In this section:

• Our players
• Our Honorary President, Rodney Newton
• Our conductor, Graham Sheldon

Players

If you’re interested in playing, we’d like to hear from you even if you don’t see a vacancy on your instrument. See Joining the band for more information.

Honorary President: Rodney Newton

We are delighted that Rodney Newton (MA PhD ALFS Hon. RBC FRSA) is the band’s Honorary President.

RODNEY NEWTON was born in Birmingham in 1945 and received his initial musical education at Birmingham School of Music (now Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, of which he is an Honorary Member). In 1967 he joined the BBC Training Orchestra in Bristol as a timpanist and percussionist, leaving at the end of 1969. After a short period of freelancing from the Midlands, he moved to London and in 1974, joined the orchestra of Sadler’s Wells Opera (now English National Opera) where he remained for eleven years, the last five as principal timpanist. During this period he began to compose prolifically in all genres and worked in music publishing, acting as part-time promotion manager and editor for United Music Publishers, introducing George Lloyd to the company and creating the first corrected edition of Havergal Brian’s massive Gothic Symphony.

In 1985 he left ENO to work in films and television as a composer, arranger, musical director and music consultant, working in these capacities for Paramount Pictures, BBC Television, Thames Television and S4C, whilst still active as a ‘guest’ player with the LSO, LPO, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Opera Orchestra, London Classical Players, the Academy of Ancient Music and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He also entered the world of higher education and from 1996 to 2000, he was a member of the composition department of London College of Music, where he taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a guest lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music, City University and the National Film Theatre. For 22 years he was Music Consultant to London Film School (of which he is an Honorary Associate) and has contributed to radio and television programmes.

In the late 1980s he became heavily involved with brass and wind bands, notably the famous Fairey and Cory bands with which he held residencies. He was responsible for the brass band arrangements for Jeremy Deller’s Acid Brass project (which helped to gain the artist the 2004 Turner Prize) and was Features Editor for British Bandsman magazine for nine years. He was civilian Arranger-in-Residence with the Band of the Coldstream Guards for six years and his music has also been played and recorded by the Central Band of Royal Air Force, the Band of the Royal Marines and the Band of the Royal Norwegian Navy. In 2008, he was elected to a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts and over the last ten years, gained an extra-mural MA with a distinction and a PhD in musical composition through Salford University. In 2009, the BBC devoted a whole edition of its Radio 2 programme, Listen to the Band, to him and his music and in 2010, he was a member of the panel of judges for the Ivor Novello Award for film music. In 2016, his First and Fourth symphonies were recorded by the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Paul Mann and released on the Toccata Classics label.

He currently remains a freelance composer, arranger and orchestrator and is an external examiner for Salford University.

Conductor: Graham Sheldon

Graham Sheldon was born in London in 1960 and began playing the cornet at the age of 8 years in a local church band. Graham joined the Army as a junior Musician in 1976, was trained at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, and went on to enjoy a very successful career as a musician in the Band of Her Majesty’s Irish Guards, attaining the position of Band Sergeant Major before his retirement from the Army in the year 2000.

When Graham left the British Army, he worked for the Salvation Army as an administrator taking up his appointment with the RAF Wyton Area Voluntary Band in April 2002. Graham has always had a keen interest in local bands, both playing and conducting, and has achieved many contesting successes conducting brass bands. He was for ten years Bandmaster of the Essex Police Band and has had a long association with Eynsford Concert Band. He has conducted on 8 CD’s and at many prestigious venues including The Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Barbican and St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Graham retired as bandmaster of the RAF Wyton Area Voluntary Band in January 2026. Graham is delighted to be appointed as musical director of Cambridge and Surrounding District Brass and looks forward to a long musical journey together.

Officers and committee

The smooth running of the band is all thanks to several band members who serve on the committee. All posts are elected annually.

Committee Members

• Chair: Peter Leeward (né Edwards) (Eb bass)
• Treasurer: Jayne Grey (Solo horn)
• Secretary: Kathryn Nall (1st horn)
• Band manager: Vanessa Brown (Flugel horn)

In addition, Tom Yates (trombone) serves as Deputy Conductor. Although this isn’t a committee post, it’s no less important. The Deputy Conductor ensures the smooth conduct of rehearsals in the Conductor’s absence.