to play with Staffordshire County Music ensembles. It was from this that Simon had his first taste of brass bands, with Staffordshire County Youth Brass Band, as well as playing in the section of Staffordshire Youth Wind Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble.
Like some of his colleagues in the percussion section, Simon graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with a BMus (Hons.) degree in 2008, studying with Chris Stock (Principal Percussionist with BBC National Orchestra of Wales), Steve Barnard (Principal Timpanist with BBC National Orchestra of Wales) and Phil Girling (Welsh National Opera). Simon was asked to help out Cory’s percussion team early in 2006 and has remained a member of the section ever since, being present at all the major contests and big wins for the band, as well as the bands busy schedule of concerts, tours and CD recordings.
Now back at college studying a Part-Time Postgraduate degree in performance, Simon fills the rest of his time giving peripatetic tuition; teaching drums and percussion in primary and secondary schools for Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Music Service as well as tutoring with their Transitional and High Schools Wind Bands. Simon also teaches drums and percussion for Gwent Music Support Service.
In his remaining spare time, Simon enjoys a variety of freelance work as a percussionist around South Wales covering Orchestral, Brass Band and show work, to work with choral and orchestral societies, and has recently taken work with the orchestra of the Welsh National Opera and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. For a number of years, Simon has been the Principal Timpanist for the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax, Canada and throughout 2008, Simon was the drummer in a function band with members of the BBC’s Last Choir Standing, ‘Only Men Aloud’. During the summer of 2008, Simon was asked to play percussion with Coronation Brass, playing in the annual International Festival of Folklore in Bitburg, Germany.
Simon also works for the stage management and percussion hire company ‘Ev-Entz’, working at festivals such as National Music for Youth, Brecon Jazz Festival, the Full Ponty Rock festival and the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Through working for Ev-Entz, Simon also undertakes regular work assisting the stage management team with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, working as stage crew for numerous concerts and tours across the country.
David Danford
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