Solo Euphonium – Antony Sanders

Antony was born in 1961 in Kingsbury, London. He started playing trombone at school in St Albans aged 15, before moving on to euphonium two years later while playing for a band in Luton, where in 1977 he also met his trombone playing wife to-be Caroline. They married in 1981 and have two children, Louise & Craig.

Antony has played in every section of the National Brass Band championships with: Longland Brass (Luton), Herts County Youth, South West Herts (Watford), St Albans City and the Hitchin Bands, before being invited to join the highly renowned Championship Section Clacton On Sea Co-operative Band in 1984 where he played Solo euphonium for 16 years, winning the title London and Southern Counties Euphonium Champion in 1988. During this period the Clacton Band was always very consistent in competitions, featured on national television / radio broadcasts, recorded two albums, undertook many tours (Including being the second only Brass Band to visit Hungary), as well as playing their popular summer season concerts and seasonal beer nights at the Princes Theatre, Clacton, where Antony was a featured soloist. In 1996 he was appointed Assistant Musical Director of the Clacton on Sea Co-operative Band before, in 2000 being invited to take on the Musical Directorship of Tendring Brass, who were then known as ‘Harwich Royal British Legion Brass Band’. Their result at the 2018 Regional Championships saw Tendring Brass secure promotion to the 2nd section for the first time in its history.

Antony undertook & completed an ‘Associated Board of the Royal School of Music’ CT-ABRSM diploma in Music teaching, being presented with his Certificate by HRH Prince Charles in July 2005. This qualification is being put to good use within Tendring band’s Music Academy which he feels is a crucial part in securing the band’s long term future.

In January 2007 Antony embarked upon a new career when accepting the position of specialist music teacher at Chase Lane Nursery & Primary School, Dovercourt, Harwich. In addition to delivering curriculum music throughout the school, from nursery to year 6 level, this position included leading the first ‘Wider Opportunities’ brass project to be undertaken by any school locally. He now teaches over 60 children to play a mixture of cornets, flugel horns, tenor horns, baritones, trombones, tubas & clarinets within the school. The Chase Lane school band has won both the Manningtree & the Colchester Rotary Music Festivals, performed at the Birmingham Symphony Hall as part of the ‘Music for Youth National Festival’ and also Ipswich Corn Exchange as guests of the Ipswich Symphony Orchestra. Many current & past school pupils are now feeding through into the Tendring Brass Academy, and some now play in the main band too, a huge achievement!

In 2015 Haverhill Silver Band invited Antony to play Solo Euphonium at the 1st section Regional Championships, an event they subsequently won, gaining promotion to the Championship section, where they remain today, but his association with Haverhill goes back around thirty years and the friendship Haverhill had with the Clacton on Sea Co-operative band through Les and Mark Ager. He used to dep on Euphonium for concerts and also conduct for concerts and the band’s popular New Year’s Eve Party nights if Les or Mark were not available.

Antony continues to conduct Tendring Brass as well as playing Solo Euphonium with Haverhill. He is enjoying the challenge of competing at the top level once again, as well as working with Paul Filby and all the amazingly talented players within the band’s current set up.

Second Euphonium – Duncan Hall

Second Euphonium – Richard Pannell

Solo Baritone – Liz Tweedle

Second Baritone – Matt Ralph

Matt started his playing career at the tender age of 9 with his local youth band on cornet, following in his great grandfathers footsteps. He soon found his way to the other end of the band, ending up on the coolest instrument of them all – trombone of course! Versatility is something that sums him up, having played trombone, baritone and euphonium at competitions and concerts at all levels and in many different genres.

Matt has been with Haverhill since 2015 and is currently enjoying a stint on baritone with the band having previously played both solo and 2nd trombone. He also enjoys regularly playing trombone with a brass quintet, orchestras, local big bands – amongst others! By profession Matt has a Degree in Construction Management and works as a quantity surveyor for his fathers business which specialises in building restoration.