Welcome! Graham Tear

If you were at our concert on Saturday you would have heard that our new MD will be Graham Tear.
Graham Tear has a wealth of experience having performed with and conducted many diverse groups within Northamptonshire and beyond.

Our outgoing MD, Stephen Bell, said "I am delighted to be handing the baton over to the capable and masterful Mr Graham Tear who is one of the most talented musicians I have had the pleasure of working with over the years.
"The future of NCB is very bright and I wish each and every player in NCB great success with Graham Tear. I'll be following the progress very closely and I'm confident that you will continue to soar."

Graham will be taking his first rehearsal with Northampton Concert Band after the Easter Break.

Graham Tear - Biog

Graham Tear

Graham was educated at Northampton Grammar School and then at Birmingham Conservatoire studying flute, bassoon and conducting. He won the Midland Institute concerto prize, appearing as flute soloist with the college chamber orchestra at the Aix en Provence Music Festival. After several years as a freelance player, playing with the CBSO, Opera north and Welsh National Opera he taught at Stowe School and Nene College (now Northampton University) and then joined the staff of the Northamptonshire Music Service (now NMPAT).

During his years with the service working as deputy head of woodwind he has conducted most groups including the County Youth Orchestra, County Concert Band and Youth Choir and has regularly taken assorted groups to the National Festival of Music for Youth, winning outstanding performance awards and appearing at the Schools Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

He has also conducted Towcester Studio Band, Irthlingborough Entertainment Society and Northampton Symphony Orchestra and spent several years directing Northampton Gilbert and Sullivan Group.

He was on the conducting staff of the European Youth Summer Music Course and directed the brass and wind bands for the WMA Summer School. Twenty-five years ago, he founded and still directs Northampton Chamber Orchestra.

Although now semi-retired, he lives in Brixworth and is still very active teaching at Northampton School for Boys and as musical director of Northampton Musical Theatre Company, who will be performing at the Royal Theatre in May and at Derngate in late October. He is also chairman of Northampton Festival of the Performing Arts and plays with the John Clare Wind Quintet as well as assorted other orchestral playing.

He enjoys cooking and tinkering with his model railway and has an amazing collection of hats!