FLSB Personnel
Soprano Michael Flickinger
Solo Cornet Matt Taton
Solo Cornet Gordon Ward
Solo Cornet Andrew Ciccheli
Solo Cornet Michael Baker
Solo Cornet Lori Laidlaw
Repiano Russ McMartin
2nd Cornet Colleen Land
2nd Cornet Dan Head
3rd Cornet Scott Brickner
3rd Cornet Jeff Markwick
Flugel David Cook
Solo Horn Megan Fritz
Tenor Horn Derek Kolp
Tenor Horn Stephanie Erspamer
Solo Baritone Jeff Shue
Baritone Chris Travella
Solo Trombone Scott Voytush
Trombone Dallas Long
Bass Trombone Doug Holman
Solo Euphonium Zack Coldren
Euphonium Duane Sitkiewicz
Bass Chris Jackson
Bass Tyler Schreiber
Bass Steve Molnar
Bass Brian Gorski
Bass Tom Silvey
Percussion Caleb Goncz
Percussion Jack Tallman
Percussion Spencer Eaton
Percussion Dave Mace
Percussion Brad Halls

Five Lakes Silver Band (FLSB) is a nationally acclaimed British style brass band established in Rochester Hills, Michigan in 2006. The band’s name refers to the Great Lakes which surround Michigan. Each week, music educators, freelance musicians, and people who make their livelihood outside of music travel to rehearse from all around the Great Lakes region.

As well as performing in a variety of venues such as concert halls, cathedrals, amphitheaters, schools, libraries, and parks, FLSB is also a championship-level contesting band that regularly competes in the North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) Championships, Dublin Festival of Bands (DFOB) Championships, the Hannaford Festival of Bands in Toronto, Canada, and the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships.

In 2012 and 2013, FLSB won the Hannaford Cup. In 2013, the band won the First Section at the NABBA Championships, capturing its first national title. 2022 was the beginning of a new era for the band, as they were crowned Grand Champions at DFOB, placed second in the First Section at the NABBA Championships and were crowned Grand Champions and Most Entertaining Band at The U.S. Open Brass Band Championships. In 2023, Five Lakes won the treble, by successfully defending their titles at DFOB and the U.S. Open, and also winning the Championship Section at the North American Brass Band Championships.

Christopher Ward became the Musical Director of the Five Lakes Silver Band in July of 2019. Under his leadership, Five Lakes won the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships in 2022, Dublin Festival of Brass in 2022 and 2023, and most recently, the North American Brass Band Championships in 2023. Christopher was also named a national finalist for the 2023 American Prize in Conducting a band/wind ensemble. 

In March of 2018, Christopher and his family moved to Michigan, where he assumed the role of Senior Director of Music and Gospel Arts for the Great Lakes Division of the Salvation Army. As part of his responsibilities, he is the conductor of the Great Lakes Divisional Band and is the founder and conductor of the Great Lakes Divisional Choir. Christopher also serves on the North American Brass Band Association Board of Directors and is the chairman of the Great Lakes Brass Band Association. He is an ambassador for Denis Wick Products, an artist for Work of Art Custom Batons and plays cornet with the Brass Band of Battle Creek. 

Prior to his appointment in Michigan, Christopher served as an Assistant Music Director for the Salvation Army in Greater New York for 16 years, and concurrently served as conductor for several groups, including the Greater New York Youth Band and the Hempstead Citadel Band. He was a member of the New York Staff Band for 23 years, 11 of those as its Eb Soprano Cornet Soloist. Christopher has performed or conducted in 23 different countries, and in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Tabernacle, Royal Festival Hall, The Royal Albert Hall and Buckingham Palace. He has had the privilege of performing with the New York Philharmonic, The Canadian Brass, The Kings Singers and Sir Elton John. 

Christopher received his formal music training at New York's Mannes College of Music and The State University of New York - Purchase, where he received degrees in Fine Arts of Music & Trumpet Performance. In recent years, he has studied conducting privately with Professor David King.

