AoBBA Welcomes New Adjudicators

The Association of Brass Band Adjudicators (AoBBA) has announced that Stuart Gray & Colum O’Shea have successfully completed its trainee programme and become full members.
Stuart Gray is a trombonist and conductor from the North East, frequently playing with the Royal Northern Sinfonia Orchestra, having also worked as an extra with the Orchestra of Opera North, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and The Ulster Orchestra. He has worked as a peripatetic music teacher for over thirty years and is currently musical director of Durham Miners Association Brass Band.
Having spent the last eighteen months on AoBBA’s trainee programme, Stuart commented: “I am delighted to be confirmed as a full member of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators and would like to thank all the adjudicators who were kind enough to mentor me during my training and were so generous with their time and advice. I am looking forward to putting their advice and the excellent training I have received from the AoBBA into practice soon. It has been a most enjoyable experience from start to finish.”
Alongside Stuart’s appointment, Colum O’Shea also becomes a full member. Colum is a previous member of both Blidworth Welfare Band and Grimethorpe Colliery Band where he learned from some of the finest players and conductors in the country. Since 2013, he has been Musical Director of Newark & Sherwood Concert Band. He is a member of the Brass Band Conductors’ Association and has enjoyed many successful concert and contest performances, most recently with Chapeltown Silver Prize Band.
Colum commented: “The trainee scheme has been a fantastic opportunity and am tremendously grateful to AoBBA for creating this pathway to learn from some of the most experienced musicians in the brass band movement. I have been fortunate to experience all aspects of contesting and gain first-hand experience across all sections. I look forward to representing AoBBA at contests in the future.”