Soprano Cornet - Chris Noakes

Chris started playing the cornet at the age of 7 while living on the Isle of Man.  He soon joined the Manx National Youth Band, and stayed there until he was too old which wasn't until 1996.  By that time he'd risen to the dizzy heights of Principal Cornet, mainly because he'd been there longer than anyone else.....  When Manx Concert Brass was formed (senior band to the Manx Youth Band), he played on the front row for a while and then settled on Repiano Cornet.  Work commitments meant a move to the Manchester area in 2000 and a 6 and a half year break from banding followed, much to everyone's relief.

However, the pull of banding proved too strong and he joined Littleborough Band in September 2006 on Solo Cornet.  A very enjoyable 16 months there followed, but the distance from Didsbury to Rochdale for band practice proved to be a bit far and so the move to Flixton came in January 2008.  Chris played repiano at Flixton before moving to soprano in Summer 2010. He also has a "proper job" as a pilot for Virgin Atlantic Airways, which is the perfect excuse for missing band every so often.