BBW Castaway – Helen Varley

It is my pleasure to invite tenor horn virtuoso, Helen Varley, to Desert Island Discs this month. Helen is a dear friend of mine - we played in Black Dyke Band together for four fantastic years, and she is admired and respected in the wider brass music world as a musician, teacher and person.

Helen is riding a wave of success in 2017. Having completed her Masters at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester (where she graduated with distinction), she began summer in style when she was appointed as the new solo horn player of Grimethorpe Colliery Band. With several high-profile concerts already under her belt (including the Brassed Off 25th anniversary event at London’s Royal Albert Hall), she is flourishing in her new role and brimming with enthusiasm for the opportunities that lie ahead with the famous Yorkshire band.

Helen grew up in Lightcliffe, a small village in the vicinity of Halifax, but moreover only five miles from Queensbury, the home of Black Dyke Band! Growing up with some of the country’s best bands on her doorstep (Brighouse is only a few miles ‘down the hill’ too) meant that some very talented brass instrumentalists worked in the area. Helen struck gold in this regard - her schoolteacher was none other than…

Read this article in full, featured in July/August 2017’s BBW, by subscribing to BBW Digital. Alternatively, subscribe to the printed magazine delivered by post: £40 (UK); £68 (Europe); £81 (Rest of the World)