News
Below can be found news on forthcoming projects and events in which Craig is currently involved. News is posted as and when it becomes available. This section of the site is frequently updated.
Previous news items can be found in the News Archive section of this site.
Previous news items can be found in the News Archive section of this site.
Llongyfarchiadau / Congratulations Derek Holvey MBE
Congratulations
to cornetist, trumpeter, conductor and tutor extraordinaire Derek
Holvey on the award of his richly deserved MBE in Her Majesty The Queen's 2012
New Year's Honours List!
Derek has been a leading musician and much admired musical director and educator in Rhondda Cynon Taf and South Wales for many years. A fine trumpet and cornet player, and longstanding member and Bandmaster of firstly the Parc & Dare and then Treherbert & District bands, Derek has also been tutor and inspiration to innumerable brass students across South Wales.
In his capacity as Principal Conductor of the Four Counties Orchestra, Rhondda Cynon Taf Youth Orchestra and Bridgend Wind Band, as well as longstanding adjudicator of the Treorchy Male Choir Young Musician and Singer of the Year, Derek has further been - and continues to be - a leading light to many more. An incredibly well deserved award - congratulations "Mr Holvey - MBE!"
Derek has been a leading musician and much admired musical director and educator in Rhondda Cynon Taf and South Wales for many years. A fine trumpet and cornet player, and longstanding member and Bandmaster of firstly the Parc & Dare and then Treherbert & District bands, Derek has also been tutor and inspiration to innumerable brass students across South Wales.
In his capacity as Principal Conductor of the Four Counties Orchestra, Rhondda Cynon Taf Youth Orchestra and Bridgend Wind Band, as well as longstanding adjudicator of the Treorchy Male Choir Young Musician and Singer of the Year, Derek has further been - and continues to be - a leading light to many more. An incredibly well deserved award - congratulations "Mr Holvey - MBE!"
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. 2011 ended with a whole host of festive performances, not least the Christmas Cymanfa with Making Music Wales & Ty Cerdd, the annual Wonder of Christmas concert with the Richard Williams Singers & Gentlemen Songsters, and a tour to Disneyland Paris with Porth County Community School (#banmickey).
A busy year, 2011 had many highlights including an introduction to Welsh bagpiping (who knew!), the establishment of Brass Band Forum Wales, concerts with Peter Karrie & Just Harrie and the launch of the Rasputin project.
On the brass band front, 2011 saw the reintroduction of Treherbert & District to contesting, and in fine fashion with Runner Up spots at both the Welsh Regional Championships and South Wales Miner's Eisteddfod, plus winning the third division of the National Eisteddfod itself. Abergavenny were also in fine form, winning the SEWBBA Championships in May and the overall Welsh League Championship in November (the third occasion Craig has won the title).
Visits overseas included trips to Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland, while work with schools led to success at the Urdd National Eisteddfod and in the Treorchy Male Choir Young Musician, a twinning visit from the Jugendblasorchester Ravensburg and the aforementioned visit to Disneyland Paris with Porth County (#pccsdisney).
Work with Making Music Wales continues to go from strength to strength with the exciting new volunteering initiative, Music Nation Cymru, Bards of Wales, Bandstand Marathon and National Conference in Cardiff launching in 2012. The world's largest indoor show, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, continues to flourish, and it was a great pleasure to also work on and advise the 2011 Mediterranean International Festival of Arts in Crete. Visiting and working with the young musicians of the Kreisverbandsjugendblasorchester Ravensburg was also a particular highlight of the year.
Thank and best wishes then to all who were involved in all of this and so much more, and particular thanks to all of those who worked so hard behind the scenes on everything, the names of whom it would take until 2013 to list! A happy and joyous New Year to everyone for 2012.
A busy year, 2011 had many highlights including an introduction to Welsh bagpiping (who knew!), the establishment of Brass Band Forum Wales, concerts with Peter Karrie & Just Harrie and the launch of the Rasputin project.
On the brass band front, 2011 saw the reintroduction of Treherbert & District to contesting, and in fine fashion with Runner Up spots at both the Welsh Regional Championships and South Wales Miner's Eisteddfod, plus winning the third division of the National Eisteddfod itself. Abergavenny were also in fine form, winning the SEWBBA Championships in May and the overall Welsh League Championship in November (the third occasion Craig has won the title).
Visits overseas included trips to Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland, while work with schools led to success at the Urdd National Eisteddfod and in the Treorchy Male Choir Young Musician, a twinning visit from the Jugendblasorchester Ravensburg and the aforementioned visit to Disneyland Paris with Porth County (#pccsdisney).
Work with Making Music Wales continues to go from strength to strength with the exciting new volunteering initiative, Music Nation Cymru, Bards of Wales, Bandstand Marathon and National Conference in Cardiff launching in 2012. The world's largest indoor show, the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, continues to flourish, and it was a great pleasure to also work on and advise the 2011 Mediterranean International Festival of Arts in Crete. Visiting and working with the young musicians of the Kreisverbandsjugendblasorchester Ravensburg was also a particular highlight of the year.
Thank and best wishes then to all who were involved in all of this and so much more, and particular thanks to all of those who worked so hard behind the scenes on everything, the names of whom it would take until 2013 to list! A happy and joyous New Year to everyone for 2012.
Welsh League Champions 2011
Llongyfarchiadau / Congratulations to Abergavenny Borough Band, who, under Craig's baton, have been named Joint Welsh League Champions of 2011
Abergavenny topped the 2011 Welsh League tables alongside Rhondda Cynon Taf's Tylorstown Band and West Wales' Burry Port Town Band who came in as Runner Up. The League title follows Abergavenny's earlier success in May of this year when they became the 2011 SEWBBA Champions.
2011 marks the second occasion Abergavenny have won the Welsh League title, the last being in 2006, and this is the third occasion for Craig himself, who has previously won the title with Parc & Dare (2007) and Burry Port (2009).
Abergavenny now look forward to a full and dynamic year ahead in 2012. Further information on the band and it's activities can be found at its own website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk
Abergavenny topped the 2011 Welsh League tables alongside Rhondda Cynon Taf's Tylorstown Band and West Wales' Burry Port Town Band who came in as Runner Up. The League title follows Abergavenny's earlier success in May of this year when they became the 2011 SEWBBA Champions.
2011 marks the second occasion Abergavenny have won the Welsh League title, the last being in 2006, and this is the third occasion for Craig himself, who has previously won the title with Parc & Dare (2007) and Burry Port (2009).
Abergavenny now look forward to a full and dynamic year ahead in 2012. Further information on the band and it's activities can be found at its own website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk
Deutschland Beckons
Over the coming weekends Craig will pay three individual visits to Germany. The first will be to Hamburg (October 27 to 31) for the annual Hamburg Polizei Show, which this year will feature the Band of the Royal Welsh, conducted by Major Denis Burton, and the City of Newport Pipes & Drums of Wales. Further information on the 2011 show and participants can be found at their website www.polizeishow-hamburg.de
Craig's second visit will be to the capital Berlin for the 2011 Berlin Tattoo at the iconic Max Schmeling Hall (November 5 & 6). The show is being produced at the Hall for the first time by Musikparade. Further information on the event can be found www.berlintattoo2011.de
Finally Craig will visit Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg (November 11 to 13) where, continuing his longstanding relationship with the Musikschule and Stadtorchester there, he will work with the Blasmusikkreisverband of the area, rehearsing & performing in concert two British works, Gustav Holst's Second Suite in F, Edward Gregson's The Sword and The Crown plus the added extra of Chuck Magnione's Children of Sanchez.
Further information on the Musikschule Ravensburg can be found at their website www.musikschule-ravensburg-e-v.de while information on the Blasmusikkreisverband Ravensburg can be found at www.blasmusik-rv.de
Craig's second visit will be to the capital Berlin for the 2011 Berlin Tattoo at the iconic Max Schmeling Hall (November 5 & 6). The show is being produced at the Hall for the first time by Musikparade. Further information on the event can be found www.berlintattoo2011.de
Finally Craig will visit Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg (November 11 to 13) where, continuing his longstanding relationship with the Musikschule and Stadtorchester there, he will work with the Blasmusikkreisverband of the area, rehearsing & performing in concert two British works, Gustav Holst's Second Suite in F, Edward Gregson's The Sword and The Crown plus the added extra of Chuck Magnione's Children of Sanchez.
Further information on the Musikschule Ravensburg can be found at their website www.musikschule-ravensburg-e-v.de while information on the Blasmusikkreisverband Ravensburg can be found at www.blasmusik-rv.de
Tapadh leibh Alba
Thanks to all at SBBA, and particularly George Burt, Andy Duncan and Peter Fraser, for their warm welcome on Craig's recent visit to the SBBA conference, held in Livingstone this past weekend. The conference proved an interesting and engaging discussion point for the future of the brass bands across Scotland and the wider UK.
Together with Making Music Scotland Development Officer Richard Shaw, Craig gave a presentation on behalf of Making Music, the national support body for all forms of voluntary music across the UK, which we hope will lead to greater collaboration between Making Music and brass bands across Scotland, and indeed the wider UK.
Further information on Making Music and the Scottish Brass Band Association can be found at their individual websites www.makingmusic.org.uk and www.sbba.org.uk
Together with Making Music Scotland Development Officer Richard Shaw, Craig gave a presentation on behalf of Making Music, the national support body for all forms of voluntary music across the UK, which we hope will lead to greater collaboration between Making Music and brass bands across Scotland, and indeed the wider UK.
