Iain Chisholm
Horn
What instrument did you start learning on?
Cornet Age 11 at Primary School – moved on to Tenor Horn after a few months – Taught by the late Hugh Johnstone MBE.
Your first contest was with what band?
Auchinleck Academy Band – Scottish Youth Championships – winners, qualifying for the finals in the Royal Albert Hall.
What year was your first contest?
Ermmm might have been around 1974 
When did you join the Co?
June 1994 – Invited to join after depping on the band’s Joseph Horovitz CD recording.
What is your favourite test piece?
This is difficult with so many Co performances to choose from – maybe St Magnus, but I feel that we have some unfinished business with Audivi Media Nocte. Goldberg 2012 is possibly my yet unplayed (and most moving) favourite.
Your most enjoyable moment in banding?
Again, so difficult and so many! Winning the Nationals; Podium places at The Open and The Europeans; 15 Scottish Championships – the last two in 2019 & 2020 being pretty special!
Where is your favourite venue for performing?
Symphony Hall in Birmingham.
What do you dislike about brass bands?
The all consuming time commitment at the expense of almost everything else – But only sometimes
If you had to chose a different instrument what would it be?
Euphonium – with its hidden special buttons for Technique and Extended Register
Who is your brass band hero?
The Norwegian Band Federation – For their forward thinking and innovative approach to banding – in a country with such a small population.