Back in 2020, Brass Bands England proudly announced that Paul Hindmarsh was the winner of the Brass Band Conference Lifetime Achievement at their online conference. Being a Zoom event, the actual presentation of his plaque was scheduled to take place at the 2021 RNCM Brass Festival. However, this event was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Mike Kilroy, Chairman of BBE, was delighted to at last have the opportunity to present this prestigious award to Paul at the 2022 RNCM Brass Festival held at the end of January.
Paul Hindmarsh has made an enormous contribution to brass banding over his lifetime in music. As a professional singer, academic and producer on BBC Radio 3, he was instrumental in the foundation of the BBC Festival of Brass, later becoming the RNCM Brass Band Festival, which he continues to present. Founder of the Brass Band Heritage Trust, he has also been responsible for a vast number of commissions for brass bands, encompassing all of the major band contests across the world. He was previously Associate Editor of British Bandsman and for the past six years he has been the Chairman of the European Brass Band Association’s Music Commission.
Mike Kilroy commented: “It was an honour to present the award to someone who has made such an impact on brass banding, and continues to do so.