News

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

The British Trombone Society is pleased to announce the 2008 National Competition for Young Trombonists

Open to all tenor and bass trombone players up to the age of 16, the competition aims to seek out the next generation of talent, showcase their skills and provide support from some of the top names in the industry.

Mark Templeton, Carol Jarvis and Bruce Fraser will be judging both the CD recording round and live final. Bruce Fraser has written a piece specifically for this competition called Hellas, available now from Lomond Music.

To enter the competition, submit your recording of Hellas by 30 June 2008. The live final will take place at the BTS trombone day, Oundle School (Northamptonshire) on 5 October 2008.

Full details and an application form can be downloaded from the Competitions page.

The British Trombone Society presents:

The Trombones of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra & Guests

Sunday 24 February 2008
The Royal Academy of Music
Marylebone Road, London NW1 5WT

10.30 Registration and coffee
11.00 Massed trombone choir – director Denis Wick
12.30 Break (lunch not provided – plenty of restaurants nearby)
14.00 Talk and demonstration by Gordon Campbell (BBC Big Band)
15.00 Discussion with Ian Bousfield and Denis Wick
16.00 Orchestral Workshop with Trombones of Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra:
Ian Bousfield, Hans Ströcker, Jeremy Wilson and Mark Gaal
Also, guest appearance by the London Symphony Orchestra trombone section
17.30 Break
19.30 - 20.30 Quartet Concert – Vienna Philharmonic Trombones – Dukes Hall

Admission to the events 10.30 - 19.30 are by ticket only because the hall is limited to 110 people. To book your ticket, please contact Geoff Wolmark (secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org or telephone 01377 202209). Tickets are free to BTS members or £10 for non-members. The 7.30pm concert is free and ticketless.

The Spring 2008 issue of The Trombonist has been landing on doormats of members of the British Trombone Society today. The magazine includes the latest news, reviews and product adverts. In particular, look out for:

• Tribute to “Crusher” - an extended appreciation of Roger Brenner from two of his close colleagues and friends including plenty of stories from Philip Jones Brass Ensemble tours.
• A discussion of research surveying the changing fortunes of trombonists graduating from the Royal College of Music over the past 50 years.
• Mark Nightingale writes about the CDs that most influenced his career in the first installment of Trombonist’s Island Discs
• As bass trombonist Paul Milner takes up the hot seat at the LSO, Carol Jarvis interviews him about his career so far and thoughts on playing.
• Book/CD reviews including a discussion of Paul Mayes’s unique CD-ROM “You, Me and a Trumpet”

Please note that full details of the new BTS National Competition for Young Trombonists will be published on this page later this week.

The Trombonist is published three times a year. Subscription is included in BTS membership, which costs £22 per year for those in Britain, with substantial reductions for students and under-16s. Full details and the opportunity to sign-up on-line are on the membership page.

Geoff Wolmark reports that tickets for the BTS/RAM Vienna Trombones Day on the 24th February are going quickly. About three-quarters of the 110 places available have been allocated, so get your skates on if you want to attend.

If you have not received your ticket through the post yet, please contact Geoff urgently on 01377 202209 to ensure you don’t miss out.

The tickets are required for the events during the day only, because it takes place in a smaller hall in the Royal Academy. The evening concert at 7.30pm is in the Duke’s Hall which has a much greater capacity and tickets will not be required.

Due to some technical gremlins, some requests for tickets to the Vienna Trombone Day may not have got through. BTS Secretary Geoff Wolmark has suffered problems with his BTS emails, so if you didn’t get a reply of confirmation, then you should email him again.

The event at the RAM on 24th February, featuring the trombones of the Vienna Philharmonic, promises to be a very exciting day, and it is important for those coming that they reserve a ticket for the afternoon events, which are limited to 110 people.

To book your place please contact the BTS secretary, Geoff Wolmark, preferably by email: secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org or tel: 01377 202209. For full details see the original post.

Stephen Cairns is pleased to provide details of this year’s Northern Ireland BTS day.

Once again it is hosted in Bann House in Portadown (many thanks to the Southern Music Service) on Sunday 3rd February 2008, 10:30-4:00.

We are delighted that our guests this year will be the entire Black Dyke trombone section - Brett Baker, Paul Woodward, Garry Reed and Adrian Hirst, as well as a welcome return visit from Bob Hughes (BTS President) to direct the trombone choir.

The Don Lusher Solo Competition, for melodic ballad playing by trombonists up to the age of 22, has attracted a lot of interest since its launch by the BTS last year. The recordings submitted by entrants last month will be judged by Gordon Campbell, Mark Nightingale and Bill Geldard, and the final round will be held at the BTS day at Warwick school on 4th May. The winner will receive a trophy from Diana Lusher and a professional model trombone from Yamaha UK.

On Sunday 24th February 2008 the BTS, with the support of the Royal Academy of Music, are pleased to present an exciting day of trombone playing and workshops featuring the trombones of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra plus other distinguished guests.

Coffee and registration is at 10.30am. The morning’s activities will kick off at 11am with a trombone choir under the direction of Denis Wick. The afternoon programme will feature a class with Gordon Campbell (BBC Big Band), an interview with Denis Wick hosted by Ian Bousfield, followed by an orchestral performance workshop with the trombones of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

At 7.30pm in the Duke’s Hall of the RAM, the Vienna Philharmonic Trombones - Ian Bousfield, Hans Ströcker, Jeremy Wilson and Mark Gaal - will give an hour’s performance of trombone quartet music.

There will be trade stands for you to try out new instruments and equipment, plus the opportunity to buy music and CDs.

Tickets for the daytime events will be limited (max 110). To get your ticket, contact the BTS secretary, Geoff Wolmark, preferably by email: secretary@britishtrombonesociety.org or tel: 01377 202209. Entry for the day is free to BTS members or £10 for non-members.

The BTS Executive Board is pleased to announce the appointment of several new faces to the running of the Society.

David Carnac has become Treasurer, as Matt Parry takes on the role of Advertising Manager for the magazine following five years of sterling service looking after the BTS finances.

Derrick Parker has taken on the position of Membership Manager, following on from Steve Greenall who is serving as Executive Director for the ITA.

This year it’s all change for Regional Representatives in the North and Midlands, following the departure of Chris Houlding for Germany and conclusion of BTS work by Simon Hogg. Richard Walker takes over as the West Midlands rep, John Ingman becomes our first North East and Yorkshire rep, and Gareth Westwood will take on the North West Region. Richard, John and Gareth will work closely with Andrew Berryman who becomes the North and Midlands Co-ordinator.

The BTS magazine will be featuring profiles of the new officers and regional representatives to introduce them to members. Members should not hesitate to get in touch with regional representatives about trombone days and any other events of interest. Please see the full list of reps for contact information.