WREXHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Vince O’Toole – Trombone

Vince first began playing a brass instrument at the age of 16, playing tenor horn for the Edge Hill B.R. Band in Liverpool, from whence he hails.

At 21, like most of his peers at that time he spent two years on National Service, very happily, he states, as it was spent as a musician, travelling extensively with the Royal Engineers Staff Band. Chatham. It was there, as a result of the environment and company he found himself in, that his lifelong love for orchestral music took off.

In 1964 he transferred from Liverpool to the North Wales office of Manweb where he was employed as a Civil Engineer until his retirement. On arriving in Wrexham he found that many Colliery Bands existed in the area and so was able to continue with his hobby; however, slowly but surely the numerous collieries were shut down and their bands ceased to function. He is now a playing member of the Farndon and District Brass Band.

A few years ago coinciding with his retirement, he took up the trombone, thus opening a route for him to enjoy participating in his love of the orchestral repertoire, whilst at the same time taking a B.A. degree with the Open University Music Department.

Since his acceptance into the orchestra he has been an enthusiastic playing member of the brass section and concurrently enjoys serving the Society in the post of Music Procurer/Librarian.

Looking ahead, having sung in the Church choir since the age of eight, his next venture is the church Organ for which he is currently taking weekly piano lessons. This, he states, is insurance for the future, as when eventually his “puff” gives out on the trombone he hopes to have something to fall back on.

November 2002

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