Celebration Suite for Brass Band

1. Birthday Treat
2. Anniversary
3. Jubilee

After a gap of 40 years, I have rekindled my brass band roots this year by doing some composing and arranging for brass band again.

My first project is a transcription of an orchestral suite (Celebration for Orchestra). I have had performed a few times. It works well as a concert piece, and as I am working through the new scoring, am finding that the music works even better than I imagined for brass band.

Programme Note

Originally commissioned by the Todmorden Symphony Orchestra to celebrate their 100th Anniversary in 2015, Celebration for Brass Band is a music suite in three movements.

The piece's overall aim is to provide both the players and the audience with a positively uplifting, and fun musical showcase. The listener is taken on a journey through the various moods and feelings associated with three types of celebration: birthday, anniversary, and jubilee. The music is generally light in character with a subtle blend of the familiar and not so familiar with a few 'cheesy bits' to make you smile in between.

The first movement is 'Birthday Treat', a light-hearted look at the fun and games surrounding a birthday party for any age. Opportunity is given within the music for the players and audience to join in and echo the sounds of a live party with exclamations of: “Happy Birthday!”, “Congratulations!”, “Well-done!”.

The second movement in the suite is 'Anniversary', a touching musical tableau recalling memories of bygone days.

The final movement, 'Jubilee', is exactly that. Full of jubilation, energy, and movement the music is sure to engage the listener from the start. Listen out for musical snippets recalling the musical moods heard in the first two movements.