We were saddened to learn of Peter’s passing on 1 February 2025. Whilst his association with the band was only for a very short time, he certainly made an impact and we were very much looking forward to going to our Area contest on 9 March 2025 under his leadership.

Peter was a remarkable musician and educator. His amazing career included travelling the world as a freelance trombone player, spells at the Royal College of Music as a trombone professor and later as Head of Music and collaborations with artists such as the Bee Gees, Pink Floyd and The Beatles. When he was hired to perform on the Beatles track “Hey Jude”, as well as playing the handful of notes required, the hired musicians were also asked to sing. It came as a great relief that the sound they were looking for was that of untrained voices!

He has written a book “Before the Music Stopped” that details his musical journey and contains many stories about his life and career, some of which he shared during rehearsals. These stories and his wit together with his natural ability to get the most out of the players is what made the few rehearsals we had with him so enjoyable and productive.

We will certainly do our very best on 9 March 2025 at the contest in Peter’s memory and our thoughts and best wishes are with the family at this difficult time.