Chairman – Dave Chapman
David was a Mechanical/Electrical & Electronic Engineer and Software Programmer for 25 years, eventually managing an Industrial Control department, before joining a local college lecturing in Engineering and Programming. With playing brass in different musical groups (Windband’s, Concert bands, Orchestras and Brass bands) since the age of 6, David decided to use his engineering skills along with courses via NAMIR/Trevor Head to set up his business D&S Brass in 2011 to repair brass, woodwind, percussion, electronic keyboards and to sell parts, tools etc worldwide. He helps many repairers to get tools, spares etc direct from UK manufacturers/suppliers along with guidance on how to repair/make items. He conducts Florence Brass, a local brass band, but still keeps his lip in playing most brass instruments, specialising on Baritone Horn with Penkhull Village Brass, where his partner Sue also plays Tenor Horn.
Company Secretary & Membership Secretary – Elinor Barlow
Elinor studied music at Bangor University before completing both the foundation and advanced woodwind repair courses in Llangunllo. She is currently based in ‘The Valleys’, South Wales, where she splits her time between repairing woodwind instruments from her home workshop and working as an accounting technician for her family business. Elinor also plays the saxophone and gigs regularly with a funk band on tenor sax and with a ‘blues, rock & soul’ band on baritone sax.
Assistant Company Secretary & Membership Secretary – Henry Doe
Henry is an oboe enthusiast originally from Essex. He began playing the oboe at the age of eight and has regularly played in various ensembles in the local area. Henry’s enthusiasm for the history of instrument craftsmanship and how instruments work led him to Newark College, where he successfully graduated in Woodwind Instrument Making and Repair in 2023. Eager to continue learning, he’s passionate about blending his musical background with the technical side of things and is eager to contribute and learn from fellow repairers.
Treasurer – Hannah Hinchliffe
Hannah graduated from Newark College in 2021 and has now set up her own repair business in Suffolk and repairs for her local music service. Hannah often gigs on tenor and bari sax playing with bands and with DJs. Hannah teaches sax, clarinet and flute in many schools and always makes sure to aid students with any quick fixes they need and provide them with knowledge of how to care for their instruments. She loves being able to understand how instruments work and enjoys inspiring students to learn about their instruments more too!
Intrepid Repairer Editor – Nigel King
Originally from Bristol, Nigel’s musical education started as a chorister in Cambridge. At university he studied music, specialising in flute and singing. He then followed a varied career in concert hall and theatre management, and later set up his own music retail and teaching business. Nigel started repairing in 2016 based near Aberdeen and has slowly built up a steady side-line to his full time teaching career, focusing on flute, clarinet and sax. He took on the editor post of IR magazine in 2022.
Content Co-ordinator – Irma Kreiten
Irma Kreiten obtained an M.A. in History and Cultural Anthropology. Alongside her work as a social scientist, she pursued her musical interests and took up various woodwind instruments. Having received an education in classical music, she now enjoys a broad range of musical styles, including Middle Eastern music. In 2022, she completed courses in woodwind and brass instrument repair at Trevor Head’s school in Llangunllo, UK, with the thought of taking a step toward a new professional path. She is currently employed at a brass instrument manufacturer.
Website Administrator – Les Bruce
After 40 years working in various marketing and data roles at Nationwide Building Society, Les decided to learn how to repair the instruments he’d been playing since the age of 9. He attended a Trevor Head course with Dick Hamer who inspired him to set up his own repair business for clarinet, saxophone and flute in 2021. Martin Cardy acts as his mentor and provides invaluable guidance on his repairing journey. Les is MD for the Apollo Big Band in Newbury and runs his own jazz band as well as playing in other bands in the area.
Events Organiser – Dot Brodie
Dot studied the bassoon at the Birmingham Conservatoire and the foundation woodwind course in Llangunllo. Soon friends started asking her to carry out quick fixes and tweaks on their instruments and she soon realised that she could make a living as a repairer. Dot set up as a self employed woodwind repairer in 2006. Since that first course, she has attended the saxophone, advanced woodwind and foundation brass courses at Llangunllo and completed the diploma in woodwind making and repairing at Newark College. Dot rents workshop space in Hobgoblin Music in Birmingham city centre where she repairs woodwind and brass instruments.