Further information on Making Music and the Scottish Brass Band Association can be found at their individual websites www.makingmusic.org.uk and www.sbba.org.uk
Gléckwonsch & villmols merci Luxembourg
Congratulations and thanks to all at the Luxembourg East Coast Brass Band, Spirit of the Highlands Pipes & Drums plus Patrice, Claude and everyone at Luxembourg International Military Tattoo productions, for their warm welcome and a fantastic few days in Luxembourg City last weekend.
Gléckwonsch to all on a great concert on Saturday evening, and vill gléck with all the preparations for next year's Luxembourg International Tattoo, which will take place on May 12 & 13 at the d'Coque arena
For further information on previous editions of the Luxembourg Tattoo visit www.militarytattoo.lu
Gléckwonsch to all on a great concert on Saturday evening, and vill gléck with all the preparations for next year's Luxembourg International Tattoo, which will take place on May 12 & 13 at the d'Coque arena
For further information on previous editions of the Luxembourg Tattoo visit www.militarytattoo.lu
SBBA Conference
On Saturday October 22 Craig will head to Livingstone, Scotland where, alongside fellow Welshman Iwan Fox of popular brass band website 4barsrest.com, he will address the AGM and national conference of the Scottish Brass Band Association.
SBBA have been making great strides in recent years in driving forward brass bands as a genre in Scotland, and Craig will be outlining the ways in which SBBA and Scottish brass bands can possibly work together with Making Music, the national support body for all forms of UK voluntary music (to which Craig is the Wales Development Manager) in order to further raise and enhance the profile of the medium, and offer additional opportunities for brass bands, in Scotland.
Further information on the conference can be found at the SBBA website www.sbba.org.uk
SBBA have been making great strides in recent years in driving forward brass bands as a genre in Scotland, and Craig will be outlining the ways in which SBBA and Scottish brass bands can possibly work together with Making Music, the national support body for all forms of UK voluntary music (to which Craig is the Wales Development Manager) in order to further raise and enhance the profile of the medium, and offer additional opportunities for brass bands, in Scotland.
Further information on the conference can be found at the SBBA website www.sbba.org.uk
σας ευχαριστώ Κρήτη
A massive thanks and congratulations to all who made the 2011 Mediterranean International Festival of Arts such a success.
The first ever performance of the Mozart opera Idomeneo (Re di Creta - King of Crete) upon the island on which is is set, featuring the Moscow based Orchestra of XXI century (Russia), Yurlov Russian State Academic Capella (Russia), and soloists Nikos Spanos (Greece), Anna La Fontaine (Austria), Claudia Patacca (Netherlands) & Clemens Löschmann (Germany) at the Nikos Kazantzakis Theatre, Heraklion was sublime.
Similarly the Ballet Gala featuring international ballet stars at the Fortezza, Rethymno; the first ever concert in St Minas Cathedral, Heraklion, which featured the Yurlov Capella and Greek Orthodox choirs; the Russian State Ballet company's production of Adolphe Adam's Le Corsaire; the Crete International Tattoo, featuring performers from 8 nations and 3 continents; and the series of concerts with musical theatre star Peter Karrie, accompanied by Symphonic Brass Wales and Just Harry, were all superb.
The love and thanks of all involved in the festival goes out to Crete and the Cretan people for the generosity and hospitality they showed to all visiting perfomers, particularly at such a difficult time for Greece, and our thanks also to the Periphery of the Governor of Crete, the Municipalities of Heraklion, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos, Hersonissos & Ierapetra, and to all sponsors, particularly Tez Tour and Mirum Development, for their support.
Our best wishes go to all those who were involved, and we wish the festival, and the Cretan people, the very best for the future.
For further information on the Mediterranean International Festival of Arts visit www.festarts.org
The first ever performance of the Mozart opera Idomeneo (Re di Creta - King of Crete) upon the island on which is is set, featuring the Moscow based Orchestra of XXI century (Russia), Yurlov Russian State Academic Capella (Russia), and soloists Nikos Spanos (Greece), Anna La Fontaine (Austria), Claudia Patacca (Netherlands) & Clemens Löschmann (Germany) at the Nikos Kazantzakis Theatre, Heraklion was sublime.
Similarly the Ballet Gala featuring international ballet stars at the Fortezza, Rethymno; the first ever concert in St Minas Cathedral, Heraklion, which featured the Yurlov Capella and Greek Orthodox choirs; the Russian State Ballet company's production of Adolphe Adam's Le Corsaire; the Crete International Tattoo, featuring performers from 8 nations and 3 continents; and the series of concerts with musical theatre star Peter Karrie, accompanied by Symphonic Brass Wales and Just Harry, were all superb.
The love and thanks of all involved in the festival goes out to Crete and the Cretan people for the generosity and hospitality they showed to all visiting perfomers, particularly at such a difficult time for Greece, and our thanks also to the Periphery of the Governor of Crete, the Municipalities of Heraklion, Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos, Hersonissos & Ierapetra, and to all sponsors, particularly Tez Tour and Mirum Development, for their support.
Our best wishes go to all those who were involved, and we wish the festival, and the Cretan people, the very best for the future.
For further information on the Mediterranean International Festival of Arts visit www.festarts.org
Treherbert second in Miner's Welfare Entertainments
Congratulations to the members of Treherbert & District who claimed the Runner Up spot under Craig's baton at the recent South Wales Miner's Welfare Entertainments Contest, in the inaugural contest for former colliery brass bands at the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl.
The band's programme of Summon the Heroes, Send In the Clowns (featuring principal cornetist Louise Russell), Sweet Georgia Brown, MacArthur Park and the Lucerne Song, found favour with adjudicator Melvin White who awarded the band second prize.
A full report on the contest, also containing the full round down of results, can be found at www.4barsrest.com
The band's programme of Summon the Heroes, Send In the Clowns (featuring principal cornetist Louise Russell), Sweet Georgia Brown, MacArthur Park and the Lucerne Song, found favour with adjudicator Melvin White who awarded the band second prize.
A full report on the contest, also containing the full round down of results, can be found at www.4barsrest.com
Opportunities at Abergavenny
2011 SEWBBA Champions Abergavenny Borough Band currently have vacancies for a euphonium & tuba, plus a number of cornet players.
The band have a full and engaging concert & contest diary, along with a strong social side, further information on all of which can be found at their website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk
Interested parties can contact Band Secretary Gareth Havard by email at [email protected] Rehearsals are held on Tuesday & Friday evenings at the bandroom on Prospect Road, Abergavenny NP7 5DU between 7:30 & 9:30pm
The band will like to wish the outgoing members, and particularly solo euphonium Heather McDown on her return to the USA, all the very best for the future
The band have a full and engaging concert & contest diary, along with a strong social side, further information on all of which can be found at their website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk
Interested parties can contact Band Secretary Gareth Havard by email at [email protected] Rehearsals are held on Tuesday & Friday evenings at the bandroom on Prospect Road, Abergavenny NP7 5DU between 7:30 & 9:30pm
The band will like to wish the outgoing members, and particularly solo euphonium Heather McDown on her return to the USA, all the very best for the future
Free Music For Kids
Free Music for Kids is a new web based initiative promoting free brass music for young brass players and youth brass groups.
Some works are already available on the site and an appeal to anyone who has any additional works that would be suitable to get in touch. The site operates under the Creative Commons Licencing system which allows composers to share their work freely without handing over rights to commercial usage.
FMFK is an excellent concept. The website can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/freemusicforkids/home
Some works are already available on the site and an appeal to anyone who has any additional works that would be suitable to get in touch. The site operates under the Creative Commons Licencing system which allows composers to share their work freely without handing over rights to commercial usage.
FMFK is an excellent concept. The website can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/freemusicforkids/home
National Eisteddfod Champions
Llongyfarchiadau / Congratulations to a delighted Treherbert & District Band, the 2011 National Eisteddfod of Wales Third Division Brass Band Champions. At the end of July the band made the long journey up to Wrexham, North Wales, and returned with first prize from the annual national cultural festival.
Their programme of Summon the Heroes, Send in the Clowns (featuring principal cornet Louise Russell), Sweet Georgia Brown and MacArthur Park found strong favour with the three adjudicators Brian Buckley, Paul Holland & Iwan Williams and a responsive eisteddfod crowd.
The performance was televised nationally and footage of the band's prize winning performance, conducted by Craig, can be found online at the BBC Wales website here. Treherbert's full performance can also be found in the video section of their own website www.treherbertband.weebly.com
Treherbert now look forward to performing in the Welsh Open Entertainments Contest at the Grand Pavillion, Porthcawl, and in the National Championships of Great Britain at The Centaur, Cheltenham, in September.
Their programme of Summon the Heroes, Send in the Clowns (featuring principal cornet Louise Russell), Sweet Georgia Brown and MacArthur Park found strong favour with the three adjudicators Brian Buckley, Paul Holland & Iwan Williams and a responsive eisteddfod crowd.
The performance was televised nationally and footage of the band's prize winning performance, conducted by Craig, can be found online at the BBC Wales website here. Treherbert's full performance can also be found in the video section of their own website www.treherbertband.weebly.com
Treherbert now look forward to performing in the Welsh Open Entertainments Contest at the Grand Pavillion, Porthcawl, and in the National Championships of Great Britain at The Centaur, Cheltenham, in September.
Celebrate the Bandstand Marathon
As part of the ongoing Cultural Olympiad, the Bandstand Marathon will take place at bandstands across the UK on Sunday September 25.
