Having had a number of problems with venues and dates, the 2007 Essex Trombonefest is set to go ahead on Sunday 25 February. The event will take place at Brentwood School, which will provide ample parking, rehearsal space and refreshments: Brentwood School Music Department, Huddleston Building - First Floor, Ingrave Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 8AS.

Brentwood is easily accessed by road from the M25 (from Junction 28 of the M25, follow the A1023 to the centre of Brentwood. From the A12, turn off at A1023 towards Ingatestone and follow the road to the centre of Brentwood) and by public transport. As the school is quite close to both Brentwood and Shenfield stations, it is reachable in less than half an hour from Liverpool Street Station in London.

Trombonists of all ages, experience and musical backgrounds are welcome. Once again there will be a massed trombone choir. Trombonists from all walks of life including players from London orchestras and professional jazz musicians will join young trombonists who have just had a few lessons. There are easy parts in all clefs and some more difficult parts for those who like a challenge. Just turn up and play on the day.

A wide variety of music will be on offer with new arrangements to add to the library - more jazz, rock and some interesting classical arrangements as well.

There is no charge for this event.

For further information, contact Matthew Lewis (01277 364646/07849 774777) or Jeremy Lewis (01277 364646/07710 234076 or lewis_s@ntlworld.com).

Kevin Price and Chris Mowat are heading up a Trombone Day in Bath for school pupils across the West of England. Organised by the Bath and North East Somerset Music Service (BANES), the day will feature the RWCMD 9-piece trombone choir as well as workshops, ensembles and masterclasses for pupils.

Friday 16th March, 10.00am - 3.30pm
Hayesfield Upper School
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Trombone Choir
Kevin Price (Head of Brass at the RWCMD), Chris Mowat

The day is open to anyone attending school in the Bath and North East Somerset area and adjoining authorities (Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset and Wiltshire as well as Wells Cathedral School. The cost is £7.50 for BANES pupils and £10 for non BANES pupils.

The lyrical trombone concerto by Scottish composer Buxton Orr will be performed in a couple of weeks by David Read in a concert in St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden.

Originally written in 1971 for Denis Wick, the concerto will be performed alongside George Lloyd’s Forest of Arden and Berlioz’ Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale (which includes an extended trombone solo in the central slow movement) in a concert given by the City of London Symphonic Winds.

Sunday 4th Feburary 2007, 7.30pm
St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, London

Lloyd Forest of Arden
Orr Trombone Concerto soloist David Read
Berlioz Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale

John Andrews conductor
City of London Symphonic Winds
Tickets £8, £4 concessions. For advance tickets: www.clsw.org.uk or 020 8980 2623.

The 4th Northern Ireland BTS day will take place in Bann House, Portadown on Sunday 4th February 2007, starting at 11 am. Visiting artists include Brett Baker, Gordon Campbell, Bob Hughes, Simon Johnson, Jason Sinclair, Steve Mathieson & the 1st Old Boys Band.

Further details from Stephen Cairns:
northernireland@britishtrombonesociety.org

When London sackbut player Tom Lees’ wife was diagnosed with cancer, friends and colleagues in the early music and brass world sacrificed their modesty to appear in a new artistic endevour to raise money for her treatment. Their charity calendar follows in the footsteps of the famous Yorkshire Women’s Institute, although blushes are saved this time by tasteful positioning of beautiful instruments, including a range of trombones!

The 2007 calendar “For Katy” is available for £12.50, of which £10 goes straight into the fund for Katy Tansey’s healthcare.

Boston Symphony Orchestra bass trombonist Douglas Yeo arrives in Britain this week to take part in some brass band and workshop events.

His primary destination is the Butlins resort in Skegness (east coast of England, just north of Boston), where the Mineworker’s Brass Band Festival is taking place (19-22 January 2007). Doug is deeply involved with the charity Brass Band Aid which is raising funds to build a school in Adet, Ethiopia under the auspices of World Vision. All of his appearances in Skegness are in support of Brass Band Aid. Here’s an overview of Doug’s schedule:

Friday, 19 January 2007 (9.15pm): Brass Band Aid Celebrity Band Concert. Conducted by Richard Evans, this band is made up of top brass band players from England. The trombone section will consist of Nick Hudson, Bob Thompson (the founder of Brass Band Aid), Alan Fernie and Douglas Yeo.

Saturday, 20 January 2007 (3.00pm): The Big Blow. This is an attempt to organise the world’s largest brass band (over 2000 players) for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. This is a fund-raiser for Brass Band Aid and should be great fun.

