aynes 

First Cornet

  • Ross Cooper

See Katherine Cooper (Flugel) for profile

  • Gail Denning
  • Trevor Ingram
  • Edward Cooper

Soprano Cornet

  • Malcolm Lee

On joining Cholsey Silver as a 9 year old in 1961 I was handed a Soprano to try out, a few days later I was given a Bb cornet. I returned to playing a Soprano after I joined Egham three years later and once I had my own transport, returned to Cholsey on Soprano. I eventually left Cholsey and joined Sandhurst Silver on Bb cornet and stayed with them for the next 25 years mostly as Principal Cornet. During this time I also joined the MillsTones Dance Band on 1st Trumpet and after 25 years with both bands decided to bid farewell to Brass Bands to concentrate, for the next 15 years, on the music of the Big Bands. A recent move to Honiton with my wife Loraine has given me the opportunity of returning to the Brass Band world with OSM and I’m really enjoying getting familiar with the Soprano again and performing with a great bunch of people.

Repiano Cornet

  • Ian Summerscales

I was born on April 23rd 1965 in Hyde Cheshire, a short bus ride on the 340 Service to Stalybridge and the world’s oldest brass band- Stalybridge Old Band, first formed in 1814.

Fortunately, I moved down to Devon and Exeter when I was three, so I never got to play with the band let alone get to Stalybridge.

My parents weren’t musical, but music was always a big part of mine and my 3 sister’s upbringing. We all learnt the recorder first, I can remember playing the bass whilst my sisters played treble and descant recorders.

We entered the Exeter Music Festival in the 70’s held at the Barnfield Theatre, where we achieved great success………….I think.

I had swimming lessons on a Saturday morning with my dad, while my sisters played in the recorder section of the Exeter Children’s Orchestra. I have a memory of being taken along to the AGM aged 10 when my dad offered to become treasurer, thus ending my swimming lessons and the start of my musical career.

I was encouraged to join the percussion section, where I played the bass drum enthusiastically.

In 1977 I attended secondary school, I started having trumpet lessons and my parents bought me my first trumpet for £150.00, from Bill Greenhalgh’s music shop.

I was having trumpet lessons at school and I joined the school wind band, it wasn’t long before I joined the brass section of the Exeter Children’s Orchestra where my sisters had progressed to playing in the woodwind and string sections.

The orchestra was well supported, and I remember Alf Richards the then secretary of the Exeter British Rail Band who invited me to join their band, I was only 14 years old.

I started on 3rd cornet and moved on to 2nd quite quickly, then it was encouraged that I should play soprano.

Not realising the change from B flat to E flat, it took me quite some time (28 years) to get used to the change of pitch. I played soprano for the next 30 years during which time the band changed its name to its current name The City of Exeter Railway Band.

It was around 2009 when the band started contesting that I realized that the soprano wasn’t for me and returned to B flat cornet, playing 2nd cornet and then Repiano.

I was working for myself in 2012 when I got a letter from Brian Baker asking if I would like to join The Ottery St Mary Silver Band.

At that time and for the next year I played for both bands Tuesday in Exeter and Thursday in Ottery on Repiano until late 2013 when I left the Railway Band and devoted my time to the amazing OSMSB.

The rest as they say……………..is history!

2nd / 3rd Cornets

  • Martha Haynes

My name is Martha and I started playing the cornet at the age of 7 with the dream of playing the trombone but at that age I wasn’t strong enough. I am now grade 4 on the cornet and am lucky enough to be 1st cornet in Brass Class. Also I was offered to join the Ottery St Mary Silver Band that I aspired to be in. I was so excited and although the rehearsal ended late I was happy to stay up because I enjoyed it so much. I am now the youngest member of the band and love it. I have also been able to start playing the trombone and hope one day I will be good enough to play trombone in the band.

  • Grace Molyneaux
  • Kay Crook
  • Janet Jenkins