Events Organiser – Peter Pollard
Peter Pollard has a fascination for blending the specialities of acoustics with metal and woodwork, skills which were developed from a very young age and honed under the tutelage of some of the world’s most respected band instrument technicians. Working with leading musicians, military bands and orchestras for over 50 years, Peter has an exceptional background as a professional musician, builder, repairer and teacher, and has written and examines for instrument repair courses in the UK and Europe and Scandinavia. An international reputation founded upon a wealth of knowledge allows Peter to push the boundaries of instrument design, be experimental, and yet produce peerless professional players’ instruments using innovative techniques and materials, creating superb hand-made instruments acknowledged by leading players to be benchmarks in their class.
Committee Member – Sunniva Hellerud Dale
Sunniva moved from Norway to study at Newark College in 2011. She graduated from their Woodwind Instrument Making and Repair Course in 2014 and studied metal bodied flutes as her major project. She does brass and woodwind repairs for both her own workshop, SH Music in Reading, and for the workshop at Dawkes Music. Sun also works to support other repairers, both students and established, to find tools, material and techniques through Dawkes Music.
Committee Member – John Durham
Having trained as a as an Industrial Designer and as a Design and Technology teacher, John has since spent most of his career in IT and Workplace Design. After 14 years as IT and Culture Director with smoothie maker, Innocent Drinks, John decided to make a career change to become a woodwind repairer. John trained in woodwind repair with Daniel Bangham at CWM, Dick Hamer at Trevor Head’s Llangunllo School and added to his experience as a freelance repairer with Dawkes Music. John run’s his woodwind repair business, Playability out of his home workshop in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, John is a keen amateur bassoonist and chair of his local community orchestra.
Committee Member – Paul Mourant
Paul is a full time brass repairer and professional trumpet player, based in Northamptonshire. He completed a BMus at Cardiff University, then spent 10 years freelancing in London before moving back to the Midlands, teaching in many settings, including Northants County Music Service. Having repaired many pupils’ instruments on the fly, and with a lack of local repairers, he attended Trevor Head’s foundation course in Llangunllo in 2009. After this he gradually built up his sole trader repair business, repairing for the county music service, brass bands, brass players, professional colleagues and their pupils. Since stopping teaching, his playing commitments include gigging with multiple big bands, his brass quintet, and playing in shows, as well as orchestral work and in other freelance settings.
Committee Member – Kennedy Wando
Kennedy studied musical instrument repairs at Colorado Institute of Musical Technology – USA. He is currently working as Musical Instrument Technician at the International School of Kenya. Kennedy is event organizer too, in 2017 he organized Musical Instrument Repair Conference in Nairobi Kenya and he was an assistant facilitator to Dr. Daniel Parker during the conference. He also volunteers in the community to organize music related events for charity. His desire is to see talented young musicians from poor communities achieve their dream. He has been a NAMIR member since 2013 and is very excited to serve in the NAMIR committee to share his musical instrument repair experience in Kenya and Africa.
Committee Member – Dave Whittle
Dave is a fairly recent addition to the instrument repair community, based in the north of Gloucestershire and looks after players of clarinet, sax and flute. He spent twenty years in an armed forces band, followed by many years of teaching woodwind and piano, performing and musical directing. Over the years, Dave has helped pupils and colleagues with quick fixes and minor repairs/adjustments. After retiring from teaching, he has made the servicing and repairs more formal and is loving it! Dave finds the NAMIR online community very supportive and is pleased to continue as a committee member.
Committee Member – Ian Digby
Ian took up woodwind repair quite late in life on the Isle of Wight after having a career in finance mostly on the mainland. After the only repairer on the island retired, Ian decided instrument repair was the perfect way to engage in community life and be of service. Ian trained with Trevor Head and Kate Reynolds, then set up shop and now has a thriving part-time business with a small home-based workshop.
