St Mary’s, Aberfoyle – 2022

21^st Aug 2022

From the organiser of the concert in the stunning small church.

An absolutely super afternoon concert from Brass Tracks.

Many thanks to Brass Tracks for such a lively, entertaining and varied concert. Highlights were beautiful arrangements Handel’s beautiful Lascia ch’io pianga and Bizet’s Carmen Suite and a work by horn player, Robert Newth. We were also treated to extra instruments with the post horn in Koening’s Post Horn Galop and the sopranino recorder in Fairy Dance.

We would like to thank Graeme Williamson for standing in on trumpet and playing a blinder!

St Mark’s, Edinburgh Festival – 2022

8^th Aug 2022

Brass Tracks returned, triumphant after their last Fringe sell-out success, with a new show bringing the excitement of brass to a beautifully balanced programme of classical and contemporary music, selected to reflect transition and flux: music for a changing world. Acclaimed for their original arrangements and audience rapport, the quintet move between popular favourites, opera and traditional airs, blending edgy, incisive sharpness with precision and subtlety in a way that only experienced brass players can. This, their sixth consecutive year at the Fringe, was an opportunity to enjoy accessible, entertaining music delivered with impressive professionalism.

Brodick Town Hall, Isle of Arran – 2022

22^nd May 2022

Our ferry was cancelled and we needed to get another later one than we had planned due to the broken down ferries of Calmac. We were told no cars on this ferry either so we hauled tubas, trombones, music stands, mutes & overnight bags onto the ferry as foot passengers. The Calmac staff were most unhelpful but the people who run the music society could not have been more helpful! They met us in cars at the ferry terminal in Arran and drove us to the venue, fed us and put us up for the night.

There was a good turnout and we had a fine rapport with the audience at the concert and it was most enjoyable to see a great reaction from the audience that included members of the local brass band who chatted to us afterwards. A very beautiful place to visit and this was our second concert there, and we hope to return again in the future.

Trinity Church, Rothesay, Isle of Bute – 2022

25^th Mar 2022

Brass Tracks were warmly received by the hosts of Bute Arts and are very grateful for the efforts they went to make us feel relaxed and comfortable.

Many thanks go to our agent Daisy Henderson at Classical Music Scotland for reorganising the concert after the unplanned 2+ year gap from the original booking due to lockdown. We are extremely lucky it still managed to go ahead and would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Ross Bahlaj stepping in very last minute on trombone and performing with great commitment and panache. The ferry was on time and we were one of the first concerts after the lockdown. The acoustic was lovely and the large audience so welcoming and friendly we would love to return to the beautiful Island of Bute.

St Mark’s, Edinburgh Festival Fringe – 2019

Brass Tracks at the Edinburgh Fringe 2019 with our family friendly accessible programme that covered 500 years of music – once again at St Marks Church. This year we had the biggest audience in our five years at the fringe with over 150 people in attendance. We were sponsored by HIDDEN HEARING this year and their logo adorned our posters and flyers. They also had banners at the performance and a free goodie bag for all! William Williamson, a professional singer from Dumfriesshire, sang Scottish music with the quintet arranged by our horn player Robert Newth; which was an innovative first for the quintet. We ran slightly over as we were asked for an encore and we were happy to oblige! It was a happy annual event with strong local feedback helped by the Hidden Hearing sponsorship.

Review

Brass Tracks (Brass Tracks) Three weeks Edinburgh

By Louise Rodgers| Published on Saturday 17 August 2019

Monteverdi was a bold (and chronologically correct!) start to this professional brass quintet concert. The band quickly established a rapport with their audience by introducing singer William Williamson in their own touching arrangement of Annie Laurie for brass quintet and voice. Night on a Bare Mountain was highly dramatic, displaying a good partnership between trombone and tuba in an atmosphere of booming menace. Bizet’s Carmen was enjoyable, and the chat between music was entertaining and informative. St Louis Blues, the original 12 bar blues, was also great – a memorable highlight during a lively concert. Brass concerts offer variety, joie de vivre and camaraderie – this one was no exception!

Ayr Music Club, Alloway Church Hall – 2021

4^th Dec 2021

We drove through the snow and sleet until we reached Ayrshire where the weather was clear and the sun shone. Alloway Church hall had a fine acoustic and a welcoming committee who provided a lovely meal and genuine friendliness. We mostly played a new programme including Carnival of the Animals but peppered the concert with a few old favourites like the Carmen Suite & 4 Swiss Tunes. We had two deps playing with Graeme Williamson on Trumpet & James Goodenough on Horn who both played really well and an enthusiastic audience asked us for an encore which appropriately was “We wish you a merry Christmas”!

St Mary’s Church Haddington, with the Garleton Singers – 2022

11^th June 2022

We recorded the Haddington Psalms during lockdown; which entailed recording our individual parts on our iphones in our living rooms while filming ourselves doing it! It was then edited together and put online and miraculously it worked! This major work running over 30 mins long for Choir, The Garleton Singers, and large brass ensemble, Organ & Percussion was written by Scottish composer Nigel Don.

In June 2022 we had the privilege of playing it live in St Mary’s Church Haddington to a full and enthusiastic audience. We augmented Brass Tracks as we needed 4 trumpets, 3 Trombones, Tuba, & French Horn. The brass writing was extremely well constructed and we thoroughly enjoyed playing it. It was well conducted by Stephen Doughty and we also did several other pieces in the first half for choir and Brass. Both versions are still available on the internet.

Johnstone Town Hall – 2019

2^nd Nov 2019

It was exciting to be asked to play at the Johnstone’s Band open day where we finished off the day with an hour of eclectic brass music. All the audience in the town hall were either brass players or related to brass players with all of the Johnstone band in attendance. We would like to be involved with more of these concerts which included a workshop by RSNO principal trombone Davur Juul Magnussun and a solo by Whitburn principal cornet Chris Bradley. Brass Chamber music and Brass Bands have a lot to share!

Wedding at Dalswinton Estate, Dumfries & Galloway – 2019

7^th Sept 2019

This is a most beautiful venue. It is a large open air green area surrounded by a wooded glen filled with old trees and a fair sized loch at the foot of the estate visible from where we played and imbued with a quiet peacefulness. There was an old path around three hundred meters from where there was a gazebo and a building that fitted the surroundings where the food is prepared and has a large tasteful bar. A vintage wedding car slowly pulled up on the path and the bride and groom then walked to the outside area where we played them up with the march from Aida. Then for the next two hours while drinks and food were served al fresco to the guests we played a selection of light popular music that went down extremely well with guests coming up and humming, singing and even dancing with many saying that the brass group complemented the stunning surroundings! The sun shone, the band played and guests had fun. James Cunningham deputised on Tuba for Robert Fraser.

St Wilfrid’s Church Recital, Kirkharle, Northumberland – 2019

Aug 2019

St Wilfrid’s Church, Kirkharle in Northumberland was a beautiful place to play in August 2019. Most of the current building dates back to 1336 and it was a pleasure to play there with a full programme with a range of 500 years. It is isolated from main roads and it was as if time stood still as we performed there as part of a regular concert series that attracts many well known ensembles. The natural light with the sound of brass cascaded around walls that have the ears of nearly seven hundred years of listening! A stunning acoustic for brass quintet. The organisers and audience were wonderfully friendly and appreciative as we were of the coffee and hot lunch. James Cunningham deputised on tuba for the indisposed Robert Fraser.