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Local musician Bruce Borthwick was awarded a long service certificate last month for 62 years of playing in brass bands.
It was presented to him at a swinging event that quavered the timbers of the Warkworth Methodist Church.
The party was a musical extravaganza with more than 100 of his friends and relations travelling from as far as Australia for the occasion, which was also his 90th birthday.
Band member Phil Thomson said it was no coincidence that one of the top three tenor horn players in the world was in attendance – as he happened to be Bruce’s son, Murray Borthwick.
“In spite of the presence of such a volume of talent, the highlight of the afternoon was still Bruce’s own crystal-clear solo performance of the second movement from the Hadyn Trumpet Concerto,” Phil said.
“He played it all without music, a chair, or even a pair of spectacles. He’s a true sensation at 90 years young.”
The long service certificate was awarded to Bruce by the Brass Band Association of New Zealand for a lifetime of contribution, including his current role as musical director of the Kumeu Vintage Brass Band.
