sshhmute Spotlight: Sheona White
(Solo Horn – Cory Band)

During her early years, Sheona White’s prodigious talent was recognised when she won the prestigious title of BBC Radio 2 Young Musician of the Year, performing at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Winning this event allowed her to help bring the tenor horn to the forefront of mainstream music, appearing as guest soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra, including her very own ‘Soloist Showcase’ featured on BBC Radio 2 and Friday Night is Music Night. A special moment in her career was when she was chosen to perform in Westminster Abbey for the Commonwealth Day Observance Concert live in the presence of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Other individual achievements include the first female winner of the British Open Solo Championships, the Harry Mortimer Performance Prize, the Stanley Wainright Memorial Trophy for Best Soloist at the British Open Brass Band Championships, and being selected as a finalist in the Cosmopolitan Women of Achievement Awards.

Sheona has performed with many of the world’s premier brass bands, including Brighouse & Rastrick, Black Dyke, and the Yorkshire Building Society Brass Band with whom she was Principal Horn for many years. During the ‘YBS era’, Sheona shared in the band’s huge success worldwide. This included winning the All England Masters 3 times, the British Open 4 times, and representing England in the European ‘EBBA’ festival on 10 occasions, winning the European Championships an unprecedented 8 times in these 10 appearances. She also performed in the Sydney Opera House as part of the YBS ‘Kings of Europe’ Tour.

Her record accomplishments include her latest solo CD ‘Legend of a Giant’, and her first solo CD ‘Voice of the Tenor Horn’, both highly acclaimed and receiving rave reviews. Other innovative recording projects include a solo feature on the BBC’s Children In Need single, ‘Perfect Day’, and performing on the Mercury Prize-winning album, ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’, by the distinguished Manchester band, Elbow.

Sheona is also proud to be at the forefront of developing new repertoire for the Tenor Horn, including music by Philip Sparke, Kenneth Downie, Peter Graham, and Derek Bourgeois.

Sheona previously held the position of tutor of Tenor Horn at the University of Salford and at the Royal Northern College of Music until recently where she made the choice to concentrate on her passion of classroom teaching at Bolton School Girls’ Division.