Concert, 2nd August 2024

A recording of the concert is available here.

Festmusik der Stadt Wein – Richard Strauss arr. Fernie celebrates the 160th anniversary of the composer’s birth and was written to celebrate Vienna Town Council awarding him the Beethoven Prize. It captures the grandeur and spirit of Vienna, blending fanfares with melodic passages. It’s a tribute to the city’s rich musical heritage.

The Mandalorian – Ludwig Goransson arr. Middleton combines western and sci-fi elements to create a unique sound. The music feature’s iconic themes and eclectic instruments which enriches the show’s adventurous and mysterious atmosphere. 2024 celebrates the 40th birthday Ludwig Goransson and the 5th anniversary of the series.

Nocturne – Torstein Aargaard Nilsen evokes the calmness and tranquility of night, specifically called Nocturne. The composer invites listeners into a serene and contemplative soundscape, suggesting that night is a peaceful and harmonious space. This year also celebrates the composer’s 60th birthday!

Capriccio Brillante – Herman Bellstedt arr. Smith is based on the celebratory Italian melody “The Carnival of Naples and is filled with challenging passages and virtuosic techniques, demonstrating the dazzling skills of our young star guest soloist Daniel Marsh.

Greensleeves – Traditional arr. Snell, guest soloist Daniel Marsh.

Bhangra Dance – Stephen Roberts

The Pioneers – Philip Sparke written for the first summer course of the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain in July 2004, the work celebrates both the band’s inaugural event and the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804. The composition captures the essence of exploration and adventure, celebrating the inauguration of the NCBB.

Interval

King’s March – Jeremiah Clarke arr. Nicholson is a stately piece from the Baroque period. It’s known for its ceremonial feel and is often used in formal settings. It is superbly arranged by our conductor Lynda Nicholson who recognises that it’s 350 years since the composer’s birth.

Mega-Mix – Charlotte Graham, Charlotte McGregor-Graham’s new composition for the NYBBGB Children’s Band, Mega-Mix, celebrates dance party hits from the past 20 years. Charlotte’s love of ostinatos, driving rhythms, and rich harmonies gives this piece a youthful and playful character, with hints of familiar pop tunes intertwined with original melodies. Mega-Mix will also feature a musical take on party games, including ‘Pass the Melody’ and ‘Musical Chairs’. This piece will be sure to get you up and dancing along!

Celebration – Ronald Bell arr. Shaw is a joyful anthem that embodies the spirit of unity and festivity. With its infectious rhythm, and uplifting melodies, it has become a timeless song that inspires togetherness and celebratory moments across generations. Choir conducted by Lucie Hall.

Mid all the Traffic – Leonard Ballantine, the combination of John Oxenham’s reflective poem “Mid all the traffic of the ways” with the serene American folk melody “Shenandoah” creates a harmonious and soothing piece. This arrangement aims to evoke a sense of tranquility and peace, allowing listeners to find a moment of quiet reflection in the midst of all the celebration.

Autumn Leaves – Joseph Kosma arr. Geldard is a timeless jazz standard that encapsulates the melancholic beauty of fall. Its haunting melody and nostalgic lyrics evoke images of falling leaves and lost love, making it a poignant and enduring classic. Superbly arranged here as a tenor horn solo for Guest Soloist Daniel Marsh.

Opus One – Cy Oliver arr. Geldard, celebrates the big band era and the life of Bill Geldard, who sadly died last year. Opus One was a hit for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. With its upbeat tempo, swinging brass sections, and catchy melodies, the piece epitomises the energetic spirit of the swing era.

Swing Low Sweet Chariot – Wallace Willis

Lynda was born in London and started playing the cornet at the age of eight. She was appointed Leader of The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain on six courses and thenwent on to study trumpet at The Royal College of Music, gaining the A.R.C.M. diploma, and the G.R.S.M. (Hons) degree. She followed this with post-graduate teacher training, and is well respected as a music educator, especially for her work with The St. Helens Youth Brass Band, whom she steered to many successes both on the concert and contest platforms. She was the Music Director of the inaugural course of the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain in 2004 and is very much looking forward to conducting the 2024 course and helping the Band celebrate its 20 th anniversary.

She lectured on ‘The Art of Brass Teaching’ at the Royal Northern College of Music and has been a Mentor for the Associated Board’s Certificate of Teaching course.

She was a distinguished cornet player, playing Assistant Principal Cornet with The Foden Band and Principal Cornet with The Desford Colliery Band (winning the National Brass Band Championships with them in 1991), The Wingates Band and The Black Dyke Band.

After turning her hand to conducting, she directed several bands in the Northwest of England
before relocating to Scotland in 2009, where she continues to conduct both youth and adult
bands.

Lynda was the 1999 recipient of the prestigious Harry Mortimer Medal, for services to youth music and in 2010 the British Federation of Brass Bands awarded her the Brian Hicks Memorial Trophy for commitment to brass music. In 2024 she adjudicated the Grand Shield at the Spring Festival.

