Richard Bond

I first met Richard in 2017 when I joined Flixton Community Band to revive my long-lost hobby of playing the trombone. Richard must have been around 10 at the time and over the next few years, he made huge progress as a player. One Christmas, during a concert, Richard played a solo of Away in a Manger. From that moment, I wanted to record something with him, so I approached his dad, and Richard was keen.

Some time later, I arranged Away in a Manger and also wrote an original piece that Richard could record. The actual session didn’t happen until autumn 2023, and by then Richard had developed even further as a player.

Richard Bond

Richard Bond began playing with Flixton Community Brass Band in 2013 at the age of six. As part of this training group, he developed a strong foundation in brass playing. In 2020, aged 13, he won the Under‑14 category in the British Youth Band Association National Individuals competition, performing one of his own arrangements on euphonium.

In 2021, he progressed to the senior Flixton Band, which competes in the First Section of the National Brass Band Championships. This marked a key step in his development, giving him experience with more advanced repertoire and performance standards.

In 2024, Richard was accepted into the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB), a selective national ensemble that offers intensive training courses with leading tutors and opportunities to perform around the country.

He now plays solo euphonium with the Championship Section Wingates Band, one of the top brass bands in the UK, based in Westhoughton. In addition to this, Richard was recently appointed a Young Ambassador for Denis Wick, a well-known British maker of brass mouthpieces and accessories.

Piece 1: Away in a Manger

After hearing Richard perform this as a solo, I wanted to create my own version. The arrangement he played was lovely, but due to copyright restrictions, I had to write a new one from scratch. I took a more contemporary approach with the backing track and developed the piece with a variation on the theme.

Euphonium players often prefer something a little more involved than a simple melody, so I added some movement to give it more challenge and interest.

Piece 2: By My Side

For this piece, I set out to write something melodic for the euphonium, but also wanted it to be challenging in places. The melody that came to me had a warm, nostalgic feel—reminding me a little of 90s romantic films.

I wanted to use contemporary instruments, as I hadn’t really heard the euphonium featured in a modern, hybrid style before. This was my first attempt at that approach. While it was a learning curve, I’m pleased with how it turned out and excited to develop this style further.