News
Connaught Brass in Ireland this February!
February 2024
Connaught Brass is delighted to announce a mini tour of Ireland, visiting both Dublin and Wexford.
The group will fly to Dublin on Wednesday 21st February to perform and host several masterclasses & workshops with students from the Royal Irish Academy of Music before travelling down to Wexford to perform a recital on Friday 23rd February at St Iberius Church, followed the next day with a workshop for Music Generation Wexford.
You can book tickets now for our recital in Wexford here.
New Commission | Robin Haigh
October 2023
Connaught Brass are delighted to announce a brand new commission written by award-winning composer, Robin Haigh.
Haigh’s new work, ‘Get Good’, will be premiered at the De Doelen in Rotterdam this December.
About Robin
Irish/British composer Robin Haigh (b.1993) works internationally with leading orchestras and soloists, writing pieces of “scintillating unpredictability” (Tom Service, BBC Radio 3) that have also been described as “timeless,” “dream-like” (Musical Opinion Magazine), and “remarkably discombobulating” (Seen and Heard International). Haigh’s work first gained widespread attention in 2017, when his recorder quintet In Feyre Foreste won him a British Composer Awardaged just 24, being described by the judges as “completely refreshing” and “magical.”
Read more about Robin here
Connaught Brass returns to France for the 2023 Ferrandou Music festival
August 2023
Connaught Brass are excited to return once again to the Ferrandou Music Festival in France. Performing three concerts across their week stay in central France, the group will perform three eclectic programmes at churches in Beaulieu (09.09), Vayrac (10.09) and Albi (11.09).
Ferrandou Musique
A “thrilling young ensemble at the start of what is sure to be a major international career” (Great Birmingham Brass Fest), Connaught Brass are quickly making a name for themselves as a fresh talent in the chamber music world.
They are all recent graduates from the RAM or the Guildhall School of Music and have already been awarded many distinguished prizes.
Connaught Brass’s commitment, camaraderie and collective ability has won them many friends and fans through their recent broadcasts for the BBC and it is a joy to see them living up to the huge promise they showed on their first visits to Ferrandou.
Having been principal players in the European Union Youth Orchestra and National Youth Orchestras of Great Britain, Scotland, and Wales, members are now appearing on the professional circuit. This includes freelancing with the London Symphony, BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, English National Opera and Ulster Orchestras, as well as recording with and supporting artists such as Bruno Mars, Stormzy, Jamie Cullum, Rag‘n’Bone Man, Hazel Iris and Gregory Porter.
Connaught Brass’ ambition is to explore and share the broadest range of musical repertoire with as wide an audience as possible, bringing brass chamber music to the forefront of today’s musical world.
They are appearing at Ferrandou for the fifth year, recently made their debuts in several Swiss festivals, in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and during the last twelve months have undertaken several international tours... and a coronation.
Read more about the Ferrandou Musique here
Connaught Brass & Slide Action team up for ‘Brilliant Brass’ Concert at Snape Maltings
July 2023
Slide Action & Connaught Brass are joining forces to perform a concert at Snape Maltings later this month!
An eclectic programme featuring original arrangements for both groups, including some Boulanger and Schubert, ending with a premiere of Britten’s iconic Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, arranged for the combined forces; it’s going to be pretty epic!
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Watch two of the UK’s outstanding brass ensembles side-by-side in a varied programme that showcases a world-premiere arrangement of Britten’s Sea Interludes.
Slide Action and Connaught Brass are two young brass ensembles quickly making a name for themselves. Both former Britten Pears Young Artists, they have performed at some of the world’s most renowned chamber-music festivals and have devised this unique programme, especially for Summer at Snape.
They weave together charm-filled arrangements of Boulanger and Schubert alongside bombastic original pieces. We finish with a flourish with Britten’s iconic Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes arranged for the combined forces.
Britten (arr. Josh Cirtina): Prelude to Owen Wingrave
Poulenc (arr. Josh Cirtina): Quatre petites prières de Saint François d’Assise (10’)
Saskia Apon: First Trombone Quartet (10’)
Schubert (arr. Josh Cirtina):Du bist die Ruh', D.776
Mogens Andresen: Prelude and Reinlendere from Three Norwegian Dances (3’)
Lili Boulanger (arr. William Foster): Suite from Clairières dans le ciel
Britten (arr. Josh Cirtina): Four Sea Interludes, from Peter Grimes
📸 @bennyomgbennyomg (Slide Action) & @benjaminealovega (Connaught Brass)
You can book tickets now via brittenpears.org.