Adam Frey is Associate Professor at the University of North Georgia and a Yamaha Performing Artist.  He has performed on 6 continents and 45 countries with wind bands, brass bands, and orchestras.  Adam has been guest soloist at major festivals including four times at the Midwest Clinic and was recently elected Vice-President/President Elect of the International Tuba Euphonium Association and was name Head of Jury for the prestigious Jeju International Brass Competition in South Korea.

Adam has also been the Host and Artistic Director of the International Euphonium Tuba (IET) Festival for 20 years at Emory University and has more than 200 arrangements and commissions written for him.

Velvet Brown is the David P. Stone Endowed Professor for the School of Music at Penn State and the Associate Director of the School of Music for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Brown is also Artist Faculty at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. Velvet Brown enjoys a career as professor, international soloist, composer/arranger, chamber ensemble performer, recording artist, conductor, and orchestral player. She has performed and taught in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Finland, France, England, Hungary, Slovenia, Russia, Japan, Cuba, Canada, and the United States. Ms. Brown is currently the principal tubist of the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra. Brown was honored to be principal tuba with the Hope and Harmony Ensemble which recorded a video of fanfares for the 2021 Presidential Inauguration conducted by Marin Alsop. She has served as principal tuba with the River City Brass band, guest principal with the Lahti Philharmonic in Finland, the Detroit Symphony, San Francisco Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra, and as substitute or additional tubist with the Saint Louis Symphony and Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Velvet Brown has been an invited solo artist or tuba solo artist adjudicator at the International Tuba and Euphonium Conferences since1998. She has also served as guest conductor for festivals in the United States in Maine, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania as well as abroad in Austria, Finland, Italy, Slovenia, Japan, and Canada. Brown is a founding member of Boston Brass and is founder and current member of Stiletto Brass Quintet, Monarch Brass Quintet and Brass Ensemble, the Quintet of Americas and the Pennsylvania Brassworks. Moreover, she is also a founding board member of the International Women’s Brass Conference. Velvet also serves as the Artistic Director of the Chromatic Brass Collective. She has released five solo CDs and has collaborated on several other recordings as a soloist and ensemble member, such as Stiletto Brass Quintet featuring Doc Severinsen, trumpet, on one of her original compositions, Testimony (Howard Johnson and Gravity) as lead tuba, and a solo tuba jazz recording, Lonnie’s Lament with the Cleveland Jazz Ensemble. Velvet Brown is a Buffet/Crampon Performing Artist, performing on the MW 2250 and 2182 F tubas, and the MW 2000 and MW 3450 CC tubas. She is also a performing artist for Denis Wick mouthpieces, mutes, and accessories.

Mark Glover gained his Bmus(hons) degree from the Welsh College of Music in 2002 where he was guided by Andy Fawbert and Robert Childs. He also played with bands like Tongwynlais, Cory and Tredegar.

In December 2011, Mark moved to live in Singapore, where he became the Principal Lecturer of Euphonium at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the euphonium tutor for the Singapore Armed Forces Band. He helped create Lion City Brass, which is a traditional brass band, the first in the region.

Mark was a finalist in the ITEC 2012 euphonium competition in Austria and has performed in Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia. In 2015, Mark gave the world premiere of Zaidi Sabtu-Ramli’s Euphonium Concerto in Brazil and was a guest artist at the ITEC 2016.

After 5 years in Singapore, Mark moved to Dubai. During this time, Mark recorded his first solo CD which is called ‘Hustle’. Mark performed with a wide variety of ensembles in Dubai, including an ethnic fusion group but his highlights were a concerto performance in Taiwan in 2018, ITEC 2019 in the USA and a solo recital in Pune, India.

In 2021, Mark moved back to the UK and works with the Staffordshire Music Service. He performed at The Royal Albert Hall with the WFEL Fairey Band and is currently the solo euphonium of the world famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

He plays exclusively on a Custom Sterling Virtuoso euphonium and K&G mouthpiece. His website can be found at www.markglovermusic.co.uk.