Big Three
President
Alex Cooper
Hello everyone! I’m Alex, a third-year geography student and your current Publicity Officer, and I’m running to be your President. I have been a keen member of the society for nearly two years now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and my year on committee so far. I’ve played the saxophone in Big Band, Swing Group, and Wind Band, as well as Sax Choir and 4/3. You may also know me as the guy who arranged last year’s showstopper!
I have been a musician for over 15 years now, I started with the violin and cello before settling into saxophone quite quickly, I’ve also played other instruments here and there too. I’ve been a member of many bands and had the privilege of performing in venues such as the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall. I was also my secondary school big band’s alto soloist for over 7 years. I have always had a passion for music, which I want to bring to the role of President just like I have to the role of Publicity Officer.
I have been your Publicity Officer for a year now and have helped in other areas where I have been able to. I have designed so much for the society this year, including the new ensemble logos and a refresh of the Instagram. I am also working closely with Harry Shepard and Scott Henderson to redesign the ULMS website into a much newer and better site for society members and the general public. Whether or not I am elected, with the new committee’s permission of course, I hope to keep working on this.
I believe I best demonstrated my organisational skills during the lead-up to last year’s Summer Showcase. Not only did I fulfil my role by designing the logo, flyers, programmes, and stickers, but I also co-ordinated the collaboration with LA1TV for the livestream along with Declan. Alongside this, I was also spending a lot of my time arranging the Showstopper and focussing on my coursework and exams.
Not only have I been your Publicity Officer, but I’ve been this committee’s “guy with the car”, not an official position of course, but it might as well be! I’ve been early to and stayed late after almost every concert, performance, and event this year to transport people and equipment to where they need to be. I’ve had to be organised and my experiences over the last year have given me a great deal of insight into how the society operates. I hope that as President I can use this insight to make sure ULMS keeps going in the right direction.
I’ve been happy to see the last committee lay the groundwork for greater collaboration both within the society between the major ensembles and with groups outside the ULMS banner. I hope to continue this and believe that collaboration is what makes music fun! I hope that we can see more collaborations within the society, such as those between String and Big at Concert at the Castle and between String and Choir last term. I also hope we can find more opportunities for extra-societal collaboration, such as deepening ties with the Lancaster jazz scene and rescheduling the Organ Recital with Ian Hare.
I understand that the President is not only responsible for overseeing the society but also representing it, I believe I will make a good face for the society with important contacts such as LUSU and other societies. I also hope to be a strong point of contact for society members, as I am admittedly always online and very fast to respond, and I always aim to respond as clearly as possible. I believe that any questions or concerns anyone has I will be able to answer or help with effectively.
To conclude, I am running for President because ULMS has been the best part of my university experience, and I want to ensure it continues to be one of the best societies on campus! I have made great friends over the last two years, and I thank all previous committee members for their hard work and contributions to the society, I will make sure your work was worth it! I believe I have the necessary skills to run this society and have fun doing it. I look forward to getting to know and work with the new committee if I am elected. Thank you for reading! 🙂
Secretary
Fern Talboys
Hey, I’m Fern! I am a Third year Geography student. I have been a ‘big’ part of ULMS for the past couple years with my role as Big Band rep and now conductor. Being in Big, Brass and (occasionally) Wind band, I have come to appreciate lots of the different parts of our society by being able to enjoy making music with you all.
From my experiences on committee, I have been able to learn how ULMS works and the ways that we’ve changed since I joined. As Secretary, I would continue to help run the society, just in a major way through all the responsibilities that Secretary requires. By working with ensemble reps and officers, I believe that alongside President and Treasurer I am able to organise the society in the way that we want it to go. Be that developing new concerts or relationships with other societies, I’m down for getting ULMS to be the right environment for all different types of players. Lots of positive work has been done in the past few years and I am keen to continue that, while listening to feedback from members to help each facet of our society thrive.
Treasurer
Charlotte Price
Hi!! I’m Charlotte, a second year BSc Economics student. I have played the violin since I was 6 (and am currently learning viola!), and have been involved in local, county and national orchestras. This past year I have been honoured with the role of strings representative on the committee, and I have loved being involved with the day to day running of the society, so I would love to continue to contribute as treasurer.
As strings representative last year I feel I really pushed strings to be the best it could be. We had first time concerts and collaborations, such as the castle concert with Big and our michaelmas concert with choir. We definitely grew in numbers, but more noticeably in community, which has really allowed strings to thrive this year and I am incredibly proud!
