Spain’s Alicante is the venue for a week of trombone masterclasses this July. The likes of Ben van Dijk, Jörgen van Rijen, Carol Jarvis and Spanish Brass will be coaching a mix of students and younger brass players at the 8th Edition of the Cursos Internacionales de Joventuts Musicals.

Artists: Ben van Dijk (bass trombone), Jörgen van Rijen (tenor trombone), Javier Colomer (bass trombone), Carol Jarvis (jazz trombone), Jaume Gavilán (tenor trombone), Hendrik Jan Renes (tuba), Spanish Brass Luur Metalls (brass quintet).

16-20 July 2008
Centro Cultural “El Teular” de Cocentaina (Alicante)
Advanced students and professionals €200, medium students €150
Masterclasses, private Lessons, ensembles, clinics, exhibits, concerts and more.

For full information, schedule, meals & accommodation visit www.esmucomtat.com, e-mail: info@esmucomtat.com or telephone +34 607222273.

Gordon Campbell will be in Somerset next month, featured in a trombone quartet performance.

The second ‘Trombonicity’ event, also featuring trombone solos and piano will take place on Tuesday 27th May at St Mary’s Church, Bruton, Somerset. The ensemble will also feature Garfield Austin, Keith Thomas and Andy Fawbert, with Elizabeth Hayley at the keyboard and the bass vocals of Christopher Sheldrake. The music will range from Haydn to Thelonius Monk.

stunning passages…breathtaking pyrotechnics…an entertaining and exhilarating evening from start to finish…” (Frome Festival review)

Tuesday 27th May 2008, 7.30pm
St Mary’s Church, Bruton, near Wincanton, Somerset
Tickets £8 (£5) on the door

This Sunday, 10-piece ensemble Westminster Brass will be celebrating the 60th birthday of Chris Hazell, famous for his Brass Cats and connection with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. The Blackheath concert also features the music of Byrd, Bach and Gershwin.

Sunday 20th April, 4pm
Westminster Brass
All Saints, Blackheath, SE3, London
Tickets on the door £5/£3

At the BTS London Trombone Day on 24 February, Ian Bousfield interviewed Denis Wick in a highly entertaining 45-minute session, which has now been encoded and is available for download in MP3 format: Ian Bousfield interviews Denis Wick (8MB).

The British Trombone Society presents:

A spectacular day of trombone music and playing

Leicester Grammar School

Saturday 3rd May 2008

• Celebrating the lyrical trombone playing of the late Don Lusher
• The trombone in the Brass Band

Artists confirmed include:
Nick Hudson (former Principal Trombone of YBS and Fodens Bands),
Bob Hughes (Royal Academy of Music - Trombone Professor)
Brett Baker (Principal Trombone of the Black Dyke Band)
Chris Jeans (Principal Trombone of GUS Band and formerly of Desford and Black Dyke Bands)
Gordon Campbell (Principal Trombone of the BBC Big Band),
Jeremy Price (Jazz trombone soloist and Head of Jazz, Birmingham Conservatoire),
The Ratby Co-operative Brass Band

The programme for the day is as follows:
10.00am Introduction and massed trombone choir led by Bob Hughes (juniors with Chris Jeans)
10.45am Chris Jeans and Brett Baker. Demonstration and discussion of Brass Band repertoire and new compositions
11.30am Nick Hudson workshop on the art of solo playing, using volunteers
12.30pm lunch
1.30pm Improvisation workshop with Jeremy Price
2.30pm Don Lusher Competition
4.00pm Junior choir lead by Chris Jeans
4.00pm Senior choir led by Bob Hughes
5.00pm Workshop with Gordon Campbell
(5.00pm Rehearsal with Ratby and Don Lusher finalist)
6.00pm Concert. Brett Baker, Nick Hudson, Chris Jeans and Don Lusher prize winner.
The evening concert will also feature the Ratby Co-operative Brass Band (Championship Section) and the artists in a full concert.

The three Don Lusher prize finalists will be performing an arrangement of either Stardust or Harlem Nocturne, by one of the judges: world-famous arranger and composer, Bill Geldard. The other judges are Gordon Campbell, lead trombone with the BBC Big Band, and Jeremy Price, International Soloist and Head of Jazz at Birmingham Conservatoire. The main prize is a new top-of-the range tenor trombone, kindly donated by Yamaha UK Ltd. The Don Lusher prize will be awarded by Don’s widow, Diana Lusher.

There will be a number of trade stands present with instruments, sheet music and CDs to try and buy.

Date: Saturday 3 May 2008
Times: 10.00am - 8.00pm
Venue: Leicester Grammar School, 8 Peacock Lane, Leicester, LE1 5PX - directions on the Leicester Grammar School website.
Prices: Admission to the workshops and daytime events is free to BTS members and £10 to non members. Tickets for the evening concert and competition final will be by ticket, available on the door at £5 for all.
For further information, please contact Brett Baker by email: chair@britishtrombonesociety.org

Trombone students able to get to Taiwan this summer are invited to the a week of advanced training with some international faculty:

Dietmar Kublbock, Principal Trombone, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Haim Avitsur, concert trombonist / faculty, CUNY-Queens College New York
David Taylor, bass trombone soloist, New York

The 2008 Summer Trombone Workshop in Taiwan takes place 9th-17th July at Shih-Chien University in Taipei, Taiwan. Full information at the workshop’s website.

