Mark Bingham.               Click on pic for larger photo

Mark started playing Trumpet at the age of nine in Drumgor Primary School, Craigavon. From there he joined Thomas Street Silver Band, ironically also known as the ‘1^st Portadown Old Boys’, where he took up his present instrument, the Cornet.

His talent was soon recognized by the band as he became principal cornet not long after joining the band, a position he held for six years before joining the Strandtown Silver Band from Belfast, where he again played Solo Cornet, proudly following in his father’s footsteps for two years.

In 1988 Mark joined the 1^st Old Boys and the City of Belfast School of Music playing Principal Cornet with the band and Principal Trumpet with the Youth Orchestra. His trumpet playing developed alongside his cornet work and he played with the John Anderson Big Band and also performing with this band for President Clinton at Belfast City Hall in 1996.

In terms of achievements Mark has won both the Junior and Senior N.I. Brass Band League Solo Championships and has continued both his trumpet playing with the Castleward Opera Orchestra plus various dance bands and also his cornet playing with the 1^st Old Boys and The Band The Royal Irish Regiment (TA). He also played Principal Cornet for ‘Festival Brass’, a composite brass band made up from musicians all around the province.

One of the highlights of Mark’s Brass Banding career was playing Rep for The Fodens Richardson Band in their winning performance of ‘Prague’ at the 2003 North West Areas in Blackpool and also playing for them in a number of concerts.