Katrina makes history as Co’s Conductor
The cooperation band has announced the appointment of Katrina Marzella-Wheeler as principal conductor of the band. It’s a historic milestone as she is the first woman to take up this permanent role in the band’s 106-year existence.
Matt Fuller, member of the band’s executive committee, commented, “We are absolutely delighted to have Katrina on board and are excited for what she will bring to the band. Through working together in 2024, Katrina’s enthusiasm, meticulous preparation and wealth of experience at the highest level of banding have been evident to the band. We have a shared vision of where this band can go with the fantastic group of musicians it currently has, combined with Katrina’s leadership and passion.”
Katrina’s first major competition appearance with the band will be when it represents Scotland at the 2025 European Brass Band Championships in Stavanger, Norway. Commenting on the position Katrina stated, “I am thrilled to join the cooperation band working alongside such a respected colleague as Glenn Van Looy. Whilst working with the band throughout 2024, I quickly saw how special the organisation is and just how talented the musicians are. I greatly admire the players’ dedication, their virtuosity and their passion for the music they play. I am endlessly impressed by their willingness to venture into new musical worlds, and their openness to alternative ideas is refreshing, not just musically but also in the vision they have for the band’s future.”
Katrina helped to prepare the band for its competitive appearances at both the British Open and the National Finals in 2024. A recent concert in Glasgow was a highlight for her in which the connection she felt with the musicians on stage was “fantastic”. She added: “Now I am really looking forward to developing this bond and mutual trust with the players on a permanent basis. It is exciting to start on our journey, and I hope to achieve something special together in the vibrant city of Glasgow and beyond.”
The band’s principal euphonium player, Chris Flynn, remarked on the appointment: “A main focus over the past few years has been the development of
the band, so this is a great step in the right direction. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this partnership.”
Katrina was the solo baritone horn player of Black Dyke Band from 2011 to 2020 and won every ‘major' brass band title on the contest front as well as a best soloist award at the 2014 European Brass Band Championships in Perth, Scotland. As a soloist, Katrina won the inaugural BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist of the Year and the British Open Solo Championships on two occasions. She developed the Neo baritone horn with Yamaha and commissioned and premiered over 25 new solo works for her instrument. She has vast adjudication experience having judged over 30 band contests, including most of Europe’s national brass band contests and the European Championships in 2022.
After living in England for almost two decades, and latterly spending two years enjoying la dolce vita whilst living with her young family in Naples, Italy, Katrina returned to her home country of Scotland in September 2023. She was immediately appointed as the conductor of Kingdom Brass in Fife. She has led them to regional competitive success, winning the Fife Charities Contest in both 2023 and 2024, and moreover, into new artistic grounds. Katrina has also been active across the UK in encouraging young musicians to get involved in conducting and has spearheaded workshops to promote greater diversity on the podium in brass bands. In recent years, she has enjoyed invitations to work as guest conductor of the Aldbourne Band, Eikanger Bjørksvik Mussiklag, Festival Brass Band in Belgium, Regensburg Brass Band in Germany and the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
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