Billed as an opportunity “to become the next Christian Lindberg”, the Christian Lindberg Solo Competition took place last week, and another Swede took the amazing prize of 6000 Euro, a new Conn 88HCL and five concerto appearances around Spain and Scandinavia.

The talented winner is Håkan Björkman who is the principal trombone for the Stockholm Opera and Chamber Orchestra of Europe (in the section with Helen Vollam).

Competition was fierce, and the jury of Joseph Alessi, Jörgen van Rijen, Michel Becquet, Salvatore Tarraso and Christian Lindberg picked 2 finalists from Sweden as well as one each from France, Mexico, Greece and Luxembourg.

Lindberg eulogised on the high standards: “It breaks my heart to see incredible players such as the principal trombonists in the Madrid and the Warsaw Philharmonics or french prizewinner of the Porcia competition defeated, but this time the quality seems to be so incredibly high.”

BTS spoke briefly to the Håkan about his win and what it means to him.

“I feel that this is great start to maybe develop my solo career a bit further. And all the praise from the jury members is awesome! Since Lindberg has such a great impact on the trombone world and winning a prize in his name - it is a bit hard to really comprehend. I’m very happy!”

Where did it all start?

“I grew up in Arboga, 90 minutes from Stockholm and studied with John Petersen as a teenager. I spent a bit of time studying in Chicago and at Interlochen, before returning to the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and studied with Jan Andersson and Sven-Erik Eriksson in Stockholm. I started subbing in the orchestras aged about 19/20 and won various jobs soon afterwards.”

And was Christian Lindberg an influence at all, living so close?

“I am very inflences by Christian. What he expresses on stage with his music making can not leave anyone untouched. It just grabs you.”

Now you’ve won this competition, do you hope to do less orchestral work and more solo?

“I am very happy working at the opera and COE. The opera is a complete art-form and our orchestra, as well as the ensemble, have become enhanced artistically the last 5-6 years - definitately a nice place to work at. And the COE, what can you say? Probably the best chamber orchestra in the world. Being with them is always a top experience on all levels. The music, flexibility to adjust anything in an instant, as well of the unique sound of the strings, the smooth winds and the timpani - it is really arresting stuff.

But I do feel more interested in doing new challenges on my instrument more than ever before. I won the Swedish solo prize last year so I am doubly happy today!

There will be plenty of brass playing to greet the Olympic Flame in London this weekend. There will be four brass groups on Sunday involved in the march through London in the celebrations:

• Redbridge Brass Band a Championship brass band
• Superbrass, a 10-piece composed of top London orchestral and session players
• Dennis Rollins’ band
• Balkan Brass

Between 11.30 and 12.00, the brass groups will play their own thing and come together for a joint piece. At 1pm there will be a massive trumpet fanfare from a raised platform in Trafalgar Square.

The march commences from Wembley Stadium at 10.30am and finishes at the Dome by 6pm. So do come and support, but watch out protesters…

Glasgow sees an brass festival at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama in a couple of weeks time. The RSAMD Brass Department, in association with both the National Association of Brass Band Conductors and The Scottish Amateur band Association, present an day packed with brass music.

There will be concerts on the hour, every hour from a variety of bands and ensembles including the Scottish Champions and Open Champions Whitburn Band and Kirkintilloch Band, Scotia Brass (an all star Salvation Army Band), West Lothian Schools Band and Royal Scottish Academy Brass. There are workshops and masterclasses from artists including Simone Ribello and James Gourlay, and the day starts at 1.00pm. What’s more, it’s all free!

Sunday April 20th 2008
Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, Glasgow
Free admission for all events (one ticket gains access to the whole day).

Concerts -
1pm RSAMD Brass, conducted by Bryan Allen, with Davur Magnussen (trombone)
2pm The National Youth Brass of Scotland, conducted by Richard Evans
3pm Scotia Brass (All Star Salvation Army band), conducted by Allan Ramsey
4.30pm West Lothian Schools Brass Band , conducted by Nigel Boddice, with Simone Ribello (percussion) and David Thornton (euphonium)
6pm The Kirkintilloch Band present a session on the testpiece for the forthcoming European Championships
7.30pm The Whitburn Band, directed by Andrew Duncan, with Simone Ribello, percussion

Workshops (Guinness Room)
2.30pm Alan Fernie - Repertoire for Junior Band
3.30pm James Gourlay - Techniques of Teaching
5.30pm David Thornton (euphonium) - in Recital
6.15pm Simone Rebello (percussion) - Meet the Player

Full information available from the RSAMD.

Brass Collective invites Londoners to avoid the chaotic Friday evening rush hour next week!

Browse the paintings, grab a coffee and then hear some quality brass music at the National Portrait Gallery.

Brass Collective
Friday 11th April 2008, 6.30pm
Admission: FREE
National Portrait Gallery, near Trafalgar Square, London

Brass Collective was formed at the Royal Academy of Music by some leading young players, many of whom have played with the country’s leading orchestras. ‘BC’ will be directed on the night by Richard Ward.

Heaton Toccata
Bourgeois Concerto Grosso
Henze Ragtimes and Habaneras
Duration: 1 hour