The inspiration for the formation of Chapel Brass came jointly from Dr. Keith M. Wilkinson who, at the time, was The Salvation Army’s Music Coordinator in Columbus, and Major Guy Klemanski, serving in 2001 as The Salvation Army’s Area Coordinator. Keith has been delighted to play an integral part in the ongoing development of this ensemble.
Keith has enjoyed more than 40 years of successful brass band directing. It was towards the end of 1969, while Keith was still a student at the University of Manchester, when he was invited to be bandmaster of Ashton-Under-Lyne Salvation Army Band and then, following his appointment as professor at the University of Nottingham, he became bandmaster of Derby Central SA Band. These were followed by long and successful periods as musical director of leading championship bands, the GUS Band and the William Davis Band. He was also in constant demand to travel, around Europe as well as Britain, as a guest conductor and adjudicator.
Since arriving in USA in 1996, Keith has been privileged to share his talents as guest conductor with several bands in USA and Canada and is currently, in addition to Chapel Brass, musical director of the Akron-based Brass Band of the Western Reserve and bandmaster of The Salvation Army’s Chapel at Worthington Woods Band.
In March, 2008, Keith was presented the God And Country Music Award by The Salvation Army and Brass Band of Columbus for “his outstanding contributions to brass banding in USA, Britain and Europe”.
Keith tried his hand at brass band orchestration while still in school and this aspect of banding has continued to hold his attention. He has approaching 100 published arrangements with publishers in Britain, Switzerland and USA. Some of his arrangements have been used as test pieces at major championships. In order to make his arrangements available more rapidly he has now formed his own publishing company, Alum Creek Music.
Keith is a professor of mathematics at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.
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Keith serves actively as a member of the God and Country Committee.