Newly promoted to Director of Hampshire County Youth Bands, Matthew Watling grew up and was raised in Hampshire and became a member of Hampshire County Youth Brass Bands in 2003. Since then, Matthew went on to study the euphonium at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music, has played in all of the major English brass band competitions and has performed with some of the world’s leading ensembles. In 2018 he decided to follow a teaching career and whilst training was awarded the highest mark for his teaching and the ‘Dean’s list award’ for exceptional ability for his PGCE at Southampton University. Matthew started working with Hampshire Music Service in 2015 and became conductor of the Hampshire County Training Band and Director of the Gosport and Fareham Youth Orchestras and Brass bands. Matthew takes great pride in leading the HMS brass and Beyond the Beat teams encouraging students across Hampshire to play brass instruments.

Ed started playing trumpet at 8yrs old, taught by Bryan Allen of the fine arts brass ensemble, then moved on to euphonium when he moved to Wales aged 16. At this point he joined West Glamorgan county bands, which he absolutely loved, and really helped develop his passion for music. Whilst at university, studying mechatronic engineering, he joined the Royal Regiment of Wales TA band, and was persuaded to join the regular army in 2000, playing trombone with the band of the Blues and Royals. He moved to Switzerland in 2009 and became director of music for the Swiss Cavalry band in Bern, as well as playing for Brass Band Berner Oberland under Phillip McCann. He returned to England in 2013, and alongside full time engineering roles, has played with and conducted several bands, local highlights have been conducting Ocean brass, Thornden Community Wind, Andover Town band and now MD of Test Valley Brass, and playing with Wantage Silver Band at the Albert hall finals in 2014, and several finals in Cheltenham currently with Michelmersh Silver Band. He is very excited to have started conducting HCYTB, and helping develop the next generation of musicians in Hampshire.

Kiri auditioned and joined HCYB as a student in September 1999 and left in 2005. She played the flugelhorn for the first time when she joined, which has always remained her favourite brass instrument. She says she was very proud when she had the opportunity to perform in the Albert Hall with County Band, but her biggest achievements were winning BBC Radio 2’s Youth Brass Band of the Year and having the opportunity to perform a solo to approximately two thousand people at the San Sebastian Jazz Festival, whilst on Tour.

Her love for music, especially brass meant she studied a music degree and majored in Trumpet. Kiri decided to take what she had learnt and apply it to becoming a teacher.

She says that she cares so much about young people learning music, especially brass and she is so happy and proud to become one of the HCYB conductors and looks forward to our musical future together!

Georgina started playing the Trombone aged 8 in her home county of Staffordshire. After leaving college she worked for the NHS, but music was always her passion, especially brass banding. Having played in a selection of top section bands in the Midlands and later the South; George took a break whilst raising her children and embarked on a change of direction, studying for a music degree at the University of Chichester. She has always been a great advocate for inclusion and seeks to ensure young people’s musical journeys are fun and engaging. She took the role as a visiting music teacher with HMS in 2022 and assists at both the Hamble Area Junior Band and HCJB.