Music

Auditions for membership of some of the Shropshire Music Service ensembles, The Shropshire Youth Orchestra, Shropshire Youth Wind Orchestra, Shropshire Youth Brass Band and Shropshire Youth Training Wind Orchestra will take place on Friday June 11th.  Further details will be available from your instrumental teacher.

The Shropshire Youth Training Orchestra, The Mid Shropshire Schools String Orchestra and ‘Fiddlesticks’ will be joined by the Shropshire Training Youth Wind Orchestra in concert at Crowmoor Baptist Church, Shrewsbury at 2:00pm on Satruday May 22nd 2010.

A new composition has been commissioned for two Shropshire Music Service Brass Groups, the Shropshire Youth Brass Band and The Shropshire Youth Brass Ensemble, with all brass students of the music service joined by the Tredegar Band. The premiere of this new work composed by Matthew Hall, will be at a concert in Shrewsbury Abbey at 7:30pm on Saturday July 3rd 2010. Rehearsals will take place for the various groups of players during the day and a full rehearsal will taking place in the afternoon from 3:00pm in the abbey.

Greg Hearle from Church Stretton won the Shropshire Concerto Competition last night with a magnificent performance of the Clarinet Concerto by William Matthias.

Greg was accompanied by members of the Shropshire Sinfonia conducted by Robert Wysome performing in Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury.

Greg is the principal clarinettist in the Shropshire Youth Wind Orchestra and has been playing the clarinet for 9 years currently studying with Alan Atkin.

Congratulations on an superbly musical performance of a very demanding work.

COMPOSITION COMPETITION

Quantum Leap is currently being built in Shrewsbury town centre as a memorial to Charles Darwin, born here 200 years ago.  This stunning sculpture will be one of the largest pieces of public art in the country and sits opposite the brand new Theatre Severn on the banks of the river.

To mark the completion of Quantum Leap this summer a fanfare will be played across the river between the memorial and the Theatre.  To select the fanfare played there is a competition open to composers to create a new piece of music as detailed below:

• The Competition is open to anyone up to the age of 18 years old.

• The piece should be written for two brass ensembles and percussion to be placed on opposing sides of the River Severn,

• The Fanfare should last no more than 3 minutes maximum.

• Composers should take into account the difficulties associated with co-ordinating two such groups, and also the varied standard of players who will be drawn from the best county musicians.

• Scores may be presented as hand-written, or in a suitable format such as Sibelius.

• 2 or more copies should be submitted for judging purposes.

• The judges will make their decision based on several factors:

•  
  1. Arresting and exciting musical ideas.
  2. A practical approach to the writing of the piece.
  3. Music that is effective without being too demanding.
  4. Clarity of texture and ideas.
  5. Music which captures the spirit of the sculpture, its location and the theme of the River Severn, over which the fanfare will be played.

• The Closing date for entries is Friday 1^st May 2009

• The winning entry will be announced as soon as possible after this date.

For further details about Quantum Leap visit www.discoverdarwin.co.uk

Please send your entries to:

Dominic Wallis, Rowley’s House, Barker Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 1QH

01743 281045

dominic.wallis@shrewsbury.gov.uk

A national competition is open to all young composers across the UK.  The competition is organised by the NCEM (National Centre for Early Music) and requires an unaccompanied work for soprano, alto, tenor and bass to be written for the Tallis Scholars who will perform the work in 2009 in York Minster.

There are two age groups, up to 18 and 19-25 and the closing date for entries is April 3rd.

Further details from http://www.ncem.co.uk/composersaward

Details of Christmas concerts presented by the Shropshire Music Service can be found at http://shropshiremusicservice.ethink.org.uk/

The follow link provides a range of sources to support parents in giving thier children a good start in music making.

Music for Parents

Bad Penny Blues  link 1

Humph - wikipedia link 2

The sixty-piece orchestra performed a charity concert for Hope House children’s hospice this afternoon at Meole Brace School. A magnificent sum of £1000 was presented to support the music room at Hope House.

The concert programme, performed by senior players and staff from the County orchestras and band, included music from current and classic cinema and theatre scores.

Performers who would like to join us for the 2008/9 season programme should please contact me.