Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel Band

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" ...a thrilling sound...with both excitement and stunning pianissimos when required. Absolutely wonderful"

"Last night's IMPS concert was absolutely wonderful - they drew an audience of 150 which is a record certainly in the last 3 years. Everyone loved them." January 2009

Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel Band:
  Musical Director: David Lancaster  

The Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel Band is without doubt one of the jewels in the crown of the brass band movement. The band was formed in 1999 following the amalgamation of two of the finest bands in Leeds - the Yorkshire Imperial Band and the Rothwell Band.

The Rothwell Band was founded in 1881 and was a traditional band with Temperance roots based in Rothwell near Leeds. Known originally as the Rothwell Temperance Band they later became successfully known as the Wallace Arnold Rothwell Band.

The Yorkshire Imperial Band was founded in 1936 by the Yorkshire Copper Works company based in Stourton. The band’s first set of instruments, it is said, cost the company £2,500, but that was not their only expense because they also provided each member with two uniforms - one for the summer and one for the winter. Due to an industrial merger in 1958, the name was changed to Band of the Yorkshire Imperial Metals and this was altered again in 1980 to IMI Yorkshire Imperial Band.

When the Rothwell Band and Yorkshire Imperial Band merged in 1999, the name changed again to incorporate the name of their new sponsors and became the DUT Yorkshire Imperial Rothwell Band, revised in 2002 to the shorter and more recognisable Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel Band.

The original Imps become one of the leading bands in the country, with successive wins at Belle Vue - in 1970 under the baton of Trevor Walmsley DFC playing Herbert Howell’s test piece ‘Pageantry’, and then again in 1971 playing Eric Ball’s test piece ‘Festival Music’. Despite these high achievements they had to wait until 1978, then playing under the baton of Denis Carr, to win the national title playing ‘Checkmate’ by Sir Arthur Bliss.

Between 1970 and 1980 the Imps were the band to beat. They had four major victories (National Champions 1978, and British Open Champions on no less than three occasions), Yorkshire area champions five times out of seven along with their triple success at the Edinburgh Festival Invitation Contest.

The band has always been quick to rise to new challenges and has not fallen short in terms of contest success and their accomplishments are well documented. Whilst contest success and its attendant publicity are important and highly valued, it is the concert platform and the nurturing of young talent that is the ‘lifeblood’ of the band.

The band regularly performs throughout the UK and Europe playing an extensive repertoire of both traditional and popular music. The Imps love to thrill and entertain, irrespective of context, venue or medium. Their music can be found on numerous recordings and the Imps are regularly featured on BBC Radio 2’s “Listen to the Band”. They have been aired on national radio as far away as Australia and are regularly featured on local radio throughout the UK.

David Lancaster

Born in Wigan, David Lancaster began his musical career as cornet player with Pemberton Old Band. He won the prestigious Alexander Owen Memorial Scholarship in 1976 which enabled him to study trumpet and cornet with Michael Antrobus. David studied music at York and Cambridge Universities where he specialised in composition. Since then his music has been played by many of the leading exponents of new music, in concerts and festivals all around the UK including London’s South Bank Centre and the Edinburgh Festival.

Since 1994 he has been a senior lecturer at York St John University; he is now in charge of a flourishing Music department where he teaches composition, world music, music technology and performance. Previously he has taught at colleges in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire and was ‘Composer in Residence’ at Charterhouse for three years during which time he also worked as freelance trumpet player in London and Paris. In addition to his work in York, David was until recently the External Examiner for Music at Salford University for an unprecedented five year period and he is a regular feature writer for Brass Band World magazine.

David Lancaster was Musical Director of The Harrogate Band, from 1996-2008 during which time the band has climbed from the Third Section to the Championship Section and established a reputation for innovative and imaginative concert performances. Under David’s direction the band commissioned new music from several composers and worked alongside many leading soloists; they recorded four popular CDs and undertook five European tours.

David is a member of the NABBC and ABBA and he has adjudicated at several major contests, including the National Finals (2006) and the Yorkshire, North of England and Midlands Regional Championships and Butlins Mineworkers’ Championships.

David’s compositions and arrangements for band are published by Dragon Music Publishing.

In October 2008 David was appointed Musical Director of the Yorkshire Imperial (Urquhart Travel) Band and looks forward to many future successes with this fine team of players.