The 2010 British Horn Festival, taking place over the weekend of 30/31 October at the Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools’ Performing Arts Centre in Edinburgh, http://www.esms.edin.sch.uk/perfoming-arts-centre.aspx is taking shape. The international guest soloist will be Jasper de Waal, principal horn of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra who will be in residence for both days. Jasper’s website can be found at http://www.jasperdewaal.com/ and those of you who are proficient at internet searches will be able to find his performances on YouTube. We are also thrilled to be featuring principal horn of the Northern Sinfonia and soloist, Peter Francomb. The BHS Annual General meeting will take place over this weekend as well as the Tony Catterick Interview with Maurice Temple and hopefully a focus on the horns of the impressive Reid Collection of Historical Instruments at Edinburgh University curated by Professor Arnold Meyers.We also hope to include a spot from the Horns of Scotland and showcase students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. The resident orchestra will be the Scottish Sinfonia conducted by Neil Mantle to whom we are very grateful. The weekend will run from just after midday on the Saturday until about 3pm on the Sunday.

The 42nd International Horn Symposium will take place from July 18-23 in Brisbane, Australia. Full details at http://www.ihs42brisbane.com/

The 4th Annual Horn Ensemble Workshop will be held in Daytona Beach FL August 1-7, 2010. Participants will attend master classes, group lessons, participate in ensembles and perform in concerts with the at Daytona State College and around the town. The workshop is open to all french hornists. Ensembles will be formed based on experience and individual abilities. Join instructors David Johnson, founding member of the American Horn Quartet, Michelle Stebleton, Professor of Horn at Florida State University and Dan Phillips of the University of Memphis for a week of intensive study and fun in the sun. The camp is $830 (instruction, housing and meals) or $530 (instruction only). See www.horncamps.com for more information.

The 11th Italian Brass Week will be held in Santa Fiora (GR) Italy from 23rd-29th August 2010. See http://www.italianbrass.com/week/ for more information.

The 3rd Lieksa International French Horn Competition (Holger Fransman in memoriam) July 22nd–28th, 2010

Lieksa Brass Week is organising an International French Horn Competition from July 22nd –28th, 2010. The competition is open to contestants born in 1975 or later. Apply online by following this link http://www.lieksabrass.com/pageid/54

The 2009 British Horn Festival was held on Sunday November 1st 2009 at the Clarendon Muse, Watford Grammar School for Boys, north of London. Chris Larkin reports:

Watford Grammar School has produced a remarkable stream of horn-players in the last four decades. Amongst them: Michael Thompson, Michael Purton, Ted Chance, David Pyatt, Tim Thorpe and Adrian Leaper. All except Adrian, now Principal Conductor of the RTV Española Orchestra, were there on November 1st and contributed some wonderful performances. David and Mike gave the Beethoven Sextet, Op. 81b; Tim three tracks from his latest CD reflecting his passion for film music; Ted and Mike Purton (in his alter persona of the inimitable Otto Fisch) wrapping up the day with his Der Wolf Galop for horn octet (quite impossible!) and Gebräuchliche Redewendungen (or Useful German Phrases !) for Tenor (Mike), horn (Ted) and piano (the superb Debbie Shah – accompanist for the day).

“Horns Aloud”, a new, young quartet grouping, played Humphrey Searle’s Prelude, Nocturne and Chase (an intriguing piece, first given at the 1980 BHS Festival) and a new BHS commission, Cecilia McDowall’s Nocturne. Trinity College of Music Chamber Orchestra, directed by Mike Murray (2nd Horn of the BBCSO) gave three movements of Handel’s Concerto a due Cori.

Guest artist was Szabolcs Zempléni. Like Dennis Brain before him, Szabolcs is one of those artists for whom the horn is the means of expressing his profound musicality. He gave an exquisite performance of Haydn’s first concerto and, in his morning recital, a haunting, deeply-considered performance of Volker David Kirchner’s Tre Poemi, a thoughtful Adagio and Allegro and a witty Rossini Prelude, Theme and Variations.

The well-attended Festival honoured the anniversaries of Handel and Haydn with, as well as the Haydn Concerto, a massed blow using a brand new arrangement by John Humphries of Handel's famous coronation anthem 'Zadok the Priest'. The Tony Catterick Interview was with the legendary Nick Busch, the UK's longest serving principal horn until his retirement from the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2007.

The 2008 British Horn Society Festival on Sunday 26th October featured the stunning playing (among many others) of the renowned Italian soloist Alessio Allegrini.

