Phil Green - Tuba
Phil Green hails from the Black Country in the West Midlands of the UK. Born in 1967 he started having instrumental lessons at school. Initially Phil played euphonium, mainly because all the trumpets had been taken by the time they got to Green in the school register.
Phil was Solo Euphonium with both the Langley Junior Band and the Sandwell Youth Band in the early 80’s, taking part in European tours and successive appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, London as part of the Queen’s School Proms. When he left school Phil was playing Solo Euphonium with the Championship section Langley Band.
After an enforced retirement due to shift work and fancying a new challenge Phil joined the recently formed Sovereign Brass Band on Solo EEb Tuba. Phil was the featured soloist in all of the band’s successful entertainment contest victories and was instrumental (no pun intended) in them moving from 4th to Championship section in only 4 years, only the second time this had ever been achieved in the history of brass banding.
Phil was asked in 1992 to join triple national champions Desford Colliery Band and enjoyed 2 successful years at the Leicestershire based band before accepting the invitation from Howard Snell to join the then Britannia Building Society Band (previously and currently Fodens Band). His first performance was at the All England Masters in 1994, and this was the first of 4 “Masters” titles Phil won with the band.
At this time Phil was also Solo EEb Tuba with the Young Ambassadors of GB Brass Band (YABB) and toured Europe quite extensively.
Phil’s contest successes include 4 Masters titles, 1 British Open Championship, 1 National Championship, twice runners-up at the Nationals and the Open and 2 performances at the European Brass Band Championships; 1 Swiss open, 1 Dutch Open, 1 French Open and 1 US Open title. He has worked with, amongst many others, Sam Pilafian, Steve Sykes, James Gourlay, James Watson, Howard Snell, Jospeh Horovitz, Elgar Howarth and the great Bramwell Tovey. Phil also worked in collaboration with Gerhard Meinl, of Meinl Weston in Gemany, on the Courtois 181 EEb Tuba
Since leaving Fodens in 2005 Phil is constant demand as a ‘substitute’ tuba player, being asked to play for all the UK’s top bands including Grimethorpe Colliery, Black Dyke Mills, Cory, Desford and Fodens.
Phil joined the Holborne Brass Ensemble in 1990, had some time off from 1996 – 1999 and then rejoined in 2000. Phil is also in demand as an orchestral Tuba player and is a regular with many of the top freelance orchestras in the UK. Phil has written articles for the British Bandsman, Brass Band World and T.U.B.A. publications.