Kirsty began playing the piano at the age of 6 in her home town of Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire and at the age of 9 started playing the cornet with Shipston Town Junior Band. By the age of 15 she had become principal cornet of the Senior Band and led them to two National Finals before moving to Huddersfield to study Music at Huddersfield University. She was also a member of the National Youth Brass Band for 3 years.
Kirsty studied under the well known cornet player and former Principal Cornet of the Black Dyke Band, Phillip McCann. Under Phillip’s tuition Kirsty achieved an LTCL Diploma in Performance, BA (Hons) in Music and a Masters Degree in Musical Performance. Whilst studying at Huddersfield Kirsty joined the Sellers College Band, which became Sellers Engineering and finally Sellers International. During 13 years with Sellers, Kirsty progressed through the ranks and became Principal Cornet in 1995 and was awarded the Best Principal Cornet at Spennymoor Entertainments Contest and gained third prize in the British Open Solo Championships in 2000.
In 2002 Kirsty made the move to Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band and has won many awards since: British Open Cornet Champion 2003, Best Principal Cornet Prize at Brass in Concert in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2013, second in the British Open Solo Championships 2004, Best Instrumentalist Mineworkers Contest 2005, Best Principal Cornet Land O’Burns Contest 2005, Best Soloist Grand Shield 2006 and 2016, Best Soloist Scottish Open in 2006, Best Instrumentalist English Nationals 2009, Best Soloist Yorkshire Area 2010, Soloist Prize Brass in Concert 2011 and 2013 and Mineworkers Best Soloist 2013. Kirsty was also awarded the Best Instrumentalist whilst leading Carlton Main Frickley to victory in the Yorkshire Area Championships in 2015 and in March 2016 was awarded Best Principal Cornet at the same contest.
In 2006 Kirsty also recorded her first solo CD’s ‘Soliloquoy’ and ten years later recorded ‘A Search for Peace’. Kirsty is also very proud to be a Yamaha Artist.