Organised by South West based Superact!, this year in partnership with Making Music, the project aims to humanise public spaces by having as many groups performing on as many bandstands and outdoor performances spaces all at the same time, on the same day, throughout the UK.
150 groups are needed to participate, and this year £100 is being offered to each participating group! To register your interest and find your nearest venue, visit the Superact website. You must register your interest before Friday 19 August 2011 to take part.
The event now in its fourth year celebrates local amateur musical talent; reflecting the amateur athletes who will be participating in the 2012 Games. It also makes use of the many historic bandstands that adorn our local parks and town centres; many of which are underused or never used at all and we hope to revitalise and reinvigorate them. The music played by the bands cross many genres, from current popular music, rock classics, music from films and shows, jazz and swing, as well as more traditional tunes.
If have any enquiries about the event please e-mail the event organiser or ring 01823 66 66 41
For more information on the event organisers, Superact! please visit www.superact.org.uk. Full and detailed information on the project can also be found on the Making Music website at http://www.makingmusic.org.uk/our-work/news/news/celebrate-the-bandstand-marathon
Organised by South West based Superact!, this year in partnership with Making Music, the project aims to humanise public spaces by having as many groups performing on as many bandstands and outdoor performances spaces all at the same time, on the same day, throughout the UK.
150 groups are needed to participate, and this year £100 is being offered to each participating group! To register your interest and find your nearest venue, visit the Superact website. You must register your interest before Friday 19 August 2011 to take part.
The event now in its fourth year celebrates local amateur musical talent; reflecting the amateur athletes who will be participating in the 2012 Games. It also makes use of the many historic bandstands that adorn our local parks and town centres; many of which are underused or never used at all and we hope to revitalise and reinvigorate them. The music played by the bands cross many genres, from current popular music, rock classics, music from films and shows, jazz and swing, as well as more traditional tunes.
If have any enquiries about the event please e-mail the event organiser or ring 01823 66 66 41
For more information on the event organisers, Superact! please visit www.superact.org.uk. Full and detailed information on the project can also be found on the Making Music website at http://www.makingmusic.org.uk/our-work/news/news/celebrate-the-bandstand-marathon
Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo 2011
Craig has once again been visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada working on the 2011 edition of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. The Tattoo, the world's largest annual indoor show, this year featured an amazing cast of 1800 performers from 9 different countries.
Music, gymnastics, dance and military precision were all featured in two and a quarter hours of action packed entertainment, which was presented at breathtaking pace in one of the finest shows produced by Colonel Ian Fraser and the rest of the Tattoo staff.
An amateur video featuring snapshots from the 2011 Tattoo can be found at www.youtube.com here while further information on the world's largest annual indoor show - including advance booking information for 2012! - can be found at www.nstattoo.ca
Music, gymnastics, dance and military precision were all featured in two and a quarter hours of action packed entertainment, which was presented at breathtaking pace in one of the finest shows produced by Colonel Ian Fraser and the rest of the Tattoo staff.
An amateur video featuring snapshots from the 2011 Tattoo can be found at www.youtube.com here while further information on the world's largest annual indoor show - including advance booking information for 2012! - can be found at www.nstattoo.ca
Cyril Jones MBE
Heartiest congratulations - Llongyfarchiadau iawn to Rhondda Fach Gala Concert promoter Cyril Jones on being awarded the MBE by Her Majesty The Queen in the 2011 Birthday Honours List.
Born and raised in Wattstown, and now residing in Pontygwaith, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cyril is an integral member of the Pendyrus Male Choir, and has served the community of the Rhondda Fach selflessly for many years. In founding the Rhondda Fach Gala Concert in 2005 he has also now established an event which is an absolute highlight of the cultural calendar in South Wales and has brought such famous names as Katherine Jenkins, Rebecca Evans, Shan Cothi, John Owen Jones and others to the locality, and raised thousands of pounds for charity in the process.
An incredibly deserving recipient of a most prestigious honour: congratulations again Cyril - highly deserved.
Born and raised in Wattstown, and now residing in Pontygwaith, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cyril is an integral member of the Pendyrus Male Choir, and has served the community of the Rhondda Fach selflessly for many years. In founding the Rhondda Fach Gala Concert in 2005 he has also now established an event which is an absolute highlight of the cultural calendar in South Wales and has brought such famous names as Katherine Jenkins, Rebecca Evans, Shan Cothi, John Owen Jones and others to the locality, and raised thousands of pounds for charity in the process.
An incredibly deserving recipient of a most prestigious honour: congratulations again Cyril - highly deserved.
2011 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo Cast Revealed
Full details of the cast for the 2011 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo have now been revealed. The 2011 Tattoo will have more nations involved than in previous years, with 10 countries represented. The show will also be shorter, with the tempo increased and the Tattoo absolutely jam-packed with music and entertainment for the whole family.
The theme of the 2011 RNSIT is Salute to Heroes and the Tattoo will be acknowledging Canadian Forces, RCMP, firefighters and police services, who all take risks for the safety and protection of their country. The focus of the Canadian Forces aspect will be on the changes of the Afghanistan Mission.
Featuring a host of exciting acts from across the globe be sure not to miss the 2011, all-new Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo! Further detailed information on the show can be found at the Tattoo's own website www.nstattoo.ca while a promotional video specific to the 2011 cast can also be found below:
The theme of the 2011 RNSIT is Salute to Heroes and the Tattoo will be acknowledging Canadian Forces, RCMP, firefighters and police services, who all take risks for the safety and protection of their country. The focus of the Canadian Forces aspect will be on the changes of the Afghanistan Mission.
Featuring a host of exciting acts from across the globe be sure not to miss the 2011, all-new Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo! Further detailed information on the show can be found at the Tattoo's own website www.nstattoo.ca while a promotional video specific to the 2011 cast can also be found below:
Llongyfarchiadau Y Fenni
Congratulations to all at Abergavenny Borough Band on a super performance at the 2011 St Mary's Festival of the Arts. Particular congratulations go to the band's principal cornetist Glen Philp, for his superb rendition of William Himes' epic Jubilance, and also to solo euphonium player Heather McDown for her excellent performance of Peter Meechan's fiendish yet funky Sparta.
The entire band performed with alacrity throughout on a challenging but rewarding programme which, in addition to the above major solo works also included David Bedford's Requiem and Paul Lovatt-Cooper's Vitae Aeternam, alongside a host of traditional favourites - including the incomparable, and completely indescribable, Lucerne Song.
The band is riding high following its victory at the SEWBBA Championships in May and subsequent leap of 36 places in the world brass band rankings. They now look forward to their next performance at Bedwellty Park, Tredegar on Sunday June 12
Further information on Abergavenny Borough Band and it's activities can be found at their website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk
The entire band performed with alacrity throughout on a challenging but rewarding programme which, in addition to the above major solo works also included David Bedford's Requiem and Paul Lovatt-Cooper's Vitae Aeternam, alongside a host of traditional favourites - including the incomparable, and completely indescribable, Lucerne Song.
The band is riding high following its victory at the SEWBBA Championships in May and subsequent leap of 36 places in the world brass band rankings. They now look forward to their next performance at Bedwellty Park, Tredegar on Sunday June 12
Further information on Abergavenny Borough Band and it's activities can be found at their website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk
Llongyfarchiadau Tom
Congratulations to Symphonic Brass Wales' Tom Scaife on his third place finish in the final of this year's Urdd National Eisteddfod of Wales in Swansea.
After beating his way through various rounds and competitiors from across wales,Tom now looks forward to reprising his award winning performance in concert with Symphonic Brass Wales when they tour the Greek island of Crete this autumn.
Further information on the tour can be found at the Symphonic Brass Wales website www.symphonicbrasswales.weebly.com while Tom's televised performance of Variations on The Blue Bells of Scotland at the National Eisteddfod can be viewed, for a limited period, at the S4C website www.s4c.co.uk
After beating his way through various rounds and competitiors from across wales,Tom now looks forward to reprising his award winning performance in concert with Symphonic Brass Wales when they tour the Greek island of Crete this autumn.
Further information on the tour can be found at the Symphonic Brass Wales website www.symphonicbrasswales.weebly.com while Tom's televised performance of Variations on The Blue Bells of Scotland at the National Eisteddfod can be viewed, for a limited period, at the S4C website www.s4c.co.uk
St Mary's Festival of the Arts
Craig is currently working with Abergavenny Borough Band in preparation for their forthcoming appearance at the 2011 St Mary's Festival of the Arts.
Taking place on Thursday June 2 at St Mary's Priory Church, the performance will be a celebration of the versatility of the modern brass band featuring new music by David Bedford & Pete Meechan, major solo perfomances, a Ted Heath inspired big band set plus a host of perennial favourites.
Further information on the event, along with advance ticketing information can be found at the Festival website and you can also follow the festival's twitter feed at @PrioryArts
Taking place on Thursday June 2 at St Mary's Priory Church, the performance will be a celebration of the versatility of the modern brass band featuring new music by David Bedford & Pete Meechan, major solo perfomances, a Ted Heath inspired big band set plus a host of perennial favourites.
Further information on the event, along with advance ticketing information can be found at the Festival website and you can also follow the festival's twitter feed at @PrioryArts
Abergavenny Appointment
After working with Abergavenny Borough Band on their recent success at the 2011 SEWBBA Championships, plus the recent Abergavenny Mayoral Installation and other civic events, Craig has now accepted the invitation to take up the post of Musical Director to Abergavenny Borough with immediate effect.