Aaron Akugbo from Connaught Brass plays at King Charles III Coronation
May 2023
After our fantastic Coronation Celebration performance in Aynho on Friday 5th May, Aaron had to shoot back to London for an early start the next day, playing as part of the Orchestra for the Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey.
Viewed by over 20 million people in the UK and many more worldwide, the orchestra played a fundamental part in the ancient ceremony. The Coronation Orchestra was conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director for the Royal Opera House and is led by Vasko Vassilev, Principal Guest Concert Master, Royal Opera House Orchestra.
You can watch the full ceremony on BBC iPlayer.
2023 Spring/ Summer Dates - additional dates added!
April 2023
Our busy summer just got busier! Additional dates include a very exciting brand new commission by Kenneth Hesketh Fanfare for St Bartholomew (world premiere), commissioned to celebrate 900 years since the founding of Barts Hospital, which the group will perform 3 times on June 14th & 29th, as well July 6th.
Other dates include two coronation celebration concerts at Aynho & Petersfield, a recital at Middle Temple in the City and a very exciting joint concert with the fantastic Slide Action trombone quartet at Snape Maltings.
You can find all the information for the events listed on our diary page here!
Connaught Brass @ Bath Festival 23’
April 2023
Connaught Brass will feature at this year’s Bath Festival on Saturday, 13th May. The ensemble will play an exciting programme of music featuring Koetsier, Ewald and Handel.
Saturday 13th May, 14:00
St Swithin’s Church, Bath
Read more about their programme, and book your tickets here.
Connaught Brass’s brand new music video; The Threepenny Opera is now live on YouTube!
April 2023
Connaught Brass is delighted to fully release their brand new music video, The Threepenny Opera, by Kurt Weill.
Specially curated and arranged by Will Foster for Connaught Brass's debut performance at the Lucerne Music Festival 2021, the Threepenny Opera has become an audience favourite over the past few seasons for Connaught Brass, and we are delighted to have worked with Beastly Studios to present a very special music video for all of you to watch at home!
Featuring classics from the opera, such as Pirate Jenny and Mack the Knife, this arrangement is like no other and also features some of the spoken libretto and drama from the opera itself. We hope you enjoy our latest recording & video project, a massive thank you to the Performance & Visuals team at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for the use of the Milton Court Theatre, Will Foster for his fantastic arrangement, and finally to Sam Dye at Beastly Studios for putting together the entire project.
You can watch the full thing now on our YouTube Channel!
Connaught Brass to feature on BBC Radio 3 In Tune on the 07.04
March 2023
BBC Radio 3 In Tune 07.04
Connaught Brass are delighted to join Sean Rafferty once again back in the studio down at BBC Radio 3 for the ‘In Tune’ show on Friday 7th, April at 17:00.
The group will be playing a mix of items from their upcoming Wigmore Hall and summer season, whilst discussing some exciting upcoming projects!
If you can’t catch the show live, then you’ll be to listen to the full on BBC iPlayer.
Picture by Beastly Studios
2023 Spring/ Summer Dates Released!
March 2023
It’s our absolute pleasure to announce our 2023 Spring/ Summer Season! Having already played at the prestigious Kings Place back in January, we look forward to a busy season of music-making ahead!
With more dates in the pipeline to be confirmed, this season will be an exciting and busy one for sure, and we can’t wait to get started this Thursday, making our debut at St John Smith’s Square, London.
For more details, please feel free to check out our diary page here with all the links to programmes, tickets and more!
Picture by Benjamin Ealovega
Connaught Brass announces Kings Place performance in January 2023!
January 2023
Connaught is delighted to announce its debut performance at the prestigious Kings Place in London Wednesday, 18th January at 8pm.
With the programme featuring music from the 18th-century dances and arias within Pulcinella, fanfare and atmosphere from Andresen, Lutoslawski and Longworth, to the fire which heats up Bizet’s Carmen – there’s something here to satisfy every taste!