Alessio Allegrini,Principal Horn of the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Rome, Recording Artist and International Soloist

The exceptionally well-attended Festival, held at the Birmingham Conservatoire, featured many outstanding players including Elspeth Dutch, principal horn of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Angela Barnes, second horn of the London Symphony Orchestra.

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama held a regional Horn Ensemble Day on Sunday 12 October 2008. The day was dedicated to the memory of Oliver Green, Philharmonia Orchestra and ex-student of Angus West, and featured local French horn students working on ensemble skills and group development, the work of RWCMD staff and students and Inter-Conservatoire collaboration

The lighting set the tone for the Festival

The weekend of 27/28 October 2007 was devoted to a commemoration of the great British horn player, Dennis Brain, who died tragically young in a car crash on 1st September 1957. The weekend featured many fine performances by leading British horn players, as well as interesting talks and reminiscences.

The traditional Massed Blow

The full programme was:

Saturday 27th October

11.00-11.30 Opening concert

Senior RAM students, Director, Michael Thompson
Horns - Christopher Beagles, Lisa Donati,
Amy Grossnickle, Kaitlyn Hamilton,
Emma Hawkins, Nicholas Ireson,
Michael Kidd, Francesca More-Bridger,
James Rudisill, Tiffany Stirling,
Benjamin Van Loon, Mark Wood

Ted Chance: Fanfare
Cindy Carr: Norwegian suite

Junior RAM students, Director Simon de Souza
Horns - Elise Campbell, Charlotte Lewis,
Daniel de Souza, William Church,
Matthew Kibble, Gaspar Hunt,
Alex Wide, Ben Phillips

Roland Lo Presti: Suite for Eight Horns
1. Fanfare
2. Nocturne
3. March

Tutti RAM horns:
Chariots of Fire

11.40- 1.00 Playing Ensembles
1) New to the horn; 2) Feeling confident; 3) Good at sight reading; 4) Feeling expert
Coaches:Peter Merry, Peter Widgery, Julian Faultless and Miles Hewitt

Alternative:
12.00-1.00 Illustrated lecture, Dennis Brain’s Desert Island Discs - Reconstructed with Jonathan Stoneman

2.30- 4.00 ‘Hornplaying Voyage of Discovery’ with BHS Chair Michael Thompson and the audience

4.30- 5.00 Solo horn recital: soloist Andrew Clark with Jocelyn Lightfoot, horn, Richard Shaw, harpsichord

Handel: Water Music (arr. Clark)
Allegro - Minuet - Hornpipe
Heinichen: Concerto for two horns in F
Vivaldi: Concerto for two horns in F

7.30 Festival Gala Concert
Gala Concert Conductor - Michael Thompson
Gala Festival Strings - leader Clio Gould

York Bowen: Concerto
David Pyatt, horn

Gordon Jacob: Concerto
Martin Owen, horn

Britten: In Memoriam
Richard Watkins, David Pyatt, Martin Owen, Tim Thorpe, horns

INTERVAL - Interval reading from ‘I found my horn’ by Jasper Rees

Britten: Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal
Tim Thorpe, horn; Richard Rowe, tenor

Arnold: Concerto No 2
Richard Watkins horn

Britten: Serenade
Tim Thorpe horn, Richard Rowe, tenor

Young players taking part in the massed blow

Sunday 28 October

10.00-10.30 Opening concert
Hildegard Westerkamp: Fantasy for Horns
Lisa Donati, horn plus electronics

Bissill: Gabriel’s Vision
Kira Doherty, horn, Conductor - Gareth Wood
Royal Academy of Music harps - Nanako Murakami, Angharad Wyn Jones,
Elizabeth Scorah, Isobel White
Louise Wiggins, Ji-Min Lee

10.40-12.00 Playing Ensembles
1) New to the horn; 2) Feeling confident; 3) Good at sight reading; 4) Feeling expert
Coaches: Peter Merry, Peter Widgery, Julian Faultless and Miles Hewitt

Alternative: 11.00-12.00 Tony Catterick interview with John Burden and Andrew McGavin

12.30-1.00 Solo recital
Nicholas Korth - horn
Jane Manning - soprano
Julian Milford - piano

Volker David Kirchner: Lamento from Tre Poemi (1986) for horn and piano
Schubert: Auf dem Strom for soprano, horn and piano
E Bozza: Sur les Cimes for horn and piano
Nicholas Korth: A Bed of Strawberries (1997) for soprano, horn and piano