Craig looks forward to working with the band in the months ahead, alongside newly appointed Resident Conductor Lana Tingay.
First in the diary will be the band's appearances in Abergavenny itself at the community Vintage Steam Rally this Bank Holiday weekend, and then at the 2011 St Mary's Festival of the Arts at the St. Mary's Priory Church on Thursday June 2nd, followed by a performance at Bedwellty Park, Tredegar on Sunday June 12.
Further information on Abergavenny Borough Band and its activities can be found at their website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk while all Craig's appearances with the band will also be listed in the Diary section of this site
Craig looks forward to working with the band in the months ahead, alongside newly appointed Resident Conductor Lana Tingay.
First in the diary will be the band's appearances in Abergavenny itself at the community Vintage Steam Rally this Bank Holiday weekend, and then at the 2011 St Mary's Festival of the Arts at the St. Mary's Priory Church on Thursday June 2nd, followed by a performance at Bedwellty Park, Tredegar on Sunday June 12.
Further information on Abergavenny Borough Band and its activities can be found at their website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk while all Craig's appearances with the band will also be listed in the Diary section of this site
Gratulerar Malmö
Congratulations to the City of Malmö, the Royal Fire Brigade Band and all those involved with the first Swedish International Tattoo.
Very much based on the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, and inspired by the visit of the Royal Fire Brigade to Nova Scotia in 2009, the Swedish Tattoo was a great success earlier this month, playing to capacity crowds at the superb Malmö Arena.
The show will now be a biennial event, with the next edition of the show taking place on May 24 / 25 2013 - lycka och bästa hälsningar till Jan, Petra och alla.
Further information on the Sweden International Tattoo can be found at their website www.swedeninternationaltattoo.se
Very much based on the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, and inspired by the visit of the Royal Fire Brigade to Nova Scotia in 2009, the Swedish Tattoo was a great success earlier this month, playing to capacity crowds at the superb Malmö Arena.
The show will now be a biennial event, with the next edition of the show taking place on May 24 / 25 2013 - lycka och bästa hälsningar till Jan, Petra och alla.
Further information on the Sweden International Tattoo can be found at their website www.swedeninternationaltattoo.se
Success at the SEWBBA Championships
Llongyfarchiadau / Congratulations to all members of Treherbert & District and Abergavenny Borough Brass Bands on their success at the recent SEWBBA Championships.
Treherbert & District took third prize in the Second Section of the contest, an excellent result following on from the band's recent promotion and success earlier this year at the Welsh Regional Championships.
Abergavenny Borough meanwhile are the 2011 SEWBBA Champions, following their first prize placing in the Championship Section of the contest, achieved through their strong and commanding performance of James Curnow's Trittico.
Craig thoroughly enjoyed working with both bands at the championships and in the rehearsal periods leading up to the event. The win with Abergavenny now completes Craig's record of success in the Welsh League Championships having won the SWBBA Championships in 2006 with Parc & Dare, the WWBBA Championships in 2007 with Burry Port, and now the SEWBBA Championships in 2011 with Abergavenny.
Full results of this year's SEWBBA Championships can be found here while further information on Treherbert & District and Abergavenny Borough Bands can be found at their respective websites www.treherbertband.weebly.com and www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk
Treherbert & District took third prize in the Second Section of the contest, an excellent result following on from the band's recent promotion and success earlier this year at the Welsh Regional Championships.
Abergavenny Borough meanwhile are the 2011 SEWBBA Champions, following their first prize placing in the Championship Section of the contest, achieved through their strong and commanding performance of James Curnow's Trittico.
Craig thoroughly enjoyed working with both bands at the championships and in the rehearsal periods leading up to the event. The win with Abergavenny now completes Craig's record of success in the Welsh League Championships having won the SWBBA Championships in 2006 with Parc & Dare, the WWBBA Championships in 2007 with Burry Port, and now the SEWBBA Championships in 2011 with Abergavenny.
Full results of this year's SEWBBA Championships can be found here while further information on Treherbert & District and Abergavenny Borough Bands can be found at their respective websites www.treherbertband.weebly.com and www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk
Llongyfarchiadau Dr Paul Mealor
Hearty congratulations to Dr Paul Mealor on the inclusion of his wonderfully sublime Ubi Caritas in the musical programme of the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton, now The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge.
Ubi caritas, scored purely for voices, was sung by the choirs of Westminster Abbey and Chapel Royal, conducted by James O’Donnell. Described by the composer as "a very meditative and a very spiritual piece" it is derived from Mealor’s work, Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal, which sets an original Tennyson poem to music.
The work's selection was a particularly fitting inclusion for the ceremony, Paul being a Welsh composer of course, but the piece itself also having received its premiere performance in October 2010 at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, the very place where the royal couple met and fell in love as students
A recording of Dr Mealor's Ubi Caritas, sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey, can be downloaded, along with the rest of the music from the Royal Wedding here while further information on Dr Mealor can be found at his own website www.paulmealor.com and in the composers / arrangers section of this site
Ubi caritas, scored purely for voices, was sung by the choirs of Westminster Abbey and Chapel Royal, conducted by James O’Donnell. Described by the composer as "a very meditative and a very spiritual piece" it is derived from Mealor’s work, Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal, which sets an original Tennyson poem to music.
The work's selection was a particularly fitting inclusion for the ceremony, Paul being a Welsh composer of course, but the piece itself also having received its premiere performance in October 2010 at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, the very place where the royal couple met and fell in love as students
A recording of Dr Mealor's Ubi Caritas, sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey, can be downloaded, along with the rest of the music from the Royal Wedding here while further information on Dr Mealor can be found at his own website www.paulmealor.com and in the composers / arrangers section of this site
Abergavenny Bound
Craig is currently undertaking some work with Monmouthshire based Abergavenny Borough Brass Band.
Formed around 1884, today the band is one of the foremost in Wales. Welsh League Champions in 2006, Craig is looking forward to working with the band at the forthcoming SEWBBA Championships to be held at Ebbw Vale in May, and will also be conducting the band at the St Mary's Arts Festival in Abergavenny in early June.
Further information on the band and its activities can be found at their website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk and you can also hear the band, featured on their latest CD release 'Abercadabra', by clicking on the image on the left
Formed around 1884, today the band is one of the foremost in Wales. Welsh League Champions in 2006, Craig is looking forward to working with the band at the forthcoming SEWBBA Championships to be held at Ebbw Vale in May, and will also be conducting the band at the St Mary's Arts Festival in Abergavenny in early June.
Further information on the band and its activities can be found at their website www.abergavennyboroughband.org.uk and you can also hear the band, featured on their latest CD release 'Abercadabra', by clicking on the image on the left
Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo 2011 Participating Nations Revealed
Following the music production meetings for the 2011 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, the list of countries participating in the 2011 Tattoo has been revealed.
Performers from Canada, Australia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States of America will all be featured in the world's largest annual indoor show this summer, held between July 1 and 8 at the Halifax Metro Centre.
A full and details cast list wll be revealed at the forthcoming Tattoo media launch, which will be streamed live on the internet via the show's own website www.nstattoo.ca
Performers from Canada, Australia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States of America will all be featured in the world's largest annual indoor show this summer, held between July 1 and 8 at the Halifax Metro Centre.
A full and details cast list wll be revealed at the forthcoming Tattoo media launch, which will be streamed live on the internet via the show's own website www.nstattoo.ca
Llongyfarchiadau Band Iau Treherbert
Congratulations to all members of Treherbert Junior Band for their recent successes at the Urdd National Eisteddfod of Wales, where the brass group from YGG Ynyswen performed very well in the Cylch and Sir rounds of the competition at the Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy. The Juniors were also recently filmed in rehearsal for S4C television's 'Ffeil' news magazine programme.
Particular congratulations also to Junior Band member Megan Sass who performed extrememly well in the Treorchy Male Choir Young Musician of the Year competition, qualifying through two rounds of competition to qualify as a finalist. Da iawn Megan!
Both Treherbert Junior and Senior Bands continue to go from strength to strength. Further information on the activities of both bands can be found at their own website www.treherbertband.weebly.com
Particular congratulations also to Junior Band member Megan Sass who performed extrememly well in the Treorchy Male Choir Young Musician of the Year competition, qualifying through two rounds of competition to qualify as a finalist. Da iawn Megan!
Both Treherbert Junior and Senior Bands continue to go from strength to strength. Further information on the activities of both bands can be found at their own website www.treherbertband.weebly.com
Second in Swansea
Congratulations to all members of Treherbert & District Band on their second prize placing at this year's Welsh Regional Championships.
In a triumphant return to contesting, following a three year break from competition, the band, conducted by Craig, were crowned Runner Up in the Third Division of this year's Welsh Regional Championships at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.
Their performance of Philip Wilby's 'A Little Light Music' (a work originally commissioned by Craig in 2002) found many admirers in the hall, not least adjudicator Brian Buckley and online magazine 4barsrest.com, who described the performance as "admirably secure and certainly had the best ‘tarantella’ we have heard around the country this year – pacy, detailed and full of drama".
Along with West Wales' Goodwick Band, Treherbert will now go on to represent Wales at the Finals of the National Championships of Great Britain, to be held at The Centaur, Cheltenham on Sunday September 25th.
A full list of the bands qualifying for the National Finals can be found here:
http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?offset=25&id=13064
In a triumphant return to contesting, following a three year break from competition, the band, conducted by Craig, were crowned Runner Up in the Third Division of this year's Welsh Regional Championships at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.
