Carole Crompton- Course Director

Carole began playing at the age of 11. She has played with many top flight brass bands including Jones and Crossland, Desford Colliery, having won the European Championships in 1986 and the National Championship of Great Britain in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1991 with Desford. Carole then moved from Desford Colliery to Britannia Building Society Fodens Band where during her time they won the All England Masters in 1994. Carole has since played for Ransomes, Sellers International, Carlton Main Frickley, and Hepworth  Bands among others.

Carole worked for Bolsover District Council for many years being their Arts Development Officer from 1995 to 2017 when she took early retirement to pursue freelance arts.

Carole is a former Trustee of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and Black Dyke Band and now enjoys a position as Vice President with the Fodens Band and works with the band as their funding manager and advisor.

In 2005 Carole launched the Bolsover Festival of Brass, a brass band entertainment contest which has grown in to one of the leading events of its kind in the world today.

The Festival of Brass attracts some 2,500 participating musicians and audience members each year. Since 2015, the contest has been live streamed on the Internet. This has seen the event reach a truly world-wide audience with viewers from dozens of countries tuning in to see the entertaining programmes put on by the bands.

The Bolsover International Brass Band Summer School concept grew as a result of Carole’s passion to support the brass band movement and its following. In 2021 following Carole’s move to Worcestershire the Bolsover International Brass Band Summer School (BIBBSS) was rebranded to Elgar International Brass Band Summer School (EIBBSS) and moved to Malvern Worcestershire. Worcestershire will be the new home for EIBBSS going forward.

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Carole is now a freelance arts funding consultant, event organiser and manager.