Want to find out more about this programme? Why not let Harry (Trumpet - Connaught Brass) explain a bit more about this gig in our promotional video right here!
You can buy your tickets now via the Kings Place website now!
Listen to the BBC Radio 3 In Tune ‘Christmas Special’ now on the
BBC Sounds app!
December 2022
Connaught Brass was featured alongside a stellar lineup of guests at this year’s BBC Radio 3 In Tune “Christmas Special’, including Laufey, Albion Quartet, Ganda Boys and many more!
You can watch the full show now via the BBC Sounds app/ online - click here
Connaught Brass to feature on BBC Radio 3, In Tune: Christmas Special!
December 2022
Connaught Brass is delighted to have been invited to play on the 2022 BBC Radio 3, In Tune: Christmas Special, alongside a host of amazing musicians!
Tuesday 20th December, 17:00
BBC Radio Theatre
As well as listening live on the radio, you can apply for tickets to watch the full show live at the BBC Radio Theatre, BBC Broadcasting House.
“Throughout the year, Radio 3’s In Tune programme, presented by Sean Rafferty and Katie Derham, hosts live performances every weekday from some of the world’s finest classical, folk, jazz and world music artists. The In Tune Christmas Special live from the BBC’s Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House is the highlight of the In Tune year.
It’s a Christmas party celebration like no other where both Sean and Katie are joined by not only some of the show’s greatest performer friends, but also by a live audience of In Tune listeners.”
Apply for tickets here
2022 Autumn Season Announced!
September 2022
Connaught Brass is back after their summer break and are delighted to present to you their busy autumn season!
As well as a host of performances across the UK, they are excited to announce that they will be making their Netherlands debut this October in partnership with the Ferrandou Music Festival, performing two concerts in Amsterdam and a very special radio broadcast live from the Concertgebouw Spiegelzaal 🇳🇱
As well as live performances, they have a host of exciting things to share with you all in the coming months, including a brand new music video, new vlogs and much more! Keep your eyes peeled on our socials for updates!
They kick off their autumn season at Kelso Music Society on Sunday 2nd October, an exciting programme of music featuring the music of Andresen, Pergolesi, Gabrielli, Bach, Boulanger, Gershwin, and a brand new arrangement curated by the fantastic Will Foster of Bizet’s, Carmen Suite!
October Concerts/ Broadcasts
08.10 - Mulanje Mission Benefit Concert
09.10 - Live Radio Broadcast from the Concertgebouw
You can check out the full Autumn season on our diary page here.
Connaught Brass to make Netherlands Debut
Connaught Brass is delighted to announce three new performances to their concert schedule in Autumn 2022! They'll be performing in Amsterdam across the weekend of the 8-9th October in partnership with Ferrandou Music.
The group will be playing two concerts across the weekend at the English Reformed Church and the Posthoornkerk in Amsterdam and performing live on Dutch radio from the Concertgebouw Spiegelzaal.
08.10.22 - Mulanje Mission Benefit Concert at the English Reformed Church, Amsterdam
09.10.22 (AM) - Live Radio Broadcast from Concertgebouw Spiegelzaal.
09.10.22 (PM) - Recital at the Posthoornkerk, Amsterdam
Connaught will perform a variety of exciting and vibrant music across the weekend, some highlights including music by Kurt Weill, Lili Boulanger, Clara Schumann, Florence Price and Victor Ewald.
You can book tickets now by clicking on the chosen event above!
Soirees at Breinton - Concert Review
“These truly buzzing and emerging talents were able to produce a memorable performance”
Kumi’s Review 14/05/22
On the most glorious English day, we had the first Summer at Breinton event of 2022. This was the official ‘re-opening’ of our new season after two years of significantly reduced live music at Breinton.
We were incredibly fortunate with the weather – you couldn’t have asked more. But we were even more fortunate to hear Connaught Brass on top form. Their sounds were multi-dimensional; they had depth, height and volume that was so flexible, and layers and textures which blended freely. The rhythms flowed and melodies passed; they were an ensemble who manipulated the notes while creating the ambiance. These truly buzzing and emerging talents were able to produce a memorable performance – Florence Price’s Adoration was an adorable gem with the amazing harmony which could melt your heart; arranged beautifully by one of the members Robin Blair (seems like the group has a talented arranger too!). The traditional English Folksong Suite was at times funky, jazzy and fun, but the last piece Danny Boy no doubt had the strongest and silent impact on our audience.