3.30- 5.30 Festival Closing Gala Concert
Maxwell Davies: Fanfare, a Salute to Dennis Brain
Massed Festival Horns, Richard Watkins, solo horn, Michael Thompson, Conductor

McCartney: Stately Horn for horn solo and ensemble
Festival All Star Horns and Royal Academy of Music Horns
Richard Watkins
Martin Owen
Michael Thompson
Simon de Souza
Francesca More-Bridger
Nicholas Ireson
Michael Kidd
Mark Wood

Brahms: Songs for female voices, 2 horns and harp
Members of the BBC Symphony Chorus -
Rachel Clarke, Sheila Fisher,
Marian Garnett, Rosemary Hadfield,
Christine Leslie, Katie Long,
Julia Neate, Robina Redgard-Siler,
Maxine Shearer, Anne Taylor,
Pat Dixon, Ann Flood,
Jill Gregson, Judy Jones,
Ethel Livermore, Helen Tierney,
Wendy Wilshin

Horns - Lisa Donati and Kira Doherty
Harps - Claire Jones and Elizabeth Scorah

INTERVAL - Interval reading from ‘I found my horn’ with Jasper Rees

Desert Island Discs
Special arrangements of the music that Dennis Brain chose for his appearance on the famous BBC Radio programme 'Desert Island Discs', arranged and conducted by Stephen Roberts, and played by the Festival All Star Horns:
Richard Watkins, Martin Owen,
Tim Thorpe, Chris Larkin,
Michael Thompson, Simon de Souza,
Hugh Seenan, Pete Dyson,
Rhythm section - Richard Shaw, piano; Craig White, piano; Daniel Short, guitar; Calum Gourlay, bass; Mike Clowes, drums

The Festival All Stars

On the previous Friday evening, October 26th, the Royal Academy of Music, Marylebone Road London NW1 5HT, presented a special Dennis Brain event, with a discussion about the life and musical times of Dennis Brain led by Raymond Holden and Michael Thompson, with Barry Tuckwell OBE, John Humphries, Andrew McGavin and Tony Catterick also taking part.

This was followed at 7.30pm by a concert in the Dukes Hall. RAM professors Michael Thompson and Richard Watkins put together a rich programme of music associated with Dennis Brain, performed by RAM students. The concert included three works by Arnold Cooke: the well-known Rondo in Bb, the less well-known Nocturnes and the Arioso and Scherzo. These were complemented by a trio of works written for Dennis Brain by major British composers: Britten's Canticle 3 Still Falls the Rain, Lennox Berkeley's Horn Trio and Tippet's Sonata for Four Horns. The evening ended with the Hindemith Sonata, also for four horns.

For 2006 we collaborated with the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for a joint Festival weekend, BLAST!, which among many attractions featured the world famous Netherlands Wind Ensemble playing Mozart’s Serenade for Thirteen Winds, known as the Gran Partita.

Our lead horn artists this year were Jeff Nelsen, ex-Canadian Brass and newest member of the Transatlantic Horn Quartet and the very promising young Maltese player Etienne Cutajar, who replaced David Guerrier who we regret was indisposed. Familiar faces Michael Thompson, the Society’s new Chair, and Bob Ashworth, Principal Horn of Opera North, also played leading parts.

Frederick Chopin ponders the riches for horn players at the Royal Northern College of Music.

The Festival running order was:

Saturday 14 October

10.00-10.30 CONCERT HALL
Northern Lights (commissioned fanfare) by Ralph Hall for the RNCM horns
BLAST welcome address with Michael Thompson and Melinda Maxwell
Mozart: piano & wind quintet with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble
RNCM horns: short programme including Gabrieli: Sonata

11.00-11.50 BRUNTWOOD THEATRE
Jeff Nelsen: Get Fearless
The secrets of fearless performing, with Jeff Nelsen

12.00-1.00
Horn Ensembles:
Beginners: Frank Lloyd
Intermediate: Julian Plummer
Advanced: Lindsey Stoker and Beccy Goldberg

2.30-3.20 CONCERT HALL
BLAST Afternoon concert:
Varese: Octandre for wind quintet, trumpet, trombone and double bass
Humphrey Procter-Gregg: Sonata for horn & piano, played by Bob Ashworth and Ian Buckle
Thomas Ades: Sonata da Caccia for oboe, horn & harpsichord

3.30-4.10 CONCERT HALL
Recital: Etienne Cutajar, horn, Ian Buckle, piano
Bach, Prelude to Suite No 1 (unaccompanied)
Poulenc, Elegie
Schumann, Adagio and Allegro
Camilleri, Fantasie Sonata, 2nd Movement
Rossini, Prelude, Theme & Variations
Encore: Cooke, Rondo

5.00-5.45 STUDIO THEATRE
British Horn Society AGM and Honorary Members Award Ceremony
Honorary Memberships were awarded to former BHS Chairman Hugh Seenan, Harold Barnes (who records the BHS Festivals) and horn playing legend Farquharson Cousins.

