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Musical Director : Mel Hopkin

Email address: enquiries@holbeachtownband.org.uk

Back Lane, Holbeach, Lincolnshire PE12 7LN (click for map)

Celebrating 40 years of Banding 1971 to 2011

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The Musical Director: Mel Hopkin - First Musical Director: Brian Long
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The Musical Director - Mel Hopkin

LINK to Brian Long - Former Musical Director 

<-- Photograph taken at Holbeach St Marks 'Music from the Musiclas' concert in 2013

Mel being presented with a baton and -->
presentation case by principal cornet on behalf of Holbeach Town Band to commemmorate Mel's 50 yeras of banding.

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Mel Hopkin was appointed Musical Director of the Band in September 1996. He is an experienced brass player, having first started to play at the age of 8 years, and playing regularly since 1963. He spent most of his playing time with the Royal British Legion Band (Spalding) and, with them, has made a number of recordings and taken part in many competitions.  During his playing career he has played most brass instruments (as long as they have valves!) - he is currently a Euphonium and Bb Bass player.

He joined the Spalding Band playing 2nd Baritone and shortly progressed to 1st Baritone.  Soon afterwards he moved to Repiano Cornet and then on to Soprano Cornet.  It was not long before he moved to Bb Cornet and he remained principal cornet of the Spalding Band for many years. He was Musical Director of the Spalding Band from the mid-1970s until he left the area in 1981. 

He then joined the Horncastle Silver Band playing Solo Cornet.  At the same time he was a founder member of Welland Brass - made up of members of many bands of the area.  He returned to Spalding in 1984 and took up the Bass and was deputy conductor.  He remained playing Bass until he was appointed Musical Director at Holbeach in 1997.

He was appointed Musical Director of Spalding Youth Brass when they formed in 1989 and trained them to become East Anglian Youth Band champions in 1993, 1994 and 1995. He also had considerable success with Spalding Youth Brass in solo, duet and quartet contests.

Mel Hopkin with Spalding Youth Brass in 1995 with the cups won at the East Anglian Youth Band Championship

He followed his father Jack when he joined the Spalding Band.  Mel's own son, James, and daughter, Zoe, are both brass players.  They were both members of the Spalding Band and Spalding Youth Brass; James now plays for Royal Spa Brass in Leamington Spa and his own children also play for them. Zoe is principal euphonium with Mel at the Holbeach Town Band.

<-- Mel (centre) with father Jack (left) and son James (right) in 1986 playing for Spalding British Legion Band

Mel (centre) with son James (left), -->
daughter Zoe (right) and James' children playing for Holbeach Town Band in 2011

Mel introduced Open Days and a Learn to Play week at the Holbeach Band. And he runs the band's Learner Group and Training Band and he runs Theory classes and individual training lessons - to date he has a 100% success rate in entering his students in music exam grades.

Mel's musical interests are wide; he was Musical Director of the Spalding Grammar School Big Band for a number of years and a playing member (on Euphonium and Bass) of the school's concert band and brass ensemble until he retired in 2011. He is also an active committee member (and treasurer) of South Holland Concerts (bringing professional classical music to the area).

Mel also enjoys computing in his spare time and he created and maintains this website.

   
Website designed created and maintained by Mel Hopkin