We thank Connaught Brass for the fantastic programme they had handpicked for this occasion. We also thank enormously the Octavian Singers, who sang numerous madrigals and light jazz, all of which could not be more suitable for the occasion. How fortunate we are to be in Woking, surrounded by such music enthusiasts.
Photographs courtesy of David Hogg of Horizon Imaging.
Find out more about Soirees at Breinton here
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Newbury Spring Festival Review
Newbury's light lunch with some top brass
Newbury Spring Festival: Connaught Brass, at the Corn Exchange, on Wednesday, May 11. Review by CLAIRE BARKER
Exciting young quintet Connaught Brass opened their recital with the upbeat and witty Prelude – Rheinlaender by Mogens Andresen. Based on Norwegian dances, melodies were swiftly passed around all the instruments providing a perfect introduction to the ensemble.
A selection of movements from Pulcinella 2.0, Steven Verhelst’s arrangement of music from Stravinsky’s ballet followed. Drawing on the original sources used by Stravinsky, pieces by among others Pergolesi, Gallo and Monza, Verhelst’s skilful writing showed that this combination of brass instruments are perfectly suited to providing the energy and humour of the music. Trumpet players Aaron Akugbo and Harry Plant doubled on piccolo trumpet and flugel respectively, which added to the wide variety of colours displayed by this extremely accomplished ensemble.
Introducing In Bergamo, Peter Longworth’s Opus 1, trombonist Chris Brewster described the piece as a series of musical postcards. This was born out by the incredibly atmospheric writing which completely drew me into Longworth’s world.
Displaying hugely characterful playing which truly evoked the mood of the old town with its lights, students, scooters and bells, it is clear to see why this quintet are the recipients of so many major awards.
Florence Price’s Adoration, in a beautiful arrangement by horn player Robyn Blair provided a change of mood and that stunningly mellow sound that only brass instruments can give.
The programme was brought to a close with excerpts from Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera, arranged by Ian Foster. Full of fun, this piece really allowed the players’ strong individual musical personalities to shine. Particularly impressive throughout was the clarity of Aled Meredith-Barrett’s tuba.
The quality of playing on display was exceptional and the programme perfectly light for a lunchtime concert.
It was lovely to see two groups of children from local primary schools in attendance. I hope some of them will be inspired to take up an instrument or to attend more concerts in the future.
Connaught Brass through to YCAT 2022 Final
Connaught Brass are among the 8 finalists for this year’s Young Classical Artists Trust final at Wigmore Hall!
YCAT Article - 27/05/22
We are delighted to announce our eight finalists for 2022. Chosen from a very competitive field of over 150 outstanding applicants, the eight international artists will perform at YCAT’s live Final Auditions, at Wigmore Hall, on 19 May. The artists selected from the Public Audition Finals will join the family of international artists currently managed by YCAT.
The eight selected finalists are:
Connaught Brass (brass quintet)
Emanuil Ivanov (piano)
Gabriele Strata (piano)
Joël Terrin (baritone)
Jonathan Leibovici (clarinet)
Maja Horvat (violin)
Maxine Troglauer (bass trombone)
TriOssia (accordion trio)
Each finalist will be introduced on YCAT’s social and digital media platforms between 3-13 May.
Alasdair Tait (Chief Executive & Artistic Director) comments:
“After three years of navigating online, remote selection and support of young artists, it has been so inspiring to return to live auditions. The level and commitment of artists applying for YCAT’s support this year from around Europe has been extraordinary, and we are thrilled that we can yet again present these eight exciting finalists in the magnificent Wigmore Hall. ”
YCAT’s Final Auditions will take place at Wigmore Hall, on 19 May from 3-5.30pm and 7-9.30pm and are open to the public to attend.
You can book your tickets here
Connaught Brass 2022 Summer Season announced!
