Karin Rowell

Second Horn

Following desperate pleas and bribes from her parents, Karin, at the of age 12 agreed to 'swap' the Violin for a different instrument. Much to her Parents dismay, she found a battered silver Trumpet in the attic. (The 'mute' was not found until years later).

Contrary to rumours, she's a good few years younger than the Trombone section (!) and qualified up the ranks from 4th Section to Championship at Norfolk Brass on Repiano Cornet. She still has the 'contesting bug' and contested for the last three years with Clacton on Sea Co-op Band. Her best banding moments include winning contests, playing in the "Brassed Off" stage production and in concert with Percussionist Evelyn Glennie. While working for BBC TV, she enjoyed playing a 'live' duet with the late Roy Castle during a "Children in Need" programme. Karin still hasn't fully recovered from the 'Bitburg' experience, travelling to Germany for the European Folk Festival with 'English Festival Brass', later 'Coronation Brass'. Members included some of BTM Band and she thanks them for the singing and laughter! Subsequent trips to Cologne and a concert in Luxembourg were a' bit of a 'blur' which she blames on the Coco Nightclub and the Bitburger brewery.

Her two teenagers, whom she 'loves to bits', as youngsters, were dragged along 'under protest' to band and strangely have no desire to play a brass instrument. Martin 18 and Joanne 16 are both at university.

As a 'mature' student, Karin gained a Diploma in Health and Social Welfare recently. She's an Assistant Practitioner with Norfolk County Council /Social Services in the Social Work Dept, Physical Disabilities and Older People Team.