St Andrews festival to welcome star-studded line-up

Trombone soloist Ian Bousfield is to perform at the St Andrews Brass Festival.

FINAL preparations are underway as leading performers prepare to descend on Fife for the 2016 St Andrews Brass Festival.

The festival, which runs from November 9 - 12, will include solo appearances by international virtuosi Ian Bousfield (trombone), Marco Blaauw (trumpet) and Christine Chapman (horn), concerts by the Wallace Collection and the Co-op Funeralcare Band, as well as a massed Come and Play day. 

Since its inception in 2012 the St Andrews Brass Festival has developed an identity as a festival of exploration, experimentation and participation. The festival welcomes brass musicians of all backgrounds; it is the only brass festival in Scotland – and one of few internationally – to have brass players from orchestral, band and jazz backgrounds come together to perform non-competitively.

Former principal trombone of the London Symphony and Vienna Philharmonic orchestra Ian Bousfield returns to the festival for the second time, performing a full evening recital with pianist Scott Mitchell. Ian will also direct a lunchtime concert by St Andrews Brass, a non-auditioned community ensemble, in music by Strauss, Gabrieli and Mussorgsky.

John Wallace's pioneering ensemble also return by popular demand, this time with a programme of twentieth century works for small brass ensemble, including the first performance of a new work for the extraordinary trumpeter Marco Blaauw by Scottish composer Bruce Fraser. Fraser’s new work, titled Brazil Nuts and Bolts is for Blaauw’s double bell trumpet and brass quintet.

Having performed as a soloist with the world’s leading new music ensembles and orchestras, Blaauw will during the festival make his first appearance with a British style brass band in a new work by John Wallace titled Tentsmuir, accompanied by the Co-op Funeralcare Band. The focus on new music will also see Blaauw improvising with live electronics, aided by the laptop wizardry of Alistair MacDonald from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The Co-op Funeralcare Band will also join with the Wallace Collection in a rare performance of Derek Bourgeois’ Concerto for brass quintet and brass band.

The festival includes performances by the University of St Andrews Wind Band and Big Band, and University students will perform in a masterclass with Scottish Chamber Orchestra principal trumpeter Peter Franks. Brass players from across Scotland are invited to ‘Come and Play’ with members of the Wallace Collection and jazz pianist Richard Michael – more than 50 attended the same event in 2015:

The festival is directed by Bede Williams and John Wallace. Details of the full programme are available on the St Andrews Brass Festival website.