After the Easter break, Connaught Brass continues their busy 2022 season with concerts across the UK and beyond. The summer season kicks off at the Bedford Music Club on the 28th of April and sees the group travel across England 🏴 Wales 🏴 Scotland 🏴 and Switzerland🇨🇭
APRIL
28.04 | Bedford Music Club
MAY
11.05 | Newbury Spring Festival
14.05 | Soirées at Breinton
18.05 | Chiltern Arts Festival
JUNE
02.06 | St David’s Cathedral Festival
15.06 | Hidden Doors Arts Festival, Edinburgh
22.06 | Dorset Museum Music Society
26.06 | Alnwick Music Society
JULY
01.07 | Beaminster Festival
07.07 | Wigmore Hall - Royal Overseas League Society, Gold Medal Final
28.07 | Ceresio Estate Festival
For ticket details or further information about any of our summer engagements, please visit our diary page and follow the links on the desired event. Alternatively, you can get in touch with the group via our contact page.
Connaught Brass win ROSL Mixed Ensembles’ Prize
Article by Cerys Beesley, 25.03.22
Connaught Brass claimed the top £10,000 prize in the exciting second ensemble final for the 70th year of the ROSL Annual Music Competition.
In the 70th year of the Annual Music Competition, brass quintet Connaught Brass became the second ensemble winners of the competition, taking home £10,000.
Four groups were selected to compete for the final prize; the Delphine Trio, Flutes and Frets Duo, Lumas Winds and Connaught Brass gave some brilliant performances in the Princess Alexandra Hall, and it was down to the adjudicators, Simon Callaghan, Gavin Henderson CBE, Melinda Maxwell and Geoff Parkin to select the winners of the £10,000 award.
Connaught Brass recently made their debut at the Lucerne Festival and are set to perform at Wigmore Hall this month. The ensemble’s ability to manipulate and unify sound earned them 1st Prize in the inaugural Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition in 2019 and they also won the Worshipful Company of Musicians Brass Ensemble Prize in 2018. More recently, they have become artists of both the Tillett Trust and City Music Foundation and gained a place on the Britten Pears Chamber Music Residency 2021/22.
You can watch the full final live stream here
Connaught Brass kick off their 2022 Season in Bristol!
Connaught Brass kick off their 2022 season in style with an exciting hour-long concert featuring the music of Anderson, Stravinsky, Longworth, Price and Weill!
You can still book your tickets in time to watch the lunchtime concert via our ticket link here.
A busy first quarter of 2022 sees Connaught perform across the south of England, including performances at Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and a return to Barnes Music Festival, where they performed last year to a packed crowd. The group of best friends also travel to Italy to perform their Italian Debut at the Societa Filarmonica Trento.
UPCOMING CONCERTS
FEBRUARY-MAY 2022
11.03 | Britten Pears Arts
16.03 | Barnes Music Festival
18.03 | St Martin-in-the-Fields
26.03 | Wigmore Hall (90 Minutes for 90 Years!)
29.03 | Società Filarmonica Trento
28.04 | Bedford Music Club
11.05 | Newbury Spring Festival
18.05 | Chiltern Arts Festival
For more details and ticket information, visit our diary page here.
Photo credit: Olivia Da Costa
Connaught Brass announced as City Music Foundation Artists 2021
Connaught Brass are delighted to announce that they have been chosen to be one of the City Music Foundations Artists for 2021, a two-year professional and artistic programme for young artists. The full article is below.
City Music Foundation announces 2021 CMF Artists - Article
11 November 2021 - Photo by Benjamin Ealovega
City Music Foundation has announced eleven artists joining the CMF Artist Programme as ‘2021 CMF Artists’. A mix of ensembles and individual musicians, they are Connaught Brass, Ensemble Hesperi (baroque), Harriet Burns (soprano), Helena Kay (saxophone), James Larter (percussion), Joy Lisney (cello), Laura Perešivana (soprano), Olivia Boen (soprano), Sirius Chau (flute), Victor Lim (piano), Yume Fujise (violin).
The decision follows a highly competitive audition process, culminating in a live audition in front of the jury panel of Sholto Kynoch, Howard Williams, Seb Scotney, Kit Downes, Leslie East, Mats Lidstrom, Louise Williams, Joan Rodgers, William Dazeley, Iain Burnside, Paul Edlin and William Fong.
