Mark Wilkinson to receive 2022 Iles Medal
The Iles Medal, awarded by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, was established in 1947 by John Henry Iles, a Pastmaster of the Company, and is awarded annually to musicians who have made a significant contribution to the brass band movement.
The Company has announced that the recipient of the medal for 2022 is Mark Wilkinson, in particular for his outstanding commitment to Foden’s Band over a period of thirty years. He was appointed principal cornet of the band at the age of 20 in 1992 at the invitation of Howard Snell. Since 2013 he has combined that role with that of Band Manager, playing a crucial role in maintaining the band’s high standards.
He has also made a significant contribution as a music educator, as a tutor with the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain, the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, and the National Youth Brass Bands of Wales. He is also cornet tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music, University of Salford, and Manchester Metropolitan University. He is a founder member of the Northern Ireland Armagh Summer School.
Having first come to prominence at the age of 13 as the principal cornet of as the principal cornet of the Besses Boys Band, he went on to become principal cornet of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. As a soloist he has performed in France, USA, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Italy, and Ireland. He has worked as an adjudicator throughout the UK and in Switzerland and Germany. In 2018 he became chair of the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators.
