PRESS RELEASE
The cooperation band is delighted to announce the appointment of Katrina Marzella-Wheeler as Principal Conductor of the band.
Matt Fuller, member of the Executive Committee, shared: “We are absolutely delighted to have Katrina on board and are excited for what she will bring to the band. Through working together in 2024, Katrina’s enthusiasm, meticulous preparation, and wealth of experience at the highest level of banding has been evident to the band. We have a shared vision of where this band can go with the fantastic group of musicians it currently has, combined with Katrina’s leadership and passion.”
Matt continued: “It won’t be long until you can see Katrina in action with the band at our three upcoming Christmas concerts, details of which can be found on our social medial channels. Her first major competition appearance with the band will be when we represent Scotland at the 2025 European Brass Band Championships in Stavanger, Norway. Katrina is also making history, as she will be the first woman to be permanently appointed as a conductor of the band in its 106 year existence. We are very excited about this next chapter for the band and can’t wait to get started.”
Katrina Marzella-Wheeler stated: “I am thrilled to join the cooperation band as its Principal Conductor, alongside such a respected colleague as Glenn Van Looy. Whilst working with the band throughout 2024, I quickly saw how special the organisation is and just how talented the musicians are. I greatly admire the players’ dedication, their virtuosity, and their passion for the music they play. I am endlessly impressed by their willingness to venture into new musical worlds, and their openness to alternative ideas is refreshing, not just musically but also in the vision they have for the band’s future.”
“I enjoyed helping prepare the band for their competitive appearances at both the British Open and the National Finals in 2024. However our recent concert in Glasgow was a highlight and the connection with the musicians felt fantastic on stage. Now, I am really looking forward to developing this bond and mutual trust with the players on a permanent basis. It is exciting to start on our journey, and I hope to achieve something special together in the vibrant city of Glasgow and beyond.”
The band’s principal euphonium player, Chris Flynn, commented on the appointment: “A main focus over the past few years has been the development of the band, so this is a great step in the right direction. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this partnership, and to continue working with Katrina as our Principal Conductor.”
About Katrina Marzella-Wheeler
Katrina was the solo baritone horn player of Black Dyke Band from 2011 to 2020. She performed across the UK’s finest concert halls with the famous band, and completed tours to Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, France, Ireland and Japan. She recorded over 30 CDs with the band (including her second solo album, Spotlight), premiered numerous major works for the medium, and won every ‘major’ brass band title on the contest front, and a Best Soloist Award at the 2014 European Brass Band Championships in Perth, Scotland.
As a soloist, Katrina won the inaugural BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist of the Year and the British Open Solo Championships on two occasions. She developed the Neo baritone horn with Yamaha, and commissioned and premiered over 25 new solo works for her instrument. Katrina has vast adjudication experience, having judged over 30 band contests, including most of Europe’s national brass band contests, and the European Championships in 2022.
After living in England for almost two decades, and latterly spending two years enjoying la dolce vita whilst living with her young family in Naples, Italy, Katrina returned to her home country of Scotland in September 2023. She was immediately appointed as the Conductor of Kingdom Brass in Fife. She has lead them to regional competitive success, winning the Fife Charities Contest in both 2023 and 2024, and moreover, into new artistic grounds: firstly collaborating with actor Elizabeth McNally to produce a suite of brass band theatre (‘Vincent’), as well as enjoying a multi-level collaboration with the Wallace Collection, the Imperial War Museum, St Andrews University and composer Michael Betteridge (‘When the Brazen Bands Shall Play’). Katrina has also been active across the UK in encouraging young musicians to get involved in conducting, and has spearheaded workshops to promote greater diversity on the podium in brass bands. In recent years, Katrina has enjoyed invitations to work as Guest Conductor of the Aldbourne Band (UK), Eikanger Bjørksvik Mussiklag (NOR), Festival Brass Band (BEL), Regensburg Brass Band (DEU) and the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland (UK).
