University News Last updated 23 February 2023
A stand-out solo performance from Junior RBC oboist Charlie Dyble helped steer his band to a regional platinum award and a ticket to the final of one of Britain’s biggest music competitions.
Fifteen-year-old Charlie Dyble struck the right note with judges for his interpretation of ‘In a Gentle Rain’, by Robert W. Smith, in a heat of the National Concert Band Festival (NCBF) in Northamptonshire.
Billed as the largest event in the country for jazz musicians and wind bands, the contest attracts more than a thousand players, with each regional qualifier featuring musicians from several counties.
Charlie said: “The standard was high, and across all the different sections, there were some great players, so I was quite surprised to win a prize.”
Charlie is principal oboe for the symphony orchestra and symphonic wind orchestra in RBC’s Junior Department. Charlie is also a member of the National Schools’ Symphony Orchestra.
The Aston-by-Stone teenager, who is working towards a diploma in oboe and piano and a Grade Eight in cello, later joined fellow pupils in the big band for a musical history of jazz from the early 1900s Dixieland style and 1940s swing through to present-day fusion. The performance included a George Gershwin trumpet solo by 18-year-old Josie Lamplough, who is also a member of the Junior Conservatoire.
“There is a weight of expectation on our shoulders as we’ve won platinum awards in the past, but there is no guarantee we’ll do it again, so we always have to give our very best every time we go out there.
“When sixth form players leave, of course, it’s a major loss, but there is the reassurance that we have some very talented prep school and Year Seven pupils coming through. It’s always like a breath of fresh air when they join the bands,” added Charlie.
Head of Junior Conservatoire Timothy English said: "Charlie’s progress in the Junior Conservatoire over the last few years has been amazing and it is great to see him getting the recognition that he so richly deserves. He is an exceptional young musician with the talent and dedication to go far."
Pictured: Charlie (left) with Josie Lamplough