Their performance of Philip Wilby's 'A Little Light Music' (a work originally commissioned by Craig in 2002) found many admirers in the hall, not least adjudicator Brian Buckley and online magazine 4barsrest.com, who described the performance as "admirably secure and certainly had the best ‘tarantella’ we have heard around the country this year – pacy, detailed and full of drama".
Along with West Wales' Goodwick Band, Treherbert will now go on to represent Wales at the Finals of the National Championships of Great Britain, to be held at The Centaur, Cheltenham on Sunday September 25th.
A full list of the bands qualifying for the National Finals can be found here:
http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?offset=25&id=13064
The Phantom Returns
Congratulations to musical theatre star Peter Karrie on a superb launch concert of his 'A Phantom Returns' tour, this past weekend in his home nation of Wales.
Peter, 'the world's favourite Phantom', opened the tour on Saturday evening at Blackwood Little Theatre, South Wales, before heading immediately off to London to catch a morning flight to Canada, where the rest of the tour will take place.
Peter's first engagement in Canada will be at a sister theatre of Blackwood Little's, in the Maritime province of New Brunswick. He will then continue on through Atlantic Canada to Nova Scotia, before heading west across the country to Ontario and Saskatchewan, where he will also perform before returning to Wales on St David's Day.
The 'Phantom Returns' tour is being undertaken by Peter in aid of disabled childrens' charities CanChild (Canada) and Bobath Cymru (Wales), the latter of which he is a patron and ambassador for.
Further information on the full tour and on Peter himself can be found at his official website www.peterkarrie.com
Peter, 'the world's favourite Phantom', opened the tour on Saturday evening at Blackwood Little Theatre, South Wales, before heading immediately off to London to catch a morning flight to Canada, where the rest of the tour will take place.
Peter's first engagement in Canada will be at a sister theatre of Blackwood Little's, in the Maritime province of New Brunswick. He will then continue on through Atlantic Canada to Nova Scotia, before heading west across the country to Ontario and Saskatchewan, where he will also perform before returning to Wales on St David's Day.
The 'Phantom Returns' tour is being undertaken by Peter in aid of disabled childrens' charities CanChild (Canada) and Bobath Cymru (Wales), the latter of which he is a patron and ambassador for.
Further information on the full tour and on Peter himself can be found at his official website www.peterkarrie.com
Major Peter Parkes
In the same week that the untimely death of James Watson occured, the sad passing of Major Peter Parkes has also been announced.
Major Parkes was one the most successful band conductors of all time. A former Director of Music of, among other prestigious military bands, the Band of Her Majesty's Grenadier Guards, 'The Major' turned his hand to brass bands in the mid 1970's and unsurpassed success swiftly followed.
Peter was conductor of the famous Black Dyke Band for 14 years between 1975 and 1999. During his tenure he won the British Open Championships on five occasions, and added a sixth with the Williams Fairey Band in 1993. He also led Black Dyke to six National Brass Band Championship titles, including a hat trick of wins between 1975 and 1977. The Major won his 7th National, again with Fairey, in 1993, and he also won the European Brass Band Championships on 8 occasions, 7 times with Black Dyke and the last with Fairey in 1994.
Peter won an unprecedented 30 regional titles with various bands over the years, and he claimed his last major award in just 2008, leading Sovereign Brass to the Harry & Margaret Mortimer Memorial Championships on the one piece he was absolutely unsurpassed on, John McCabe's ‘Cloudcatcher Fells’.
In tribute to Peter, below can be found a rendition of Deep Harmony performed by the Black Dyke Band, and also a performance from BBC Radio 3's Bandstand programme featuring the Black Dyke of 1987, under the baton of 'The Major' himself.
Like James Watson, he will be sorely missed. Rest In Peace Peter Parkes...
Major Parkes was one the most successful band conductors of all time. A former Director of Music of, among other prestigious military bands, the Band of Her Majesty's Grenadier Guards, 'The Major' turned his hand to brass bands in the mid 1970's and unsurpassed success swiftly followed.
Peter was conductor of the famous Black Dyke Band for 14 years between 1975 and 1999. During his tenure he won the British Open Championships on five occasions, and added a sixth with the Williams Fairey Band in 1993. He also led Black Dyke to six National Brass Band Championship titles, including a hat trick of wins between 1975 and 1977. The Major won his 7th National, again with Fairey, in 1993, and he also won the European Brass Band Championships on 8 occasions, 7 times with Black Dyke and the last with Fairey in 1994.
Peter won an unprecedented 30 regional titles with various bands over the years, and he claimed his last major award in just 2008, leading Sovereign Brass to the Harry & Margaret Mortimer Memorial Championships on the one piece he was absolutely unsurpassed on, John McCabe's ‘Cloudcatcher Fells’.
In tribute to Peter, below can be found a rendition of Deep Harmony performed by the Black Dyke Band, and also a performance from BBC Radio 3's Bandstand programme featuring the Black Dyke of 1987, under the baton of 'The Major' himself.
Like James Watson, he will be sorely missed. Rest In Peace Peter Parkes...
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James Watson
Former Artistic Director of the National Youth Brass Band of Wales and National Youth Symphonic Brass Wales, James Watson has sadly and suddenly passed away. He was just 59 years of age.
One of Britain’s most versatile musicians, James divided his time between playing, teaching and conducting. He studied trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music where, until his untimely death, he then later held the position of Artistic Director and Head of Brass.
His orchestral work included principal trumpet posts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1973-78, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House 1983-90 and London Sinfonietta and the Nash Ensemble 1974-82. James was lead trumpet of the world renowned Philip Jones Brass Ensemble from 1974-82. His film, television and pop session-work credits included the Star Wars Trilogy, Superman, A Bridge Too Far, Gladiator, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, to name but a few. He also recorded with pop legends Elton John, Paul McCartney and Peter Gabriel.
James' conducting positions included Artistic Director of the Black Dyke Mills Band, whom he steered to new artistic heights between 1992 and 2000. James was particularly committed to working with young musicians and was Artistic Director of the National Youth Brass Band of Wales for six years and was also Vice President of the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain.
The Royal Academy of Music honoured him with a fellowship in 1989 and he was awarded an honorary fellowship from the London College of Music in 1997. In 2006, James was appointed Professor of Music by the University of London in recognition of his outstanding contribution both to the Academy and to international musical life.
'Jim' was an absolute inspiration to all who had the privelege of meeting, knowing and working with him. He will be sorely and widely missed across the musical world.
His funeral will take place in St Marylebone Parish Church, London on Monday 21st February at 11.00am, followed by a reception in the Duke’s Hall of the Royal Academy of Music. All are welcome.
The great man himself can be heard below, performing Joy Webb's 'Share My Yoke', accompanied by the Black Dyke Band, and also in an excellent and poignant tribute recently posted by John Whitmore, Aaron Copland's 'Quiet City'.
Rest In Peace Jim...
One of Britain’s most versatile musicians, James divided his time between playing, teaching and conducting. He studied trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music where, until his untimely death, he then later held the position of Artistic Director and Head of Brass.
His orchestral work included principal trumpet posts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1973-78, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House 1983-90 and London Sinfonietta and the Nash Ensemble 1974-82. James was lead trumpet of the world renowned Philip Jones Brass Ensemble from 1974-82. His film, television and pop session-work credits included the Star Wars Trilogy, Superman, A Bridge Too Far, Gladiator, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, to name but a few. He also recorded with pop legends Elton John, Paul McCartney and Peter Gabriel.
James' conducting positions included Artistic Director of the Black Dyke Mills Band, whom he steered to new artistic heights between 1992 and 2000. James was particularly committed to working with young musicians and was Artistic Director of the National Youth Brass Band of Wales for six years and was also Vice President of the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain.
The Royal Academy of Music honoured him with a fellowship in 1989 and he was awarded an honorary fellowship from the London College of Music in 1997. In 2006, James was appointed Professor of Music by the University of London in recognition of his outstanding contribution both to the Academy and to international musical life.
'Jim' was an absolute inspiration to all who had the privelege of meeting, knowing and working with him. He will be sorely and widely missed across the musical world.
His funeral will take place in St Marylebone Parish Church, London on Monday 21st February at 11.00am, followed by a reception in the Duke’s Hall of the Royal Academy of Music. All are welcome.
The great man himself can be heard below, performing Joy Webb's 'Share My Yoke', accompanied by the Black Dyke Band, and also in an excellent and poignant tribute recently posted by John Whitmore, Aaron Copland's 'Quiet City'.
Rest In Peace Jim...
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James Watson - Eulogy
Written and read by Professor Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, at Jim's funeral in Marylebone Parish Church on 21st February 2011.
To stand here today as Jim’s student, a close friend and part of Jim’s extended family of Academy colleagues makes me feel both profoundly sad and profoundly privileged. I was going to add in that list, my role as Jim’s boss over the years – but I never felt like Jim’s boss and let’s face it, Jim didn’t really have bosses. The death of this wonderful, big-hearted and generous man has left a huge void in our lives, one which continues to reverberate far and wide. Jim was a colossus who bestrode the musical world, a figure who commanded respect in every possible sphere of the profession. Whilst, in time, we’ll rediscover a celebratory gratitude for Jim’s exceptional career as a great performer and teacher, at present it’s the force of his all-embracing personality which continues to shake us in our corporate sense of loss.
