In memory of Don Lusher, a fund has been established to provide musical training to disadvantaged young people. The Don Lusher Big Band conducted by Tony Fisher will be making a short series of special performances in aid of the new fund.

Announced by Diana Lusher with the backing of the trombonist’s family, the Don Lusher Memorial Fund will provide for instruments, equipment and hours of tuition for marginalized people, to build a better future through engagement with music.

Without his early involvement with The Salvation Army, it’s quite possible that Don would never have learned to play the trombone. We have decided that the fund should rest with the Salvation Army, because of Don’s early involvement and because they have tremendous experience over many years, both in working with disadvantaged young people, and in music performance and composition.

Diana Lusher

Further details of the Don Lusher Memorial Fund and how to donate are at the end of Sheila Tracy’s Don Lusher obituary. The special five-date tour of Don Lusher Big Band concerts in aid of the fund are as follows:

London: Sunday 15 April 2007, 2.00pm, Cadogan Hall (near Sloane Square), Box Office 020 7730 4500
Leicester: Saturday 30 June 2007, 5.30pm, De Montfort Hall, Box Office 0116 2333111
Croydon: Saturday 14 July 2007, 8.00pm, Fairfield Halls, Box Office 020 86889291
Essex: Sunday 15 July 2007, TBA, Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff-on-Sea, Box Office 01702 351135
South coast: TBA

The Don Lusher Big Band
Conducted by Tony Fisher
Presented by Sheila Tracy
Guest singer Sheila Southern
In aid of the Don Lusher Memorial Fund

Music will be taken from the Don Lusher Big Band library and there will be a tribute to the Ted Heath Band in the second half of the performance.

The LSO Brass Ensemble will be treating listeners in London and Bath to a selection of popular arrangements and the James Maynard’s new suite Zoology.

18 March 2007, 7.30 PM
Barbican Hall, London
Tickets: £6, £12, £18

25 May 2007, 7.30pm
Bath Abbey, Bath

Nigel Gomm Fanfare
Saint-Saens (arr. Simon Wright) Carnival of the Animals
James Maynard Zoology
Debussy (arr. Christopher Mowat) Keyboard Pieces
Prokofiev (arr. Paul Archibald) 6 Movements from Ten Pieces for Piano, Op 12
Gershwin (arr. Mark Nightingale) Porgy and Bess - Suite

LSO Brass Ensemble

Eric Crees and Simon Wills will be teaching at the International Trombone Seminar in Cornwall this summer. Based in the spacious facilities of Truro School during 15th-20th July 2007, the course is open to all trombonists. In the week’s programme there will also be opportunities to work on music brought along by participants.

Anyone looking for a trombone course in 2007 should attend this one. Simon Wills and Eric Crees (together with Peter Gane) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama constitute unarguably the most successful trombone teaching partnership anywhere in the world. Their former students hold positions in the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Beethovenhalle Bonn, Berliner Symphoniker and dozens of other orchestras around the world.

The cost is £495 (sterling) which will include tuition, accommodation and all meals. A deposit of £100 is payable to reserve a place. For more information please contact Paul Thomas, 34 Hill Hay Close, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1EN, GB. Telephone/fax 01726 833553. Email: paulthomasesq@talktalk.net

Following a successful event in Belfast last week, the latest issue of the BTS newsletter The Trombonist has brought news of BTS Trombone Days in other parts of the UK this year:

Manchester
11 April 2007, Royal Northern College of Music
Free to BTS members
18.30 Trombone choir rehearsal of Saint-Saens’ Organ Symphony
19.30 Recording of Saint-Saens, set for inclusion on new CD
20.30 Workshop run by Black Dyke trombone section
Contact Brett Baker for details.

Bristol
12 May 2007, Salvation Army
13.30 Mass trombone choir
19.30 Concert with Bristol Eastern Brass Band, Boscombe Salvation Army Songsters, Don Jenkins Trombone Ensemble with special guests Dudley Bright, Brett Baker and Bill Geldard.
Tickets for the concert and free massed blow from Cathy Britton tel: 01454 619084.
Contact Brett Baker for further details.