6.00-6.30
Spotlight - woodwind ensembles

6.45-7.15 LECTURE THEATRE
BLAST pre-concert talk
Discussion led by Martin Harlow, RNCM, with members of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble

7.30-8.30 CONCERT HALL
BLAST Saturday Gala concert
Netherlands Wind Ensemble - 'Mail from Mozart', an entertaining 70 minute programme built around the Serenade K361, known as the Gran Partita, with readings and lighting effects

BHS Chairman Michael Thompson leads the traditional Massed Blow at the 2006 British Horn Festival.

SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2006

10.00-10.30 CONCERT HALL
RNCM natural horns: Hunting horn calls through the hunting day
Fanfare by Adam Gorb for Blast based on Halali
BLAST welcome address with Michael Thompson and Melinda Maxwell
Telemann, played by Tony Robson and Lisa Beznosiuk
Jacques-Francois Gallay: Grand Quartet Opus 26, 4 horns in different crooks, with Bob Ashworth, John Pratt, Beccy Goldberg, Pete Richards (horns)

11.00-12.00
Horn Ensembles:
Beginners' Natural Horn: Beccy Goldberg
Elementary: Lizzie Davis & Annelise Martinsen
Intermediate: Julian Plummer
Advanced: Lindsey Stoker

1.00-1.35 at St Ann's Church, St Ann's Square, central Manchester
Grand Messe de Saint Hubert for horns and organ arr. Hermann Baumann
Performed by Nord Ouest Horn Ensemble on trompes de chasse, hand and valved horns

2.30-3.30 CONCERT HALL
Recital: Jeff Nelsen, with pianist Ian Buckle
Bozza: Aria
Hahn: A Chloris
Bach: Courante
Paganini: Caprice 24
Strauss: Horn Concerto No.1, arranged for 4 horns and piano with additional horn players Frank Lloyd, Michael Thompson and Kiera Docherty
Unger: Ashokan Farewell, for horn quartet

4.45-5.30 LORD RHODES ROOM
BLAST Festival interview: Tony Catterick with Frank Rycroft

6.00-7.30 CONCERT HALL
BLAST Festival closing concert
Massed horns: Overture to Nabucco, arr. Peter Damm, director, Michael Thompson
Dominic Muldowney: Fantasia based on Scarlatti: RNCM woodwind students, director Melinda Maxwell, plus 2 solo horns (Michael Thompson, Jeff Nelsen)
Tippett: Sonata for 4 horns with the Halle horn quartet (Laurence Rogers, Tom Redmond, Julian Plummer and Richard Bourn)
Wagner: Tannhauser Fantasy, arr. Ashworth - The Northern Horn Sound, director, Bob Ashworth
Strauss: Suite in B flat for thirteen wind instruments, Opus 4 - RNCM/Blast Festival Wind Ensemble

Young and old took part in the Massed Blow.

Jeff Nelsen. www.jeffnelsen.com/

Internationally acclaimed hornist Jeff Nelsen is enjoying an incredibly successful career as performer, educator, and Fearlessness coach. Best known for his years spent with the world renowned Canadian Brass, Jeff has gone solo, and is one of the most sought after hornists throughout North America and abroad.

Jeff's eclectic career comprises a true cross-section of the music industry, both classical and contemporary, in the roles of musician and mentor. Widely praised for his unique teaching style, Jeff is the Visiting Associate Professor of Horn at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University for the 2006-2007 school year. In the performance arena, Jeff's pop's show "Dancing and Romancing: An Evening with Jeff Nelsen" for solo horn and orchestra recently premiered with rave reviews and is in demand on orchestral pops series across North America.

