Category Archives: Events

Tour de Brass! awarded significant funding by PRSF

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Philip Lawton| Comments Off

New Music Biennial Logo

Onyx Brass has been awarded the maximum sum available by the PRS for Music Foundation’s New Music Biennial flagship scheme. The money will go towards commissioning a new work from David Sawer to form the centrepiece of a short programme of contemporary British music that Onyx will perform across the country in 2014, in the Tour de Brass!

The New Music Biennial has made 20 awards to groups to commission new works which will be performed together in showcases at the Southbank Centre’s Festival (4-6 July 2014) and as part of the Commonwealth Games Cultural programme in Glasgow (2-3 August 2014). Our project is designed to be a lot more portable and we are planning upwards of 40 free, unticketed concerts at bandstands and public spaces up and down the UK.

David Sawer’s new piece will be recorded in the summer of 2014, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and made available as a download by NMC recordings.

Soon, we’ll be getting a special website up and running, where you can keep track of the Tour de Brass!, checking on concerts in your area, and then uploading pictures, videos and reviews. FUNDER LOCKUP FOR ORGS

 

 

UPDATE: The Tour de Brass! has also been awarded funding by the Britten-Pears Foundation. Many thanks to them for their kind support.Britten-Pears Foundation

Comments Off

Posted in 2014 concerts, Blog, Events, fourfortytwo, Fundraising, News, onyx, Onyx Brass

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Endymion gears up to perform Reich

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Will Gardner| Comments Off

As part of a new concert series at Milton Court (a new performance space at the Barbican), Endymion will be teaming up with the BBC Singers this October to play Steve Reich’s cantata ‘The Desert Music’. This thrilling five-movement cantata, based on texts by William Carlos Williams, takes centre stage in a concert devoted to american choral music. The concert is on October 15th, and tickets are available here. Keep up-to-date with all Endymion news via the Endymion website.

Comments Off

Posted in 2013 concerts, diary, Endymion, Events, News

Onyx Brass is 20!

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Philip Lawton| Comments Off
Happy Birthday, Onyx!

Pro brass players shouldn’t have any trouble blowing out the candles!

Onyx Brass turns 20 this year, and the party has already started! During the first half of the year, they’re celebrating with other young people in a series of family concerts and evening concerts with Music in the Round, who specialise in providing informal performances by great musicians. That suits Onyx down to the ground, and they’re looking forward to meeting the next generation of concert-goer, too.

Last year, Onyx premiered Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s “The Madness Industry”. Audiences loved it, and the new piece is at the centre of Onyx’s programmes in their 20th anniversary year. Cheryl heard the group perform it last night in Milton Keynes, and was very pleased – a great birthday present.

In May, Onyx will be at Kings Place in London, as part of their “Bach Unwrapped” season, playing some of the most popular music from their “Fugue” and “Time to Time” CDs, as well as transcriptions of grander works by the Baroque master, including the famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor.

All of this, though, is laying the groundwork for some very exciting plans we have for 2014 – when Onyx will be coming of age, 21!

Comments Off

Posted in 2013 concerts, Blog, commissioning, Events, News, Onyx Brass, Recordings

Phoenix in Sheffield

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Philip Lawton| Comments Off
Sheffield - Firth Hall

Firth Hall at Sheffield University

If you haven’t been able to make it down to London to hear the Phoenix Piano trio at Wigmore Hall, then you’ll be glad to know they’re heading up to Sheffield on Tuesday. The programme includes relatively unknown trios by the British composers John Ireland (No. 3) and Thomas Dunhill, his contemporary as well as a popular work by Beethoven. The Dunhill trio is a lighter counterpart to the Ireland, which was written in 1938, just as clouds were darkening over Europe.

The second half of the programme pairs Beethoven’s “Ghost” trio – with it’s famously “spooky” sounding slow movement – and Philip Venables’ “Klaviertrio im Geiste“.

The concert, at the university’s Firth Hall, is at 7.30pm on February 26th. You can book tickets using the link on the university’s concert website, where you can also find more information. The performance of the Ireland trio is generously supported by the John Ireland Trust.

Comments Off

Posted in 2013 concerts, diary, Events, fourfortytwo, News, Phoenix Piano Trio

I’m dreaming of an Onyx Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Philip Lawton| Comments Off

…just like the ones I used to know.

If there’s anything that sounds like Christmas to me, it’s probably a brass band playing carols. Being at the top of their game, our very own Onyx Brass are always busy around this time of year. They’ve already played two concerts with choirs (Laudate and Eltham Choral Society), and they’ve got a very busy day this Wednesday.

At 12pm and 5pm, they’re playing for “Fleet Street Carols” at St. Bride’s, Fleet St., London. The church is a beautiful venue, and both carol services are absolutely free. After the second one, Onyx will be hieing across London to St. Luke’s, Chelsea for the Caravan charity carol concert. (Link for tickets on their website).

If you can make it to any of those, you’re bound to have a very Christmassy time, indeed. No humbugs allowed.

Comments Off

Posted in 2012 concerts, Blog, Events, News, Onyx Brass

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Onyx to Ireland! April 2012

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Will Gardner| Comments Off

Andrew with a rather colourful score

We can now confirm the Onyx Brass tour of Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland this coming April. The tour will consist of 11 concerts in association with Moving on Music, and Music Network – both innovative organizations promoting and showcasing exciting music in their respective countries. As part of the tour Onyx has commissioned a new work for brass quintet by Andrew Hamilton, which will receive performances at all 11 concerts alongside a real mixture of things on the programme including Bach, Copland, Shostakovich and some show songs!

The tour includes performances in Dublin Castle, Letterkenny, Limerick, County Wexford, Birr, County Galway, County Meath, West Meath, Bangor, Armagh and Belfast.  We are hoping that Onyx will be able to do some schools and education work while they’re there too.

Andrew is an exciting young Irish composer and we are delighted that he and Onyx are collaborating. The September performance of ‘right and wrong’ for Endymion and EXAUDI was a great success, and we are looking forward to seeing what he will produce for brass instruments!

Comments Off

Posted in 2012 concerts, commissioning, Events, News, Onyx Brass, videos

Tagged , , , , , ,