Speaking to Dr Robert Childs earlier this year Lynda said “It was so exciting to be involved in the creation of the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain and to conduct the inaugural course in July 2004, so I am delighted to be invited to conduct their Summer 2024 course and to help celebrate the Band’s 20th anniversary.

The theme of the programme will be “Celebration” and the music I have chosen commemorates events, anniversaries, or birthdays of the composers, as well as a look back at some pieces we played on the first course.

I am pleased that the guest soloist for the course will be Daniel Marsh (Tenor Horn), who is a former member of The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and the 2023 winner of the Harry Mortimer Award. He will be an inspiration to the young players of the NCBBGB.

As a music educator, I think it is very important to introduce young people to different genres of music, music they might not have come across before and to help develop their musical experience and understanding. To that end, we will be studying music from around the world, from the Renaissance period to music from the Big Band era, as well as more modern brass band repertoire. We will be tackling some technically demanding pieces and some that have fewer notes but require developing a sense of musicianship. The talented young composer Charlotte Graham is writing a new work for the Band, which promises to be a sparkling, fun piece and the icing on the cake in our concert of “Celebration””.

Daniel Marsh is an accomplished brass musician who began his musical journey at the age of seven with the St. Helens Youth Brass Band. He attended Rainford High School, where he studied Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Music at A-Level.

Guided by his teacher, Neil Raisbeck, Daniel quickly demonstrated talent on the horn, joining the Rainford Band and earning him a spot in the National Youth Children’s Band in 2018, where he rose to the position of principal tenor horn.

After joining The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB), Daniel continued to thrive, becoming principal horn of the senior band in 2021, a position which he held for 3 years.  Last year he was successful in reaching the semi-finals of the European Brass Band Association Solo Competition, and winning the prestigious Harry Mortimer Solo Award during his final course with the NYBBGB.

Throughout his time with the NYBBGB, Daniel had the opportunity to perform under esteemed conductors at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Sage, Gateshead, and delivered workshops at schools across the country with the NYBBGB Ambassadors Ensemble.
His talents have also led to guest appearances with renowned brass bands such as the Foden’s and Cory bands.

Currently, Daniel is a second year Mathematics student at Durham University, where he is set to become the university brass band's conductor in the upcoming academic year.

Alongside his academic commitments, he also performs as solo horn with the EverReady Band.

Charlotte McGregor-Graham (1998) is a composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist from Widnes, North West England.

Her musical education began at the age of 9, studying the trumpet under the tutelage of Lucy Pankhurst, who patiently taught Charlotte for the next 10 years as her collection of musical instruments expanded to the French horn, trombone, euphonium, piano and ukulele.

Charlotte was born with Tourette’s Syndrome, a neurological movement disorder, and although was not diagnosed until 2014, she always found music gave her relief from her condition.

She was a member of Halton and Warrington Schools Wind Band and Splinters Street Ensemble during this time, and also played as a pit band musician in amateur productions of musicals, including Les Miserables, Little Shop of Horrors, and Chess, where she gained valuable experience as a brass player.

Lucy and her partner, Paul McGhee, always encouraged Charlotte to compose, but it was not until her final year of sixth form she discovered a love for composition and composed music for LIPA Sixth Form College’s production of The Winter’s Tale (2018).

Charlotte went on to study Musical Arts at the University of Salford, where she met Tom Davoren and began composition lessons in between her lectures and brass band studies. During her time at Salford, she composed DEADLINE (2018) a concert piece for brass band and was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Kirklees Composition Competition 2019.

She began composing her 2nd concert work for brass band, Telos (2019), when Tom advised her to consider transferring to focus solely on composition, so she applied to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama at the end of 2019 and gained a place as a composition student.

Charlotte has composed music for Gary Curtin (euphonium), Ceri-Ann Townsend (percussion),
Thomas Kilby (trombone), and the Band of the Welsh Guards during her studies at RWCMD. Telos was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain’s composition competition 2022 and premiered by the Royal Welsh Brass Band at RWCMD in October 2023.

Charlotte has been a finalist in the Band of the Welsh Guard’s composition competition 2021 and 2024, and her most recent composition int.ErRUPTION (2024) a showpiece for solo Trombone and piano was premiered in March 2024 by Thomas Kilby and Chris Williams.

Charlotte is influenced by many genres of music including classical and contemporary classical, progressive rock, popular music from the 60s through to the present day, and musical theatre. Her favourite artists include the Beatles, Billy Joel, Elbow, Mike Oldfield, Meat Loaf, and Tim Minchin.

Charlotte is now in her final year of her undergraduate studies. She plans to complete a PGCE in secondary music education next year, and hopes to strengthen her connections in brass banding across Cardiff and throughout the UK to continue writing new music for brass and percussion.