Summer performances road trip 2022

One of the nicest things for me about being a composer is attending performances, seeing new places and meeting friends old and new, especially when it’s the summer and there’s time to take a bit of a holiday as well. I joined the Lake Wobegon Brass Band from the USA in Yorkshire, Grimethorpe Colliery Band in Kings Lynn, Regent Brass at Westminster Abbey garden (where I also met up with cousins and discovered design work by my grandfather in the Victoria and Albert Museum, more of that another time 🎶), and the National Youth Brass Band of Wales at St David’s in Wales. Closer to home was Lydbrook Band in the Forest of Dean. I also had a wonderful evening at Hereford, attending the preview for next year’s Three Choir’s Festival, where I’ll be writing a new community-based work What the Lark Saw.

I was featured in the magazine Klankbord, published by Vlamo.be (the Flemish Amateur Music Organisation), an article focusing on my work for brass band, wind band and fanfare band. And I found out that part of my work Rhythm of Light was featured on TikTok for the Barbara Hepworth | Art and Life exhibition at the National Galleries of Scotland, a recording made last year by Hepworth Band, conductor Ryan Watkins. There are plans for a performance down south next year.

Everything seemed to go in 5s (is that a thing?!) - 5 performances on 5 subsequent days in August, 5 performances of Serenata and 5 performances of Diamond Fanfare. There was also the premiere of Surtaal Unites and a performance of Antiphonary, inspired by Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, and based around original melodies by Vivaldi, found in the Castle’s muniments.  Serenata is available to download free in aid of the British Heart Foundation; Diamond Fanfare is with Composers Edition and Antiphonary with Wright and Round.

And at the end of the summer, I ended up playing horn in a tethered hot air balloon at the glorious grounds of Berkeley Castle. I’ve been commissioned to write a community opera by the Jenner Project to commemorate the bicentenary of vaccination pioneer Dr Edward Jenner. Part of the celebrations this year included a balloon event with my Air Balloon Song sung by the audience and accompanied by a brass quintet.  I don’t have much time to play these days but it was nice to get back in practice, and the opportunity to perform in an air balloon was too good to miss!

I am truly grateful to everyone who continues to support, programme and play my music, thank you for brightening my summer. 🎶