To reflect the impact of this extraordinary man adequately on so many people from different parts of his life, is well-nigh impossible. But there is, I believe, something fundamental which binds us all and that is Jim’s love of belonging. Jim constantly surprised us in his appreciation of people. He exuded an untold passion for connecting with others, and relished any excuse to apply that unforgettable, mischievous twinkle: it was a simple delight for him as it was for us, as recipients. His willingness to lend himself to the bigger picture of humanity was obvious when he played a ‘schmaltzy’ tune – and, yes, the word ‘schmaltz’ had to come in sooner rather than later. He offered himself to anyone who valued his fellowship, as family, friend, colleague and listener. Whether it was teaching the trumpet, walking your dog, filling in for Maurice Murphy in the LSO or reading through some duets, Jim enjoyed being part of our lives as his daily bread.
I’m speaking here not just as a long-standing friend but because I am fortunate and grateful that his Academy family was inextricably part of Jim’s understanding of home, in the broadest sense. His twin homes seemed to be joined by a private underground tunnel between Cassiobury Park Avenue in Watford and the third floor of the Academy (that was, of course, when he wasn’t parking illegally outside the Development Office). For all the remarkable achievements of Jim’s life with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Royal Opera House, the studio world, the brass band world, his own solo profile and so on, Jim’s constant – in this incredibly full life – was his pride in the Academy.
Jim met Julie, his wife of 38 years, at the Academy, the boys – Will and Tom – were both students at the Academy (and the boys married Academy girls, Louise and Claire). Jim had a 35-year teaching career here, producing generations of players who are amongst the world’s most distinguished professionals and then, of course, in the last 10 years, he ran a peerless, superb department. For the Watson family to share their profound grief with us under the gaze of the Academy is a supreme tribute to the institution and, most of all, to those he taught as students and us, his colleagues. We are all very grateful.
As my 15-year old told me on the day Jim died, ‘it wasn’t just the teaching, Dad, it was everything else’. What that ‘else’ was is key to mourning our loss and, in time, cherishing and building on everything Jim gave and taught us. Indeed, I can already hear him say: ‘Jonathan, you’ll be fine, you don’t need me, get on with it – just don’t cock it up’. During the numerous chats students and staff have had over the last two weeks, we soon realised that Jim had already provided us with a wonderful roadmap, telling us, as he tended to, what was on his mind and what he was planning. Jim talked (boy, did he talk!) and he loved sharing his insights, big and small, the latest idea on the block and the constant self-evaluation of whether he was really up to it. On my mobile, he came up as ‘Legend’ which, of course, he rather liked through pleasurable embarrassment. He and I spoke almost daily: his reasons for calling related to brass business but also emerged simply from a desire to be reassured, to connect. And those were always reasons enough to feel glad he had rung.
Part of Jim’s astonishing ability to furnish us with good things was this paradox of his supreme confidence alongside moments of genuine vulnerability. It was in his DNA, this combination of bravura and insecurity and it was a blessing in the sense that it gave him an uncommon capacity for identifying with others. It made him a brilliant, astute, rounded, sympathetic and irrepressible mentor. Jim knew how to handle success and failure, even if most of his life was a remarkable tale of outstanding achievement. Without these extremes we wouldn’t have had the range of character in his playing or indeed the level of respect from those in his charge at the Academy, students whom he knew were all very different, with very different needs. Pressure and passion went hand in hand for Jim. That was simply the way he was.
Jim’s playing career really is the stuff of legend. Jim was Junior national solo cornet champion for three successive years, and in 1966 – aged 14 – he cleaned up with the Senior national championship as well. He was probably as close to a prodigy as this country’s ever had on the cornet. He was Principal Cornet of the Desford Colliery Band at 11 and continued later as director of that band, followed by a distinguished period with Black Dyke, to reinforce his place as royalty in that movement. How I love those pictures of a gangly 60s youth in a cardigan on a Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra tour, several with him draped round his future wife, Julie. But here, already, you can perceive a serious musical talent who was to become, without doubt, one of the finest, most versatile and recognisable trumpet players in the world.
At 21, after his time at the Academy, Jim was picked out by the great conductor, Rudolf Kempe, to be his Principal Trumpet at the RPO. It was a golden age in British orchestral life and Jim was a central part of it. He soon expanded his career with many other remarkable ensembles, most proudly as the vibrant trumpeting heartbeat of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble – a brass chamber group whose combination of individual talents and audience-following has arguably never been equalled anywhere in the world; the Nash Ensemble and the London Sinfonietta became a regular part of Jim’s life and, soon, he was in the hot seat at the Royal Opera working regularly for the likes of Colin Davis, Georg Solti and other such luminaries. As Colin Davis remarked, ‘if Jimmy was about, something wonderful always happened’. That was a fitting observation on London’s most glamorous trumpet player.
Of course, Jim never relaxed for a moment. If he wasn’t sitting in these exalted chairs, he was off with another orchestra or banging out Star Wars and Superman with Maurice, playing solo recitals, conducting brass bands, youth wind ensembles – great and small, advanced and remedial. Jim wasn’t fussy as long as the conditions allowed the music and the reason for the project to speak loudest. And there was the rub in everything he did as a performer. There were no compromises; if he sniffed out other agendas and politicking which got in the way of his musical ambition and famous work ethic, he became disillusioned and intolerant. For all the success he’d had in competitions in earlier years, he saw the idea of ‘contest’ in the band world as essentially limiting and regressive in an environment where he wanted the value of music-making to prevail above all. His roller-coaster relationship with the brass band movement was often about trying to reconcile traditional and progressive philosophies in a culture he cared about deeply.
If not the most diplomatic man in the world, you knew that Jim’s motivation for speaking his mind was to tell the truth – and that was, primarily, because he was supremely principled in wanting the best for the folk he was with at the time. He famously disagreed with Maurice André at his competition in 2005, a special sadness on account of André’s hero status for Jim. Luckily, they patched it up in front of an audience of 1500 when Maurice apologised. Or Jim thought he had, foreign language always being a bit more of a barrier for Jim than he let on. Just occasionally, one had to whisper in Jim’s ear, ‘Jim, do you really want World War 4 after World War 3 last week?’
Heartbreaking for many of us in the last couple of weeks has been listening to Jim’s playing again. That inimitable sound, so true, honest and touching. Never did you hear anything gratuitous in the playing and no-one could play a tune like Jim. His command and understanding of musical line was uncanny and it made him a fine musical director, too. I fondly recall him picking up his trumpet in an orchestral workshop and showing the violins how to phrase something from the first movement of Tchaikovsky 6. The combination of a supreme ear and knowing the repertoire backwards, often from brass band arrangements, meant he could play almost anything.
From his recordings and performances, we will all have our favourites. Those who haven’t heard his performance of Copland’s ‘Quiet City’, aged 18, in a concert under Sir Michael Tippett at the Berlin Philharmonie, have a treat in store on YouTube. It’s so gloriously assured, thoughtful and mature and at the end, it boasts the loveliest piano I think I’ve ever heard on a trumpet – and to think he’d only transferred to the trumpet from the cornet months earlier. The whole performance is epic, evocative and supremely natural. A hallmark of Jim’s playing for the next 40 years.
We are so fortunate as musicians to be able to hear, forever, the person we admired and loved. It might be Jim’s ‘Trumpet Masterpieces’ disc where he performs the most authoritative and soaring of Hindemith sonatas or his playing of ‘Share my Yolk’ which was always unbearably moving. It was that extraordinary convergence of aristocratic cheese and cultivated soulfulness. His Arutunian Concerto with Black Dyke is thrilling. And, then, you can watch Jim next to Maurice playing Mahler 2 with Gergiev and the LSO only three years ago. What a trumpet section God is assembling up there.
Jim espoused the need to master the fullest range of playing styles before versatility and ‘portfolio careers’ became fashionable watchwords. This principle characterised both his playing career and teaching: the ability and need to do anything demanded of you in the best minstrel tradition. He was not proud, and delivered what the occasion demanded – whether it was music to be enjoyed for it’s own sake or to adorn a ceremony. He would play Gabrieli – as he did so beautifully at Philip Jones’s memorial service – with all the elegance and taste in the world and the next evening, it would be delighting a local band in the ‘Trumpeter’s Lullaby’ with a huge sentimental grin of satisfaction. One moment he could be a dreadful snob about a particular orchestral style, or suchlike, and the next moment he was the shameless populist. Using an old cricketing analogy, Jim, musically, never quite decided whether he wanted to be ‘gentleman’ or ‘player’ and, true to form, he played for both.
Central to Jim’s priceless legacy is his humour – at our expense and his own. Jim adored being the big fella with the bling and the big boat. I once told Jim that I thought he was the Malcolm Allison of the trumpet. Allison, for those not old enough, was a glamorous 1970s football manager who always had to have the biggest cigar and the broadest brimmed hat in the dugout. Allison was a confirmed show-off and so was Jim. We’d all be disappointed if we didn’t regularly hear about the size of his boat, how he’d got that personalised number plate, TPT, free from a cornet-playing mate at DVLC in Swansea. But this was all part of his love of life and it was all done with self-effacing fun and a wry humour. ‘You don’t have to take my advice but I’ve got a big house, a nice car and a massive boat’.
Throughout Jim’s life, teaching was central. His genius was his exceptional ability to enable us to set sail which, in my view, made him one of the most influential professors on any instrument to teach at the Royal Academy. I remember my first trumpet lesson with him as a 16-year old, 33 years ago almost to the day. He made me feel 10-foot tall. The ultimate praise for decades was always ‘dead chuffed with that kiddo, really enjoyed that’. For me, that telling phrase speaks volumes about Jim’s delight in the achievements of young people. It also implied that your playing communicated something convincing and that therefore he regarded you as a fellow musician, a fellow player in a privileged club. But to stay in it, you had to give your all.