Saturday, 20 January 2007 (evening): Interview and performance with Stan Lippeat. An interview (along with Nick Childs and several others) where Doug will discuss a number of things and then perform Bill Geldard’s arrangement of In The Hall of the Mountain King with brass band. He will also present Brass Band Aid with a check for £1,500 which has been raised by the New England Brass Band (of which he is music director).

Sunday, 21 January 2007 (evening): Concert with Bones Apart. Doug Yeo joins the celebrated trombone quartet for a set of trombone quintets arranged by Stephen Bulla.

All of the above events occur concurrently with the Mineworker’s contest that will feature 50 brass bands through the weekend at the Butlins resort. More information on these events may be found at:

Brass Band Aid
4 Bars Rest (1), 4 Bars Rest (2)
Butlins
The Big Blow

After the events at Butlins, Doug heads to the west and south of the country for some teaching and other performances:

Tuesday, 23 January 2007 (morning and afternoon): Teaching at Chethams School of Music in Manchester.

Tuesday, 23 January 2007 (7.30pm): Performance at Chethams School of Music with the Pennine Brass Band (Ian Porthouse, conductor). Doug Yeo will be playing three solos at the concert: Adrian Drover’s tribute to George Roberts, Mr Nice Guy, Goff Richard’s Rainy Day in Rio and Bill Geldard’s In The Hall of the Mountain King.

Thursday, 25 January 2007 (7.00pm): Trombone workshop at the Taunton School with Nick Hudson and Douglas Yeo.

Anyone attending any of these events in invited to please come up and say hello!

Norwegian trombonist Runar Værnes has been making an impact in Britain with his contest performances with the Stockport-based Leyland Band over the past couple of years. He will be flying in once again this month to perform a solo item with the band as part of the RNCM Festival of Brass. The piece is Håkan Berge’s Trombel, for trombone and band (1990), a 12 minute solo originally written for Leif Værum Larsen, Runar’s former teacher in Stavanger.

It’s quite an accessible contemporary piece. Slow, cold but bold Nordic sounds that build up to a nice cadenza and a very rhythmical and a rather complex part, which will test the band.
Runar Værnes

Sunday 28th January 2007 12:00 pm
Haden Freeman Concert Hall, RNCM, Manchester, UK

Håkan Berge (b. 1955) studied at the Rogaland Conservatory of Music in Stavanger, Norway and is best known for his work with stage music. As composer, conductor and MD, Berge has worked at all the main theatres in Norway and has developed a relationship with the Stavanger Brass Band for whom he wrote the Great Colour-Gobbler March (1996) and Four Unexpected Dances (1994).

The 28 year-old Royal Norwegian Air Force Band 1st trombone plays some concerts and contests with both Leyland Band and as Principal Euphonium with the Stavanger Band since 2005. With Leyland, Runar won the Don Lusher Memorial Trophy at Brass in Concert 2006 and Best Instrumentalist in the National Brass Band Championships 2005.

Some of the UK’s finest classical and jazz trombonists are joining forces to form a 16-piece trombone choir performance in Leicester on Sunday 28 January, writes Dan Baker.

Included in the line up are:

• All four members of the Syd Lawrence Orchestra trombone section
• Roger Harvey and Dan Jenkins, BBC Symphony Orchestra
• Lindsay Shilling, Principal Trombone of the Royal Opera House and London Brass
  Ensemble
• Chris Fower, former Bass Trombone with Grimethorpe and now London-based pro
• Jim Gribben, principal trombone Central Band of the RAF
• Well known Midlands-based pro Stewart Drummond
• Freelance / session players Tim Smart and Chris Hickman

The trombone choir is directed by bass trombone legend Bob Hughes. The group will be sharing the stage with PLC Brass - a new ten-piece ensemble drawing players from several top Midlands’ brass bands, led by Peter Collins.

All the musicians are giving their time for free in support of T.R.O.M.B.O.N.E.S, which stands for: The Relatives of Murdered Britons Overseas Needing Emergency Support. The fundraising project is organised by the Matthew Fulham Foundation, a charity set-up by the family and friends of Matt Fulham, a young trombonist from Hinckley in Leicestershire who was killed by a suicide bomber in Egypt on the eve of his 18th birthday.

28th January 2007, 7.30pm
Y Theatre, East Street, Leicester, UK
Tickets: £10 from box office 0116 255 7066

This event is supported by Leicester-based brass band Foresters Brass 2000.

Gordon Campbell, Principal Trombone of the BBC Big Band, will be guest soloist next month in concerts in South Shields with the Customs House Community Big Band.

27 & 28 February 2007, 7.30pm.
Customs House Community Big Band with guest Gordon Campbell.
Customs House Theatre, South Shields.
£8, £6 concessions, £5 Friends.
More information on the Customs House Community Big Band website.