Steven Haynes in BBC final

21 year old trombonist Steven Haynes from Wakefield recently competed in the final of the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist 2006 competition. Playing Ray Steadman-Allen's Walk with me and Rodney Newton's Dick Turpin's Ride to York accompanied by the Black Dyke Band on 2nd April (and broadcast that week on BBC Radio 2), Haynes was praised by judges Jamie Prophet and Lynda Nicholson for excellent character and technique, although the competition in the end was won by Royal Northern College of Music tubaist Ben Thompson. Steven's performances of Bolivar and White Knuckle Ride won him the place in the final, but he told BTS News that the competition really pushed him to the boundaries.

Right from the semi-final the competition was really tough, standing in front of bands like Black Dyke and knowing it's all going out on national radio - it was really intimidating, but a valuable experience all the same. The standard of the others in the final was stunning and I'm delighted for Ben.

Steven is an undergraduate at the Royal College of Music, although he has recently returned from six months of study in Vienna with lessons from Dietmar K?blb??ck and Ian Bousfield, supported by the Julius Isserlis Scholarship awarded by the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Maud Wright Award. Steven has played and recorded with The Grimethorpe Colliery (UK Coal) Band, The Fairey Band. On the orchestral side he's played with the Hofmusikkapelle Orchestra and has won reserve places on the Pacific Music Festival and EUYO.

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