Nicholas Childs

Conductor Nicholas Childs is a fixture of the British brass band scene, with more than 150 recordings to his credit. He is the director of the Black Dyke Band, among the most famous ensembles in the tradition. Nicholas John Childs was born in Usk, Wales, on October 7, 1961. He has sometimes been billed as Nicholas J. Childs, especially during the first part of his career. Childs began his career on the baritone horn, a valve instrument that is common in brass bands. He soon took up the euphonium as well. Childs joined the Tredegar Junior Band and was then accepted as a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. At 16, he won the title of Welsh and British Euphonium Champion. His brother Bob is also a brass player, and the pair has toured as the Childs Brothers; they made their debut at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1984 and later formed the Doyen Recordings label. Childs studied at the Royal College of Music in London and the London College of Music. He went on for master's and doctoral degrees at Salford University. Childs served as principal euphonium player with the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and, growing more interested in conducting as his schooling proceeded, then became principal conductor of the Foden's Band of the Foden's truck manufacturer in Sandbach, also known as the Foden's (Courtois) Band. He was also active as a producer and made his recording debut in that capacity on the album Gregson: Brass Music Composed and Conducted by Edward Gregson in 1992. He also appeared on various albums as a euphonium player, and he made his debut as a conductor with the Foden's (Courtois) Band in 1999 on the album Christmas Song. The following year, Childs became conductor of the Black Dyke Band, an institution with a history dating back to the middle 19th century. He remained in that position as of the mid-2020s. With that group, he has been noted for his commitment to new music, recording works by Philip Wilby, Kenneth Graham, and other contemporary composers. Under his leadership, the band has won three European Championships and various other awards. He founded the Yorkshire Youth Brass Band and conceived the National Children's Brass Band. As of the mid-2020s, he serves as its Director of Artistic Planning. As a conductor and euphonium player, Childs has toured widely, appearing with such groups as the BBC Philharmonic, the Hallé Orchestra, the United States Marine Band, and the Canadian Brass. He is noted for teaching and band clinics at American universities. Childs has released some 160 albums on Doyen Recordings and other labels. He is especially notable for commissioning new works that are suited to the talents of the Black Dyke Band, and in 2023, he led that group on the Naxos label on the album Peter Graham: Force of Nature. Childs has a substantial record as an educator, teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music, Salford University, and Huddersfield University.
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