Melissa Hardy (cornet)
Melissa began playing brass at her primary school at the age of ten, originally playing the trumpet. In the last 15 years, she has played in many different bands starting from her school Brass band at age 12, and even had the opportunity to play for the Cadet National Marching band in her teens. Following school, Melissa moved to Lincoln to study Bio-veterinary science where she came across the Lincolnshire Hospital Band.
During the 5 years spent in Lincoln, Melissa played front row cornet with Lincolnshire Hospital Band playing gigs from Scarborough’s Peasholme park and even Lincoln Cathedral. Eventually, Melissa moved to Belfast to study a PhD in Biological sciences at Queen’s University. Melissa joined Downshire Brass in September 2018 and attended her first brass band competition a month later. She is currently enjoying sitting as 2nd cornet for Downshire Brass and is enjoying the challenges that comes with a competing band. When she’s not playing in the band or studying, Melissa also enjoys playing the flute, cross-stitching and is an avid book reader.