The eleven artists will enjoy a two-year programme consisting of artistic and business mentoring, as well as a wide range of professional development workshops such as managing finances, tax and pensions, legal input on copyright and contracts, plus presentation and interview skills, promotion and publicity strategies. They will also participate in their own CMF Artists recital series, with performances on radio as well as various venues throughout the UK. The CMF Artists will also appear at the free lunchtime concerts held at St Bartholomew’s Hospital throughout 2022.
Previous and current string CMF Artists include cellist Margarita Balanas, violin and piano duo Foyle-Stsura, Ligeti Quartet and double-bassist Mischa Mullov-Abbado.
You can find out more about the City Music Foundation here
90 Minutes for 90 Years!
Connaught Brass are honoured to have been invited to play at a special concert celebrating Ursula Jones 90th Birthday at Wigmore Hall on Saturday 26 March 2022 at 12:00 PM.
Connaught Brass
Leia Zhu violin
Jayson Gillham piano
Mikeleiz-Zucchi Duo
Timothy Ridout viola
Plus special guests to be announced
A surprise programme starting with a specially-composed fanfare by Duncan Ward.
All proceeds will go to the Philip and Ursula Jones Musicians Fund at the Royal Philharmonic Society
Royal Overseas League - Mixed Ensembles Finalists
Monday 18th October 2021 saw Connaught Brass take part in the Royal Overseas League Semi-Final. Playing a short but varied programme of works by Susato, Price and Strauss. Late Monday afternoon the group were informed they had progressed through to the final the following evening at the Royal Overseas House.
Royal Overseas ‘ACM: No Mixed Bag’ Article
To get the evening off to a flying start, the six-piece Lyrus Winds treated the assembled audience and panel of adjudicators to a programme of Poulenc, Ligeti, Thuille and Piazzolla.
They were followed on to the Princess Alexandra Hall stage by the saxophone/accordion Mikeleiz-Zucchi Duo, who chose works by M. Majkusiak and Piazzolla to keep the level extremely high.
After the interval, it was the turn of the Levanto Ensemble, who's chosen pieces included works by S. Klaverdal, Farkas, Kummer and de Lorenzo.
To round out the performances, Connaught Brass played four movements from Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera) by Weill.
In the end, the adjudication panel, made up of Sue Dent, Gavin Henderson CBE, Geoff Parkin and Huw Wiggin, chose the exceptional Mikeleiz-Zucchi Duo as their winners, who take home the £10,000 prize. Congratulations!
Made up of Canadian David Zucchi saxophone and Spanish Iñigo Mikeleiz-Berrade accordion, the duo formed in 2019 and have performed at some of London's most prestigious venues.
Photo credit: Robin Footitt
Connaught Brass French/ Swiss Tour - Blog 3
by Robyn Blair
Hello again! Sorry for the delay, here is our final blog instalment, we hope you enjoy!
We have been busy in Switzerland, with 5 concerts and 1 outreach spread over 5 days. We stayed in Wädenswil for a few nights, swimming every day in the beautiful lake there before our performances. Our first concert was a celebration of a life well lived, and it took place in a converted barn with a backdrop of Swiss mountains.
The next day we travelled to the Kunst(Zeug)Haus in Rapperswill for a gallery concert, playing around a circular sea of warm yellow ginkgo leaves which was part of Mirko Baselgia’s new exhibition. Those leaves represented friendship, peace, and hope for the future. This was certainly a welcome sight for musicians starting back in the midst of a pandemic! The wonderful Ursula Jones came to see us there, and let us know of the backstories to several pieces from our performance.
On our third full day we travelled to Zurich, playing a garden concert at Richi Irniger’s house. He bounded out to meet us, making sure we were comfortable and relaxed so that we would have a good time playing in the evening. Ursula arrived shortly afterwards, eager to hear us again(!) and introduced us to her friends. For the whole of that concert a large moth sat happily on my stand, and flew in my hair just as we were getting photos taken. Afterwards we stayed for a few drinks before she took us to our hotel in Lucerne. Ursula, not the moth.
