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Soprano Cornet: Mark Pye
Mark started his playing career with Woodfalls at the tender age of seven, when he was encouraged by Keith Green and David Shelley to attend the practice sessions that they held each week in the wood yard office. Despite that, Mark has no physical or mental scars that show, nor ill-will against either offender!
Three years later, when Andy Street started a Junior band in 1967, Mark immediately went along to the first rehearsal and, apart from brief spells away from the band when transferred with his work in 1975, and a year with Solent Concert, he has spent his entire musical career with Woodfalls. Indeed, he is fortunate to be one of the very few players to have won the coveted Grand Shield contest twice in 1974 and 1985, whilst it goes without saying that he is certainly one of the longest serving members of the band.
Working his way up the back row cornet section, from third, second and then repiano, Mark was eventually offered the opportunity to take over from Keith Green on soprano cornet in 1984, just a week before the Reading Contest. It was certainly a baptism of fire, although he has made that position his own over the last 25 years.
Mark has probably played with the vast majority of bands in the area, and recalls appearing on soprano for five different bands on five consecutive weekends at the St Peters Finger pub in Lytchett Minster. However, he is pleased to have also been asked to assist bands such as Sun Life, Faireys, GUS Virtuosi and Flowers, although his greatest achievement and accolade came in 2008 when he was asked to step in on soprano with just a morning’s notice, in a concert with the best of them all, the Black Dyke Band.
When not practising (ho-hum) Mark likes to spend time with his family and enjoys walking, swimming and, a recent addition, cycling. He has a passion for wildlife and can bore the pants off anyone who asks him about deer or birds of prey!
Mark is married to Chantal, and they have two children, Emily and Charlie.
Repiano Cornet: Philippa Stewart
Philippa began playing with brass bands at the age of 10 when she started with Hampshire Youth Concert Band (HYCB). During her 8 years with the band she also played with Marchwood Vodafone Brass, at the time conducted by John Knight her teacher and founder of HYCB.
In 1996 Philippa began playing for Test Valley Brass where she played principal cornet for 7 years, including 4th and 3rd Section National Finals wins in consecutive years.
In 2004, Philippa moved to Woodfalls Band where she has enjoyed playing on both the front and back row of the cornet section.
Philippa is married to Scott, principal trombone at Woodfalls, with whom she has two gorgeous boys.
2nd Cornet: Dave Gotts
Dave started playing in 1970 at foundry lane junior school. Since then, Dave has played with Solent Brass, Ocean Brass, Woodfalls Concert Brass, and finally joined Woodfalls band in August 2008.
Dave works as an engineering supervisor looking after a maintenance team on the container cranes in the Southampton docks. During his spare time, Dave plays golf, and owns and flies a 1944 ex-army Auster aeroplane.
2nd Cornet: Lloyd Rayner
Lloyd started playing at age 16 when in his last year at school the curriculum choices were Needlework, Cookery, or Music. Fortunately he chose a battered trumpet instead of a sewing machine or mixing bowl and this was the catalyst for him, his brother Jon and two sisters Jub and Shez (two of which have also played in Woodfalls Band), to also take up Brass Banding.
As a teenager Ringwood and Burley was their first band followed by a move to Hyde and Lloyd played for several other local bands and was lucky enough to play at the Royal Albert Hall with Downton Band, before later enjoying a wonderful 2 years on Soprano cornet with Wes Garner at Solent concert notching up several contest wins.
With constraints such as work relocations when he was a Transport Manager in London and home life balancing issues the best result he has achieved was playing principal cornet for Hyde for 5 years culminating in a 1st section West of England win in 2007 and a subsequent creditable 8th place in the championship finals at Harrogate.
Since becoming a single parent in 2002 Lloyd has studied at college and university to gain qualifications in music from grade 8 on cornet and finishing with a BA (hons) in music in 2008/9. He now works as a peripatetic music teaches in 9 local schools.
Lloyd has always regarded Woodfalls as the South’s best band and the one to beat in the area and although there was a little ray of success way back at St Peters finger when Woodfalls had a bad day and Solent had a good day in an entertainments contest, in the end if you can’t beat them – Join them!
3rd Cornet: Dave Smart
Photo and Profile coming soon
3rd Cornet: Greg Allain
Greg started playing the cornet at the age of 8, having lessons at school with Maurice Arnold. Later he joined Hampshire Youth Training Band before moving onto Trumpet and playing with Southampton Youth Wind Band and Peter Symonds College Orchestra.
After taking an extended break from playing during and after his time at university in Leicester, in 2000 Greg was persuaded (reluctantly at first!) by Paul Street to dust off his cornet and play for Downton Band. He spent 9 happy years there, mostly on Repiano, reaching the national finals on two occasions and performing in a theatrical production of "Brassed Off". He also enjoyed depping for other local bands, one of the highlights was playing for Woodfalls at Salisbury cathedral in September 2009. After a "baptism of fire" playing Montage at the Wessex contest, Greg accepted the invitation to join the band in January 2010.
Greg works as a Software Developer, and outside banding enjoys mountain biking and eating curry.
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