Excitement building for NYBBS 2015
TALENTED young brass and percussion players across the country are practising hard ahead of the National Youth Brass Bands of Scotland (NYBBS) residential courses later this month.
The 2015 summer courses for the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland (NYBBS), the National Youth Reserve Brass Band of Scotland (NYRBBS) and the National Children's Brass Band of Scotland (NCBBS) will run from Sunday, July 26 until Saturday, August 1 in the picturesque surroundings of Queen Victoria School, Dunblane, culminating with two concerts in Dunblane Cathedral.
All three bands will benefit from an outstanding conducting team. Leading the NYBBS will be Russell Gray, with the band set to rehearse a diverse programme, from Edward Gregson's Concerto Grosso and Malcolm Arnold's Little Suite for Brass to Traversada by Oliver Waespi and Jan Sørensen's The Dark Side of the Tale.
Working with the NYRBBS will be John Boax, with Peter Graham's War of the Worlds set to feature along with the Queensferry Suite by Chris Brown. The NCBBS, which continues to flourish, will be conducted by Gordon Evans MBE in a programme which is due to include a new work from the pen of composer and course tutor, Alan Fernie. Working with all three bands during the course of the week will be NYBBS' Musical Director Emeritus, Richard Evans, who is due to make a welcome return to the organisation he led for more than two decades.
All band members will receive expert tuition from dedicated teams of experienced tutors and music educators, taking part in intensive full and sectional rehearsals. They will also have the opportunity to participate in a series of workshops, solo competitions and informal concerts during the week of music making.
Carrie Boax, SBBA president, commented: "This year's NYBBS courses will provide a stimulating, jam-packed week of music making for all the students taking part.
"With a terrific team of conductors, tutors and house staff on hand, we look forward to welcoming new and existing members, giving them the chance to learn from the best and create musical memories they will carry them for the rest of their lives."
There will be two end-of-course concerts in Dunblane Cathedral, beginning with an event featuring the NCBBS and the NYRBBS at 5.30pm on August 1. It will be followed by a concert featuring the senior NYBBS band at 7.45pm.
Tickets cost £6 each or £10 for a combined ticket for both concerts. Children will be allowed free entry. Players from the early concert will be allowed into the later concert (and vice versa) free of charge. They will be given a NYBBS 2015 wrist band which will act as their ticket.
Anyone looking to purchase tickets in advance should contact Peter Fraser by calling 0141 776 3395 or emailing fraserp3@virginmedia.com. Alternatively, tickets will be available on the door half an hour before each concert begins.