Waking up the next day was exciting, as we’d be able to see the city in daylight. We walked around the corner to the LukasKirche, warming up as Jumbo and Matthijs returned from a short holiday to support us! The church has the most wonderful acoustics for brass playing, and sunlight streamed through modern stained glass windows behind us. When the time came to play our debut Lucerne festival concert, the venue was packed! Jumbo, Matthijs, Ursula, and two of our close friends from college were sitting in the audience, which was a welcome sight in such a grand venue. Afterwards, Ursula took us all out for a cruise around the Lake Lucerne. She pointed out the cabin where Wagner stayed to write Tristan and Isolde, and entertained us all with her incredible stories from her history as an orchestral manager and archeology professor. We could only dream to be like her at 90!! Later on we had nibbles at an interior designers flat which she stays at when she’s in the area, before heading to the Wirsthaus Galliker for dinner. Apparently Queen Victoria once stayed there! Tummies full and minds hazy, we wondered back along the river, and met up with some friends who had seen our concert earlier in the day. Many players from the Lucerne Academy were there too, and I instantly became pals with incredibly funny horn players!
The next morning we did an outreach workshop at the Kantonsschule Reussbühl to 140 kids. They asked a lot of questions which we were grateful for, as it can be daunting to attempt interaction with a sea of masks. In the evening, we played our Hommage to Philip Jones concert at the KKL, a warmup act for the LSO’s concert later that evening. It was a glorious final event for the biggest tour our group has done to date, and the audiences at every single concert have been so heartwarming.
We’re now heading back to the UK to take part in various auditions, competitions, and to plan future concerts with those we continue to meet along the way. It has been an absolute delight for all of us and we hope we can continue to make good music and memories together for as long as possible!
Connaught Brass French/ Swiss Tour -
Blog 2
By Harry Plant
Hello everyone, it’s Harry here! I am writing this second blog from the very back of the Connaught Brass Mini Van on our way to Switzerland! Since our last blog, we have performed our final concert in Noailhac, France, to a packed church of welcoming local residents! We had to slightly adjust the programme, taking out Rounds and Dances again as the acoustic proved a little tricky to hear any detail! Despite this minor change, the concert was a joy, and the audience must have enjoyed it, as we performed not one, not two, but three encores!
Yesterday (Wednesday), we had a free day, so we spent this relaxing, catching up on admin/ work and doing some individual practice; the Clarke and Arban exercises were flowing! Whilst the rest of the group were busy packing and chilling out later that afternoon, Matthijs (Matti) and I made a quick journey to the local Lidl to gather food for dinner, and more importantly, buy the shop’s entire stock of chocolates, sweets, crisps and any other healthy foods they had in stock, all in preparation for the long 8-9 hour journey we are on today! Of course, we also had to pick up some beer for last nights dinner and evening festivities.
After some lovely food and Robyn playing tennis with some of the local mosquitos in the living room, we gathered upstairs for some sensible drinking, and of course, watching many hours of educational TikTok’s!
Robyn was in her element this morning as we left the beautiful Ferrandou house at the crack of dawn, a wake-up time to which I’m definitely not accustomed, and neither were a few others after our drinks last night! After a quick breakfast stop at one of the local cafes for some coffee and croissants, we were on our way!
If you fancy listening to some of our concert clips, go and check out our Instagram page, where we have posted a couple of videos now from the past few days, including music by Florence Price and Kurt Weill!
Next stop - Switzerland 🇨🇭
Connaught Brass French/ Swiss Tour -
Blog 1
by Robyn Blair 28.08.21
We’re currently on our fifth day in France with two concerts already behind us in the Saint-Pierre Abbatiale in Beaulieu, and the Église fortifié Saint-Martin in Vayrac. Although technically it’s our day off, this morning you may have seen our impromptu livestream of Jan Bach’s Rounds and Dances on Instagram Live.
Our rehearsal space here is David Wilson-Johnson’s (Jumbo’s) Atelier Ferrandou, which is a perfect place for chamber concerts. There’s also an exhibition on display by Benjamin Rezé, featuring large colourful abstract pieces of which we’ve all chosen our favourites.
Every day after some exercise and a delightful breakfast of bread, pastries, jam, and coffee, we head to the Atelier to do our own individual warmups before cracking out the hymn books and making up our own exercises to centre the group before rehearsing pieces for the upcoming concerts in France and Switzerland.