As well as this, I have gained well rounded knowledge of the rest of the society and ensembles, and I feel this experience is crucial to a big three role. I have a good understanding of the society’s budgets and what is/isn’t feasible to purchase, and I am well versed in using Excel as I use it regularly as part of my degree. I am a very active member of the wider society, attending as many socials and concerts as I can, and representing the society at freshers and refreshers events. I am very organised and hold myself to high standards, so I will push myself to perform as well as I can for the society.
I have loved being on committee this year, and would be honoured to continue to help the society grow as part of the Big Three!
Representatives
Big Band Representative
Aylin Turgut
Hi all! I’m Aylin, your technician and 2nd year physics with astrophysics student. I have been playing guitar in Big Band and Burnt Toast for over a year now (used to play in swing too). It’s been quite fun playing with all the amazing people in ULMS and being involved as the technician.
For little bit of history, I have been playing music since I was 7; started with piano, ended up on guitar. I have played guitar for various bands ever since; mostly classical music and rock/metal. I started playing jazz in my first year with big band and fell in love with it. Jazz has provided me with a different perspective on guitar and I experienced how fun improvising be. I have been trying to get more involved in jazz: I met a few people in Lancaster jazz scene and played in a jam with them (hopefully there will be many more times).
During my time as technician, I have learned how the society works and what runs in the background. This also gave me an understand of how to structure my time as technician can be quite time consuming. I would love to play a direct role in helping big band thrive. I hope to channel my passion for jazz into this role and hear more music!
Brass Band Representative
Alex Bateman & Ethan Hilde
(Running as a Pair)
Hello,
My name is Alex Bateman, and I am running for Brass rep. I having played in brass bands since I can remember, I have a wide range of experiences including national youth brass band championships, whit Friday, North West areas amongst other things. I have a passion for brass banding and I think that I can provide a positive impact on the brass band and the society.
Thank you for listening, and please feel free to ask any questions.
Hello, I am Ethan. I am in my second year here at Lancaster and I’m studying Theoretical Physics with Maths. I joined ULMS during my third week at university and have attended Brass Band ever since; I also joined Wind Band at the start of this year. I first started playing cornet when I was 8, before joining Poynton Youth Brass Band. In this band, I picked up the soprano cornet (which I played for 6 years), and had many concerts and a couple of contest opportunities. I also joined my first adult band in Hazel Grove before coming to university, where I took part in a contest on 1st cornet and the Whit Friday marches on 3rd cornet for the first time. After joining ULMS I even finally bought my first cornet.
I would like to become a brass rep because I love being in a brass band and want to have a hand in the planning and running of it. I also feel like becoming a brass rep will help build my confidence both as a player and in general. I have already come up with ideas for some music that we could play at future concerts based on past pieces I have enjoyed at both previous bands I have been a part of.
Thanks for reading.
Choir Representative
Elly Woods & Tamara Oakley-Holton
(Running as a Pair)
Hi, my name is Elly and I’m a fourth year medical student!
I have been singing for as long as I can remember, school choir to youth theatre to rock bands. Choir has been a massive part of my university experience, and I am so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful group of people.
I would like to be choir rep as it would be an opportunity to play a more active role in the society. Furthermore, sharing this position with Tammy will allow us both to play to each other’s strengths and fulfil every aspect of the choir rep role.
Hi, I’m Tammy I’m a third year student studying Politics, International Relations and Management. I have been the choir rep for the last year and have absolutely loved this role! I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved including a fantastic choir’s concert two weeks ago.
As rep I have helped choir integrate further into the society with more people coming to socials and new opportunities for choir to perform with other ensembles such as the Strings x Choir collaboration. Choir is a thriving community and I’d love to work alongside Elly and be their reps.
Orchestra Representative
Max Saddington
Hi, I’m Max and I’m a first year physics student. I have played music from a very young age and would like to continue my passion by becoming orchestra rep. I currently play guitar, flute and saxophone and have enjoyed being part of the many bands in ULMS. I appreciate the welcoming nature of this society and would like the opportunity to contribute to that myself. I believe I would provide the necessary organisation required for the orchestra and also trying to get as many people involved to bring together the different parts of ULMS.
String Orchestra Representative
Eleanor Moore
Hi everyone! I’m Eleanor and I’m a first-year computer science student. I play in strings and LUO, and I am running for strings rep!
I have played the violin since age 5, the piano since age 8, and sing (achieving an ARSM diploma and 2 grade 8s respectively).