I think Jim had very little idea of the life-affirming belief he gave us. He knew he had common sense but he didn’t really know he had magic – if he had, he’d have been impossible. The mystery of Jim’s effect on us lies in its extraordinary wide range. Each day we realise something else in our lives he’s affected. Jim had a kind of in-born authority in judging and knowing, at any one time, what is right and what we all need – from a good old-fashioned Sergeant-Major bollocking to a shoulder to cry on, and everything in between. He often expressed his opinions in vocabulary which left little room for misunderstanding.
‘Don’t give me excuses’, he’d say, ‘I can’t smoke them, I can’t drink them and I can’t put them in the bank. Just get it right’.
But the majority of bon mots were profoundly affectionate. Humour at your expense from an iconic figure is always worth the mild humiliation. ‘I’m going to shoot corn out of an air rifle at your head every time you ask a stupid question’. On tuning, he’d exclaim, ‘push in, pull out or push off’; on articulation, he’d speak of ‘The Royal Academy of Front and Length’. How he loathed short-breathed, pecky playing. ‘You do not have to split anything but anything you do split may be recorded and used in evidence against you.’ But I think my favourite is when he’d lean back and say, ‘It’s nice’ – which meant you’d made no impression on him whatsoever. Most of Jim’s best stories are unrepeatable in church.
Jim may only have been 59 when he died but he gave us several lifetimes of advice, commitment and wisdom. He also had an uncanny ability to sniff out a potential technical problem. Jim knew he’d made mistakes when he was young and therefore he was doubly committed to making sure that it didn’t happen to others. I hugely admired his grounded fairness: he took as much trouble over those who needed more time to develop as the natural stars – and it is a testament to his teaching that so many of his most successful students came up on the ‘inside rail’. He didn’t care if you didn’t get a job, just as long as you did your best.
Our practical task of celebrating Jim’s life and work is to take his legacy forward and build on his achievements. Nothing less than the commitment Jim gave the students at the Academy will do: he has set the bar. Most immediately, we need to support the family who will remain an important part of our lives, within and outside the Academy. And, speaking briefly of mysteries, how astonishing that exactly a week after Jim died, the Academy performed our scheduled Bach cantatas, juxtaposing a work on the gentle sleep of death with a piece called ‘the newborn infant child’. For me, it was a remarkable emblem of one James Watson moving on and, within a few days, a grandson – James Watson – appearing. And what pride Jim had in his family, his wife, his sons, his daughters-in-law and grandchildren, Rebecca and Leila, with whom playing with kites in the park was about as good as it got.
With Jim forever in our minds and hearts, we thank this towering figure for his inestimable influence and friendship. He was one of the kindest men I ever met. I leave you with a short message from a student in the book of condolence which sums up so much: ‘You always knew what to say. You always had time to stop. You never over-looked anyone. You were a second father to me. We will make you proud of us. We will never forget you’.
Written and read by Professor Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, at Jim's funeral in Marylebone Parish Church on 21st February 2011.
To stand here today as Jim’s student, a close friend and part of Jim’s extended family of Academy colleagues makes me feel both profoundly sad and profoundly privileged. I was going to add in that list, my role as Jim’s boss over the years – but I never felt like Jim’s boss and let’s face it, Jim didn’t really have bosses. The death of this wonderful, big-hearted and generous man has left a huge void in our lives, one which continues to reverberate far and wide. Jim was a colossus who bestrode the musical world, a figure who commanded respect in every possible sphere of the profession. Whilst, in time, we’ll rediscover a celebratory gratitude for Jim’s exceptional career as a great performer and teacher, at present it’s the force of his all-embracing personality which continues to shake us in our corporate sense of loss.
To reflect the impact of this extraordinary man adequately on so many people from different parts of his life, is well-nigh impossible. But there is, I believe, something fundamental which binds us all and that is Jim’s love of belonging. Jim constantly surprised us in his appreciation of people. He exuded an untold passion for connecting with others, and relished any excuse to apply that unforgettable, mischievous twinkle: it was a simple delight for him as it was for us, as recipients. His willingness to lend himself to the bigger picture of humanity was obvious when he played a ‘schmaltzy’ tune – and, yes, the word ‘schmaltz’ had to come in sooner rather than later. He offered himself to anyone who valued his fellowship, as family, friend, colleague and listener. Whether it was teaching the trumpet, walking your dog, filling in for Maurice Murphy in the LSO or reading through some duets, Jim enjoyed being part of our lives as his daily bread.
I’m speaking here not just as a long-standing friend but because I am fortunate and grateful that his Academy family was inextricably part of Jim’s understanding of home, in the broadest sense. His twin homes seemed to be joined by a private underground tunnel between Cassiobury Park Avenue in Watford and the third floor of the Academy (that was, of course, when he wasn’t parking illegally outside the Development Office). For all the remarkable achievements of Jim’s life with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Royal Opera House, the studio world, the brass band world, his own solo profile and so on, Jim’s constant – in this incredibly full life – was his pride in the Academy.
Jim met Julie, his wife of 38 years, at the Academy, the boys – Will and Tom – were both students at the Academy (and the boys married Academy girls, Louise and Claire). Jim had a 35-year teaching career here, producing generations of players who are amongst the world’s most distinguished professionals and then, of course, in the last 10 years, he ran a peerless, superb department. For the Watson family to share their profound grief with us under the gaze of the Academy is a supreme tribute to the institution and, most of all, to those he taught as students and us, his colleagues. We are all very grateful.
As my 15-year old told me on the day Jim died, ‘it wasn’t just the teaching, Dad, it was everything else’. What that ‘else’ was is key to mourning our loss and, in time, cherishing and building on everything Jim gave and taught us. Indeed, I can already hear him say: ‘Jonathan, you’ll be fine, you don’t need me, get on with it – just don’t cock it up’. During the numerous chats students and staff have had over the last two weeks, we soon realised that Jim had already provided us with a wonderful roadmap, telling us, as he tended to, what was on his mind and what he was planning. Jim talked (boy, did he talk!) and he loved sharing his insights, big and small, the latest idea on the block and the constant self-evaluation of whether he was really up to it. On my mobile, he came up as ‘Legend’ which, of course, he rather liked through pleasurable embarrassment. He and I spoke almost daily: his reasons for calling related to brass business but also emerged simply from a desire to be reassured, to connect. And those were always reasons enough to feel glad he had rung.
Part of Jim’s astonishing ability to furnish us with good things was this paradox of his supreme confidence alongside moments of genuine vulnerability. It was in his DNA, this combination of bravura and insecurity and it was a blessing in the sense that it gave him an uncommon capacity for identifying with others. It made him a brilliant, astute, rounded, sympathetic and irrepressible mentor. Jim knew how to handle success and failure, even if most of his life was a remarkable tale of outstanding achievement. Without these extremes we wouldn’t have had the range of character in his playing or indeed the level of respect from those in his charge at the Academy, students whom he knew were all very different, with very different needs. Pressure and passion went hand in hand for Jim. That was simply the way he was.
Jim’s playing career really is the stuff of legend. Jim was Junior national solo cornet champion for three successive years, and in 1966 – aged 14 – he cleaned up with the Senior national championship as well. He was probably as close to a prodigy as this country’s ever had on the cornet. He was Principal Cornet of the Desford Colliery Band at 11 and continued later as director of that band, followed by a distinguished period with Black Dyke, to reinforce his place as royalty in that movement. How I love those pictures of a gangly 60s youth in a cardigan on a Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra tour, several with him draped round his future wife, Julie. But here, already, you can perceive a serious musical talent who was to become, without doubt, one of the finest, most versatile and recognisable trumpet players in the world.
At 21, after his time at the Academy, Jim was picked out by the great conductor, Rudolf Kempe, to be his Principal Trumpet at the RPO. It was a golden age in British orchestral life and Jim was a central part of it. He soon expanded his career with many other remarkable ensembles, most proudly as the vibrant trumpeting heartbeat of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble – a brass chamber group whose combination of individual talents and audience-following has arguably never been equalled anywhere in the world; the Nash Ensemble and the London Sinfonietta became a regular part of Jim’s life and, soon, he was in the hot seat at the Royal Opera working regularly for the likes of Colin Davis, Georg Solti and other such luminaries. As Colin Davis remarked, ‘if Jimmy was about, something wonderful always happened’. That was a fitting observation on London’s most glamorous trumpet player.
Of course, Jim never relaxed for a moment. If he wasn’t sitting in these exalted chairs, he was off with another orchestra or banging out Star Wars and Superman with Maurice, playing solo recitals, conducting brass bands, youth wind ensembles – great and small, advanced and remedial. Jim wasn’t fussy as long as the conditions allowed the music and the reason for the project to speak loudest. And there was the rub in everything he did as a performer. There were no compromises; if he sniffed out other agendas and politicking which got in the way of his musical ambition and famous work ethic, he became disillusioned and intolerant. For all the success he’d had in competitions in earlier years, he saw the idea of ‘contest’ in the band world as essentially limiting and regressive in an environment where he wanted the value of music-making to prevail above all. His roller-coaster relationship with the brass band movement was often about trying to reconcile traditional and progressive philosophies in a culture he cared about deeply.