In between rehearsals, Matthijs (Matti) feeds us all delicious assortments of fresh fruit, veg, and herbs from the garden, meat (not for me), tabbouleh, nuts (not for Harry), and ice cream and sorbet for everyone.
There’s also a swimming pool, which is a wonderful resource for any brass player but especially welcome in this heatwave. Unfortunately several of us have succumbed to the stereotype of being a Brit abroad, and will be returning to the UK several shades redder.
All in all, we’re incredibly grateful for this opportunity to perform and stay in such a beautiful location, and we’re very much looking forward to tomorrow’s concert at the Eglisé Saint Pierre in Noaillac.
Lucerne Festival Debut Series September 2021
Connaught Brass are delighted to announce their debut performance at the Lucerne Festival will take place on 7th September 2021.
Programme to be annou`nced shortly, which will follow this year’s festival theme ‘Crazy!’.
Jan Bach (*1937)
Rounds and Dances
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704)
Excerpts from Battalia in D major
Richard Strauss (1864–1949)
“Dance of the Seven Veils” from the opera Salome, Op. 54
Kurt Weill (1900–1950)
Suite from The Threepenny Opera
Connaught Brass chosen as the winners of the ‘Special Award’ in the 5th Manhattan International Music Competition
We are delighted to announce that we have been chosen as one of the winners of the 'SPECIAL AWARD' for Chamber Music of the 5th Manhattan International Music Competition!
Thank you to all the event organisers for running this event during these un-precedented times.
Tillett Trust Debut Artists 2020/2021
We are thrilled to announce that we have been selected to become a Tillett Trust Debut Artist for the 2020/2021 season!
We’re really grateful for this amazing opportunity and look forward to building a special relationship with this organisation and undertaking some amazing performance opportunities across the UK.
Find out more at https://thetilletttrust.org.uk/
Connaught Brass Win the inaugural Philip Jones Prize
Article by 4BarsRest - 24.07.19
The London-based Connaught Brass quintet won the inaugural Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition at the RNCM in Manchester on the weekend.
Formed in 2016 and comprising five third year students from the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, they claimed the £10,000 Philip Jones Prize after a titanic three-hour showcase of performances by a trio of outstanding finalists. Established by Ursula Jones and John Miller, the aim of this competition is to bring together young brass quintets and to showcase excellence and enterprise in brass chamber music performance, building on the legacy of Philip Jones CBE (1928-2000).
The panel of Jury Chairman Reinhold Friedrich, Barbara Butler, Roger Harvey, Oren Marshall and Froydis Ree Wekre, as well as the knowledgeable audience in the RNCM Concert Hall were certainly treated to ensemble playing of the highest quality. The Chairman later told 4BR that the decision had been "extremely difficult"in not just in picking a winner, as the trio of 40-minute programmes demonstrated a wide variety of style, technique and artistic maturity.
Connaught Brass, comprising trumpets, Aaron Akugbo and Harry Plant, horn, Robyn Blair, trombone, Chris Brewster and tuba, Aled Meredith-Barrett, opened their set with the bubbling liquidity of Sven-David Sandstrom's 'Heavy Metal'. It was followed by James Macmillan's three-part 'Adam's Rib', inspired by the reflective wonderment of creativity found within the Biblical text, before closing with a 'pick & mix' selection from 'Porgy & Bess', played with polished precision and a fair amount of Gershwin inspired panache.
Chris Brewster, trombonist with Connaught Brass said “We are so very grateful and excited to have won first prize and we are really looking forward to investing it back into the group’s development. We are really looking forward to taking every opportunity that comes from winning this fantastic competition and seeing how much we can develop further as a group over the coming years."
“I was truly overwhelmed by the high standard in performance and presentation of the 13 competing groups and also with their varied and interesting repertoire.” Ursula Jones
“My strong impression was that this initial international event really ‘raised the game’ for the brass quintets who participated. These emerging groups convince me that future development will be in safe hands.” John Miller, Artistic Director
The 2019 competition was for brass quintet (two trumpets, one horn, trombone, tuba) and eligible for players aged between 16 and 30.RET Chamber Brass from Austria eventually came runner-up to secure the £7,500 Marah Mahlowe Prize, with London Metropolitan Brass taking the £5,000 Founder's Prize.