I’ve been involved in 13 orchestras before university ranging from my school’s orchestra to county-level, of which I have led 5 of them. I’ve also played in many chamber groups. Additionally, I’ve sung in 8 choirs and led a choir of over 100 people where I arranged the parts from scratch and played the piano accompaniment. These ensembles enabled me to perform in some of the UK’s most renowned concert venues, including St David’s Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, BBC Hoddinott Hall, Westminster Abbey, and the Royal Albert Hall.
Our school offered a casual ‘tea concert’ every 2-4 weeks and from years 7-13 I performed in every one bar 2. I believe this shows I am a dedicated person and really enjoy what I do! Furthermore, I’ve played in pit bands, paraded through the streets of London in the Lord Mayor’s Show, and had the opportunity to play in a professional orchestra accompanying a choir of over 400 people.
These experiences gave me a huge insight in to how an ensemble works and have given me skills I hope to bring to strings. I really enjoy organising things (yes, even the folders!) and would love the opportunity to continue nurturing the fun and supportive environment that strings provides me and my peers.
One thing I would like to focus on is the smaller things that make a huge difference. For example, meeting with the leaders of each section to go over bowings, continuing to bring biscuits to keep spirits up, and the possibility of including a short, well-known piece in each major concert so the audience can leave having listened to a piece they might recognise whilst also broadening their musical palette.
Thank you for reading!
Swing Group Representative
Max Stanbury
Hi I’m Max, a 1st year Maths student. I play piano in Big Band, Swing Group and Burnt Toast and also sing in Choir. I am applying for the position of Swing Group Representative.
I have been playing piano since I was in primary school. I started by playing solo classical music, where I can play at a high level. I have also got multiple years of experience with jazz in a group setting from playing in my secondary school’s jazz ensemble starting in year 11, which included frequent performances. I am therefore familiar with the goals of Swing Group’s style and repertoire.
I also have relevant leadership experience, having been the Assistant Musical Director for a school production of Frankenstein. As a part of this role, I helped arrange the scores for our ensemble and run rehearsals in collaboration with the drama department. I also played in my school’s orchestra and sang in multiple choirs, contributing to my strong ensemble skills.
I hope that my knowledge, skills and most importantly passion for music can help Swing Group improve, become the best it can be and show that off in performances. I would also take feedback from members to ensure we can have as welcoming an environment as possible in the group and ULMS as a whole, as well as to perform the music which members would most like to play.
Thanks for reading.
Wind Band Representative
Isobel Wilks
Hello! I’m Isobel and I’m a first year cyber security student running for the role of Wind Band Rep. I play tenor sax in Big and Wind Band and clarinet in Swing (I also enjoy playing the bari sax on occasion). I have really enjoyed my first term of playing music as well as the brilliant socials so I would love to become a bigger part of the society alongside developing my skills.
Through school I spent most nights a week playing in groups and ensembles so I have a lot of experience organising cupboards of instruments and folders of music, and setting up for concerts. I believe I can bring this experience forward to being wind band rep. I am eager to continue to make wind band a wonderful experience with exciting music and a friendly atmosphere. Thank you!
Small Groups Representative
Noah Meehan
Hi, I’m Noah and I’m a 2nd year Mechanical Engineering student.
I’ve played saxophone for 11 years and have been a member of ULMS since starting uni. I currently play in wind band, swing band, and sax choir.
I’m running for the role of Small Groups Rep as I really enjoy being a part of ULMS and would love to take a more active role in the society. I would like to take this role as I am passionate about music, and would enjoy providing ULMS members with the platform to showcase their talents in our existing small groups, as well as any other groups anyone wishes to set up; the more music, the better! I believe I’m a good fit for the role as I consider myself to be dependable, approachable, and a good communicator.
All in all, I would hope to keep our small groups growing and thriving so that more people can have the same fun I’ve had in the last year as a member of sax choir.
Officers
Project Teach Music Coordinator
Leo Barnett
Hi, I’m Leo and I am running for Project Teach Music coordinator. I am a first year astrophysics student, and I play French horn, viola, and piano. Currently I play in wind band and string orchestra, but I have played in many different ensembles since I was ten years old and music has been a very important aspect of my life. I’ve really enjoyed being part of ULMS so far this year and I want to help contribute to the effective running of the society.
Although I have only just joined the Project Teach Music scheme, I feel I am suitable for this role as I have past experience in similar organisational roles, such as being a member of my city’s Youth Council. I am also very aware of the importance of music education, since my mother is a music teacher herself. I hope I will be able to continue to support musicians in teaching, learning, and performing.
Publicity Officer
No nominations.
Social Secretary
No nominations.
Technician
No nominations.