Scotland
13 May 2007
Featuring: Mike Suter (ex. Stan Kenton bass trombone) and Bones Apart
Contact Chris Stearn for further details.

Dorset
27 May 2007, Crown Hotel, Blandford Forum
Mass trombone choirs, masterclasses, solo performances and trade stands. Bob Hughes, Kevin Morgan, Jonathan Warburton and much much more.
Contact Paul Coker for more details.

More events are planned for the second half of the year. Here is a taster:

• East Midlands Trumpet and trombone course with tutors to include John Dickinson, Chris Houlding, Pete Lacey, Paul Nevins, Will Mee (all TBC). Doveridge, Derbyshire. Contact: Peter Lacey.
• West Midlands September, with Joe Alessi. Contact: Simon Hogg.
• East 7 October, Oundle School (near Peterborough). Contact: Ben Bouzan.
• South Derbyshire Autumn, Music Centre, Swadlincote. Brass event in association with Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Department. Contact: Peter Lacey.
• Nottingham Autumn, Trombone Workshop Day, Nottingham High School. Contact: Peter Lacey.

As Ian Bousfield’s concerto appearance with the London Symphony Orchestra on 9 March approaches, interest in the première is mounting.

Classical Music Magazine features the concert as their “Première of the fortnight” in today’s issue. The lyrical 20 minute piece for trombone and orchestra is described by its composer Jonathan Dove:

I got this idea of a trombone searching the night sky and the orchestra conjuring the constellations in response. It was actually only after I had this idea that I found out that Ian is often referred to as a stargazer.

The star soloist is also featured in the forthcoming issue of the Brass Herald with a candid interview, in which Ian reveals that until recently the planets hadn’t aligned for him to perform one of the gems of the symphonic repertoire:

I miss the camaraderie in England and the balanced musical diet from Shirley Bassey one day to Bruckner the next! But out here I’ve finally had my first Schumann 3! Twenty three years as a 1st trombonist and it’s never appeared on the schedule! I got a buzz from sitting on that top E flat!

On the day of the concerto, trombonists are invited to a whole day of events led by and featuring Ian Bousfield, Dudley Bright, Jim Maynard and Bob Hughes in the Trombone Extravaganza!

Friday 9 March 2007, 7:30pm
Barbican Hall, London

Steve Reich Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards
Jonathan Dove Stargazer (world première)
Mahler Symphony No 4

Michael Tilson Thomas conductor
Ian Bousfield trombone
Sally Matthews soprano
London Symphony Orchestra

Jamie Savan (cornetto) and Adam Woolf (sackbut) will be tutoring on a weekend course for all Renaissance wind players this April. Organised by the Gonzaga Band, the course will feature rehearsals and performances of poly-choral works of Gabrieli, Grillo and their North Italian contemporaries.

Having built on the success of two previous courses, the course has been renamed the Newark International Early Music Course to reflect participants coming from Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany, Spain and Australia! Past participants have included a healthy mix of amateurs, students and young professionals.

Based in the beautiful East Midlands town of Newark (UK), performances will take place in the Sunday morning service of the parish church, and (weather permitting) from the church tower, in what has become something of a Newark tradition.

Newark International Early Music Course 2007
20-22nd April
For Renaissance wind instrumentalists including cornetto and sackbut
The Gonzaga Band

Full information on the Gonzaga Band website.

Following last year’s success, the Dutch New Trombone Collective have announced their second trombone festival Slide Factory 2007. The festival will take place from 3-6 May 2007 in Rotterdam, Netherlands and has been blessed by the International Trombone Association as this year’s official International Trombone Festival for Europe.

The festival features a range of performances and workshops from both International and Dutch artists. The concerts will include with five world premières from distinguished Dutch composers, including a spectacular outdoor massed trombone ensemble including trombonists who attend the festival. There will be master classes and clinics, given by the featured artists, including Michel Becquet, Mark Nightingale and Wycliffe Gordon. Trombone manufacturers from across the world will allow visitors to try their latest products in the trade stand exhibition.