Intensely active as a recitalist, chamber musician, and clinician Jeff is in high demand as a guest artist by orchestras, bands, and music festivals around the world. His master classes and performances have taken him to leading conservatories and concert halls in Europe, Asia, and North America. Jeff has held positions with the Montreal, Vancouver, and Winnipeg symphony orchestras. During his tenure with Canadian Brass Jeff was featured with countless symphony orchestras including those of Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Seattle, and St. Louis. Jeff has recorded extensively on labels such as Sony, Warner, Blue Note, London/Decca, Disney, C.B.C. and Summit Records. Jeff continues to attract rave reviews as a featured soloist on the Canadian Brass release "Magic Horn." This CD was nominated for the 2006 Juno Award (Canadian equivalent to the Grammy Award) for "Best Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble."

Aside from creating musical magic, Jeff is an enthusiastic magician, and often adds touches of illusionary arts to performances. Jeff Nelsen is a Yamaha Performing Artist. Jeff's debut publication, Fearless Auditioning, is due for release in 2006.

Etienne Cutajar.

Born in 1983 Etienne Cutajar is a native of Malta and started playing the horn at the age of ten under the tuition of Baul Borg from the same country. Etienne was appointed 3rd horn of the Malta National Orchestra aged 18; he resigned the post after 2 years in order to pursue a 2 year postgraduate course as an ABRSM scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Michael Thompson and Richard Watkins.

His solo appearances have won him great critical acclaim, and he has appeared as a soloist in Malta, at the Royal Academy of Music, major London venues the Purcell Room (where he performed Sir Peter Maxwell Davies's "Sea Eagle") and the Wigmore Hall and very recently with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

Etienne was for consecutive years 1st horn of the European Union Youth Orchestra, including in the summer of 2005 playing Mahler’s 7th symphony for Bernard Haitink. Etienne has appeared as a guest 1st and 3rd horn with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and London Brass. In July 2006 Etienne was appointed 3rd horn of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Etienne has had the recently composed ‘Fantasie Sonata for Horn & Piano’ by Charles Camilleri, also from Malta, dedicated to him and he premiered it in April 2004.

The BHS has held the first new showcase for horn students, known as the BHS Summer Exhibition. Michael Thompson writes:

"When horn students from all the UK conservatoires came together to premiere Tim Jackson’s Symphony for 32 Horns at the 2005 BHS festival, I was hugely impressed with the standard of horn playing that we have in every one of these colleges. I was perhaps even more impressed with the wonderful atmosphere of mutual respect and support that was evident amongst the players. There was no sense of competition or hierarchy, just a desire to do justice to the music.

I feel very strongly that this is crucial to being a musician, whether you are playing purely for pleasure or are lucky enough to be paid for it. With this in mind, the BHS has decided to launch what we hope will become a regular feature; a Summer Exhibition of horn students. Birmingham Conservatoire very generously agreed to host the first of these concerts, held on July 5th 2006 in the Adrian Boult Hall. It was a great opportunity to hear many of our finest young players in action".

The concert was in memory of Oliver Green, a graduate of Birmingham Conservatoire. During the afternoon there was a workshop on ensemble playing.

The concert opened with past students and professors:
Nick Benz
Chris Collet
Ian Frankland
Max Garrard
Luke Woodhead
Pete Dyson
Elspeth Dutch
Simon de Souza

Birmingham Conservatoire students
Alison Bach
Ben George
Gabrielle Marrs
Rebecca Kitson

played: Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Chorale and Variations

Guildhall School of Music and Drama students
Elizabeth Chell
Alexander Harrild
Steven Nicholls
Paul Cott

played: Constantin Homilius: Quartet

Royal Academy of Music students
Etienne Cutajar
James Palmer
Jocelyn Lightfoot
Etta Morgan
Emma Cotton

played: Michael Kallstrom: Starflame
"A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square"
Paul Basler: Harambee

Royal College of Music students
Chris Pointin
David Ransom
Andrew Brinsford
Tom Kane

played: Humphrey Searle: Quartet - Prelude and Nocturne
Bruckner: Christus Factus Est

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama students
Tammy Daly
Chrissie Ranson
Simon Lewis
Jon Vonkeman

played: Anthony Randall: Serenade

Royal Northern College of Music students
Jenny Cox
Jonathan Calvert
Sam Jacobs
Jonathan Harris

played: Koetsier: Cinq Nouvelles

The professors in attendance were:
Richard Bissill
Nigel Black
Simon de Souza
Peter Dyson
Lindsey Stoker
Elspeth Dutch
Michael Thompson

The concert ended with everyone taking part in a performance of Travis Bennett's arrangement of "Chariots of Fire" (8 parts).

Past events