If not the most diplomatic man in the world, you knew that Jim’s motivation for speaking his mind was to tell the truth – and that was, primarily, because he was supremely principled in wanting the best for the folk he was with at the time. He famously disagreed with Maurice André at his competition in 2005, a special sadness on account of André’s hero status for Jim. Luckily, they patched it up in front of an audience of 1500 when Maurice apologised. Or Jim thought he had, foreign language always being a bit more of a barrier for Jim than he let on. Just occasionally, one had to whisper in Jim’s ear, ‘Jim, do you really want World War 4 after World War 3 last week?’
Heartbreaking for many of us in the last couple of weeks has been listening to Jim’s playing again. That inimitable sound, so true, honest and touching. Never did you hear anything gratuitous in the playing and no-one could play a tune like Jim. His command and understanding of musical line was uncanny and it made him a fine musical director, too. I fondly recall him picking up his trumpet in an orchestral workshop and showing the violins how to phrase something from the first movement of Tchaikovsky 6. The combination of a supreme ear and knowing the repertoire backwards, often from brass band arrangements, meant he could play almost anything.
From his recordings and performances, we will all have our favourites. Those who haven’t heard his performance of Copland’s ‘Quiet City’, aged 18, in a concert under Sir Michael Tippett at the Berlin Philharmonie, have a treat in store on YouTube. It’s so gloriously assured, thoughtful and mature and at the end, it boasts the loveliest piano I think I’ve ever heard on a trumpet – and to think he’d only transferred to the trumpet from the cornet months earlier. The whole performance is epic, evocative and supremely natural. A hallmark of Jim’s playing for the next 40 years.
We are so fortunate as musicians to be able to hear, forever, the person we admired and loved. It might be Jim’s ‘Trumpet Masterpieces’ disc where he performs the most authoritative and soaring of Hindemith sonatas or his playing of ‘Share my Yolk’ which was always unbearably moving. It was that extraordinary convergence of aristocratic cheese and cultivated soulfulness. His Arutunian Concerto with Black Dyke is thrilling. And, then, you can watch Jim next to Maurice playing Mahler 2 with Gergiev and the LSO only three years ago. What a trumpet section God is assembling up there.
Jim espoused the need to master the fullest range of playing styles before versatility and ‘portfolio careers’ became fashionable watchwords. This principle characterised both his playing career and teaching: the ability and need to do anything demanded of you in the best minstrel tradition. He was not proud, and delivered what the occasion demanded – whether it was music to be enjoyed for it’s own sake or to adorn a ceremony. He would play Gabrieli – as he did so beautifully at Philip Jones’s memorial service – with all the elegance and taste in the world and the next evening, it would be delighting a local band in the ‘Trumpeter’s Lullaby’ with a huge sentimental grin of satisfaction. One moment he could be a dreadful snob about a particular orchestral style, or suchlike, and the next moment he was the shameless populist. Using an old cricketing analogy, Jim, musically, never quite decided whether he wanted to be ‘gentleman’ or ‘player’ and, true to form, he played for both.
Central to Jim’s priceless legacy is his humour – at our expense and his own. Jim adored being the big fella with the bling and the big boat. I once told Jim that I thought he was the Malcolm Allison of the trumpet. Allison, for those not old enough, was a glamorous 1970s football manager who always had to have the biggest cigar and the broadest brimmed hat in the dugout. Allison was a confirmed show-off and so was Jim. We’d all be disappointed if we didn’t regularly hear about the size of his boat, how he’d got that personalised number plate, TPT, free from a cornet-playing mate at DVLC in Swansea. But this was all part of his love of life and it was all done with self-effacing fun and a wry humour. ‘You don’t have to take my advice but I’ve got a big house, a nice car and a massive boat’.
Throughout Jim’s life, teaching was central. His genius was his exceptional ability to enable us to set sail which, in my view, made him one of the most influential professors on any instrument to teach at the Royal Academy. I remember my first trumpet lesson with him as a 16-year old, 33 years ago almost to the day. He made me feel 10-foot tall. The ultimate praise for decades was always ‘dead chuffed with that kiddo, really enjoyed that’. For me, that telling phrase speaks volumes about Jim’s delight in the achievements of young people. It also implied that your playing communicated something convincing and that therefore he regarded you as a fellow musician, a fellow player in a privileged club. But to stay in it, you had to give your all.
I think Jim had very little idea of the life-affirming belief he gave us. He knew he had common sense but he didn’t really know he had magic – if he had, he’d have been impossible. The mystery of Jim’s effect on us lies in its extraordinary wide range. Each day we realise something else in our lives he’s affected. Jim had a kind of in-born authority in judging and knowing, at any one time, what is right and what we all need – from a good old-fashioned Sergeant-Major bollocking to a shoulder to cry on, and everything in between. He often expressed his opinions in vocabulary which left little room for misunderstanding.
‘Don’t give me excuses’, he’d say, ‘I can’t smoke them, I can’t drink them and I can’t put them in the bank. Just get it right’.
But the majority of bon mots were profoundly affectionate. Humour at your expense from an iconic figure is always worth the mild humiliation. ‘I’m going to shoot corn out of an air rifle at your head every time you ask a stupid question’. On tuning, he’d exclaim, ‘push in, pull out or push off’; on articulation, he’d speak of ‘The Royal Academy of Front and Length’. How he loathed short-breathed, pecky playing. ‘You do not have to split anything but anything you do split may be recorded and used in evidence against you.’ But I think my favourite is when he’d lean back and say, ‘It’s nice’ – which meant you’d made no impression on him whatsoever. Most of Jim’s best stories are unrepeatable in church.
Jim may only have been 59 when he died but he gave us several lifetimes of advice, commitment and wisdom. He also had an uncanny ability to sniff out a potential technical problem. Jim knew he’d made mistakes when he was young and therefore he was doubly committed to making sure that it didn’t happen to others. I hugely admired his grounded fairness: he took as much trouble over those who needed more time to develop as the natural stars – and it is a testament to his teaching that so many of his most successful students came up on the ‘inside rail’. He didn’t care if you didn’t get a job, just as long as you did your best.
Our practical task of celebrating Jim’s life and work is to take his legacy forward and build on his achievements. Nothing less than the commitment Jim gave the students at the Academy will do: he has set the bar. Most immediately, we need to support the family who will remain an important part of our lives, within and outside the Academy. And, speaking briefly of mysteries, how astonishing that exactly a week after Jim died, the Academy performed our scheduled Bach cantatas, juxtaposing a work on the gentle sleep of death with a piece called ‘the newborn infant child’. For me, it was a remarkable emblem of one James Watson moving on and, within a few days, a grandson – James Watson – appearing. And what pride Jim had in his family, his wife, his sons, his daughters-in-law and grandchildren, Rebecca and Leila, with whom playing with kites in the park was about as good as it got.
With Jim forever in our minds and hearts, we thank this towering figure for his inestimable influence and friendship. He was one of the kindest men I ever met. I leave you with a short message from a student in the book of condolence which sums up so much: ‘You always knew what to say. You always had time to stop. You never over-looked anyone. You were a second father to me. We will make you proud of us. We will never forget you’.
The Mediterranean International Festival of Arts
Preparations are now underway for the first Mediterranean International Festival of Arts to be held across the Greek Island of Crete, this autumn.
Organised by www.militfest.com in association with the Municipality of Heraklion, the Festival will take place in the capital city Heraklion and surrounding area, and will feature renowned artists from across the globe alongside the Heraklion Philharmonic Orchestra, and traditional Cretan musicians and dancers.
Craig will play a major role in the artistic direction of the festival, and in particular with regard to the staging of the Mozart opera Idomeneo - Re Di Creta (King of Crete), the first staging of the opera in Crete itself, which will take part in the historic setting of the Palace of Knossos.
Further information on Idomeneo and other Festival events can be found in the projects section of this site, and at the Militfest website at www.militfest.com/crete_2011
Organised by www.militfest.com in association with the Municipality of Heraklion, the Festival will take place in the capital city Heraklion and surrounding area, and will feature renowned artists from across the globe alongside the Heraklion Philharmonic Orchestra, and traditional Cretan musicians and dancers.
Craig will play a major role in the artistic direction of the festival, and in particular with regard to the staging of the Mozart opera Idomeneo - Re Di Creta (King of Crete), the first staging of the opera in Crete itself, which will take part in the historic setting of the Palace of Knossos.
Further information on Idomeneo and other Festival events can be found in the projects section of this site, and at the Militfest website at www.militfest.com/crete_2011
Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo 2011
Work on the 2011 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is now underway in earnest. Production Meetings for the show took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia in November where concepts were discussed and set, scene music selected and performers were confirmed from Canada, Australia, Estonia, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Further information on the 2011 Tattoo will be placed here as and when it becomes available, and is also available at the show's own site www.nstattoo.ca
Tickets are also now on sale from Ticket Atlantic
Further information on the 2011 Tattoo will be placed here as and when it becomes available, and is also available at the show's own site www.nstattoo.ca
Tickets are also now on sale from Ticket Atlantic
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda - Projects 2011
Following a successful year in 2010, Craig nows looks forward to the fresh projects and challenges that 2011 will bring.
Full details of projects for 2011 will be posted in the projects section of this site as the year progresses. You can also keep up to date on information on the various organisations with which Craig is associated at their own websites, detailed below:
Making Music
Making Music Wales
Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo
Mediterranean International Festival of Arts
Symphonic Brass Wales
Treherbert & District Band
Ty Cerdd