IN STOCK AT BANKS MUSICROOM

Brushed Gold 4vPicc……………..£2000

Brushed Gold D/Eb……………….£2000

Brushed Gold KVMI flugel………£2500

Pollard big Easy trumpet………£1250

Pollard Custom Dual bore……..£1250

Pollard Eb…………………………£1000

To bring together all skilled people

In My 30 years experience as a trumpeter, I have found that concepts such as sound quality are very important as this for me is the basis of all brass playing. A good sound has to be produced as to which the player has to mould his technique. Depending whether players have a good quality instrument or not the sound quality can differ from instrument to instrument as it can from one particular instrument manufacture to another. For the professional musician these differences are crucial in his work as a performer and can be compared to the fine tuning of today’s formular one race cars where if one tenth of a second can be gained from fine tuning of the engine then that could result in the diferences between first position and second.

I have also found that the concepts of sound texture and colour differ from continent to continent. American trumpeters tend to go for a more brighter sound than do European trumpeters, the latter being of a more warm and dark texture. I have often thought why! The answer is more simple than it seems.The American manufatured designed instruments are of different specifications in bore size, bell dimentions and leadpipe venturi than that of the European designed instruments.

For many years I have been looking for and challenging instrument designers to produce an instrument with a sound quality and response of blow which best suits my needs. The answer for me was in the work of Peter Pollard of Manchester, UK. By incorporating his almost lifetime experiences as a fellow trumpeter and his experimental investigations as a designer and maker, ambos, in parallel to each other. His concepts and second to none craftsmenship has given the trumpet world great quality, ingeniously designed and great performing instruments to fit the needs of the professional musician of today.

‘ I have at last found the feel I have been looking for in a great instrument at a good price and I can recommend to any trumpeter being of a beginners level or at professional level, the instruments of Peter Pollard’.

Steven Craven.

As an orchestral and solo artist Steven has the following to offer as a professional musician:Orchestral trumpet player at the highest level. Brass ensemble playing and Piano or Organ duet.

Experience: Steven,s musical experience is very extensive, it ranges from wedding ceremonies to large symphonic orchestral concerts.

            Born in Yorkshire in 1965. At the age of only 6 years Steven began  cornet lessons and at only 13 years of age he became the Great Britain junior solo champion 1978. As part of the prize he was invited to play the winning solo as a guest  soloist during the finals of the National British Brass Band Championships held in October of the same year at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

             Whilst furthering his academic studies at the Huddersfield Technical college school of Music and under the tuition of Phillip MaCann, ex-principal cornet of the legendary Black Dyke Mills Brass Band, Steven in 1982 won through to the Brass finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition and was awarded joint 3rd prize. In the same year became assistant principal cornet of the Yorkshire Imperial Band until he left them in 1984 to further his musical studies at the Guildhall school of Music and Drama in London. 

               Steven was awarded in 1988 the A.G.S.M Diploma for trumpet teaching and performance in music, the Philip Jones Brass prize and the Leonard Rice and Barry Kerry Memorial prize for the most outstanding brass player at the Guildhall school for the year 1987/88.

               On graduating from the Guildhall school of Music and Drama, Steven was invited as a trumpeter with the European Community youth orchestra for their 1988  tour of Germany and Switzerland with the prestigiouse orchestral Maestro Claudio Abbado.  On his arrival back in London, Steven,s first professional musical post was at the Royal National Theatre on the south bank of London. Since then he has worked for most of the London orchestras as a freelance musician including the BBC Symphony orchestra, London Symphony orchestra and 2 years as trumpeter with the Broadway musical company of New York playing for musicals such as Westside Story, Starlight Express and Cats throughout an extensive tour of Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, France and Holland.

                In February of 1991, Steven left his musical activities in London and his native country to take up a trumpet possition as a founder member of the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra in Spain. Twenty years on Steven  still holds his possition with the Malaga Philharmonic orchestra and enjoys a fruitful musical life in beautiful Andaluzian surroundings playing his part in adding his talent to Spanish culture.