Allan Withington moves to Manger
Allan Withington has announced that he has decided to step down as Musical Director of Stavanger Band to become the artistic leader of Manger Musikklag. During his time (17 years) with Stavanger, the band won the Norwegian National Championship in 2007, 2015 and 2020 as well as four consecutive Siddis Entertainment titles from 2012 to 2015. The band also enjoyed success at the North American Championships in 2014 and French Open in 2015, as well as finishing within the top six at five European Championships.
Commenting on the move Allan explained, “After many years of travelling to Stavanger, and especially since my retirement from the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, accepting the position offered by Manger Musikklag gives me the chance of new and exciting challenges and also an opportunity to spend more time living and working in Bergen.
“It has been a fantastic 17 years where I have literally seen many of the members grow from talented youths to wonderful musical adults — and I will certainly miss them. I have so much respect and admiration for the players and administration and wish them all the very best for the future.”
Stavanger Band Chairman, Anders Rydberg stated, "We wish to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to Allan for his tireless and inspirational work. This is the end of an era, but we look back on a fantastic journey including a long list of highlights from contests, concerts and innovative concepts throughout this period. A relationship of 17 years in top banding is remarkable and is a true demonstration of how well we have worked together. We wish Allan and his family all the best for the future."
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