Concerts during Slide Factory 2007
The Festival opens on Thursday with a tribute to Urbie Green by Mark Nightingale, Bart van Lier and the New Trombone Collective. Friday brings a jazz concert by Bart van Lier, Mark Nightingale and Wycliffe Gordon accompanied by the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra. On Saturday there will be a gala concert with Michel Bequet, Mark Nightingale and the New Trombone Collective, whilst Sunday will provide the grand finale with concerts by Les Saqueboutiers de Toulouse, Ben van Dijk, Jos Jansen and the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Special guests:
Michel Becquet, Mark Nightingale, Wycliffe Gordon, Bart van Lier, Ilja Reijngoud, Jörgen van Rijen, Ben van Dijk, Jos Jansen, New Trombone Collective, Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse, Quartuor Kimoiz, Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra and the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Slide Factory 2007, International Trombone Festival - Europe
Dates: 3-6 May 2007
Locations: De Doelen, Laurenskerk, Schouwburgplein; Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

There are two opportunities coming up to hear up close the Philharmonia Orchestra’s principal trombonist Byron Fulcher. This coming weekend he will be in Bedfordshire with a quintet made up of the orchestra’s principal brass players. He will follow this a couple of weeks later by presenting a masterclass in orchestral trombone playing at the Royal College of Music in London.

The Soloists of the Philharmonia Orchestra Brass Ensemble

Sunday 18 February 2007, 3.00pm
Church of St Michael and All Angels, Shefford, Bedfordshire

Mark David trumpet
Mark Calder trumpet
Laurence Davies horn
Byron Fulcher trombone
John Jenkins tuba

Scheidt Battle Suite
Pachelbel Canon
Ewald Quintet
Copland Simple Gifts
Weill A Little Threepenny Opera
Gershwin Quintessential Gershwin

Full details are available from the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Orchestral masterclass

Friday 2 March 2007, 2.00pm
Recital Hall, Royal College of Music, London
Brass Faculty Masterclass
Byron Fulcher trombone
The trombone in orchestral repertoire

One of the best known brass scholars is giving a lecture as part of a prestigious series at the Royal College of Music later this month. Trevor Herbert is best known for jointly editing the Cambridge Companion to Brass Instruments (with John Wallace) and last year earned much more praise for his ground-breaking book The Trombone. In this lecture, Herbert will talk about research and scholarship for performers.

27 February 2007, 6.30pm
Royal College of Music Recital Hall, London
Crees Lecture 2007
Professor Trevor Herbert, The Open University

Researching and Writing About Music: Scholarship for Performers

A graduate of the Royal College of Music, Trevor Herbert has played trombone with many of the UK’s leading orchestras. He’s also a hugely respected author and academic who joined the staff of the Open University thirty years ago. His books include The Trombone and Music in Words, an indispensable bible for musicians faced with the challenge of communicating in words what music is all about.

The Crees Lecture is an annual tradition at the RCM dating back many decades in which a renowned musician is invited to speak about a major aspect of today’s profession.

There will be a drinks reception following the lecture. Tickets are free, but should be reserved in advance. Call the Box Office weekdays 10am-4pm on 020 7591 4314 from 15 January.

The Royal College Brass Ensemble has a Valentine’s date with London Brass. Their joint concert is perfect for listeners who want to avoid the soppy romantic fare usually on offer on February 14th. The programme culminates in Bernstein’s dazzling dances inspired by sailors looking for fun on a night out in On The Town.

14 February 2007, 7.00pm
Royal College of Music Concert Hall, London
RCM Brass Ensemble and London Brass
Nigel Black conductor (Bernstein)
London Brass
RCM Brass Ensemble

Handel Concerto Grosso arr. A P Stagnes
Richard Rodney Bennett Concerto for Ten Brass Players
Bernstein Three Dance Episodes from On The Town (arr. Eric Crees)