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British Open Championships 2003
We profile the arranger of The Open's set work - Stephen
Roberts.
Stephen Roberts received his first school music lessons
from Sir Harrison Birtwistle, who encouraged him to take up the
French horn and pursue a musical career which embraces many different
aspects of the profession. After studying the horn with Alan Civil
(at the Royal College of Music) and composition with John Casken
and John Joubert (at the University of Birmingham), Stephen co-founded
the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble with whom he gave over 2000 concerts
in more than 60 countries.
He was also responsible for most of the ensembles arrangements,
which are now played and recorded by brass groups around the world.
Although Stephen was brought up as an orchestral player, playing
as a freelance with nearly all the orchestras in the U.K., it was
not long before he became involved with brass bands. He became musical
director of the Jones & Crossland band back in 1983 and achieved
considerable success in competitions, winning the Midland Area Contest,
The Grand Shield, The Pontins Championship, The Rothman’s
Entertainment Contest and a prize in the National Finals within
his first year of ‘banding’.
He later became musical director of the The Desford Colliery Band
and guest conductor and advisor to numerous others, including most
recently, the Isouard Band of Malta. His arrangements also form
part of the repertoire of bands around the world and his brass version
of Holst’s Planets has received universal critical acclaim.
Lately Stephen has been developing his career as a composer and
teacher. He is Professor of Orchestration at the Royal Military
School of Music, Kneller Hall and visiting lecturer in conducting
and orchestration at Birmingham University. His compositions are
played by a wide variety of artists and recent performances have
included a work for Brass & Steel bands, premiered at the Millennium
European Festival of Brass Bands; a Trombone Octet for the 2002
Isleworth Festival; a Wind Octet for the 2003 centenary celebrations
for Malvern Concert Club and a chamber work for the Britten Sinfonia
for the 2003 Spitalfields Festival which was featured on BBC Radio
3.
His Concertante for 4 Horns & Orchestra was also broadcast on
Radio 3 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Stephen recently wrote
and conducted the theme and incidental music for the 6-part Carlton
TV series “The Real Brassed Off”. This was made into
a feature album by E.M.I. records.
Stephen still plays the horn and is also an associate conductor
of the English Symphony Orchestra with whom he has performed several
of his compositions. He still enjoys arranging and has recently
acted as M.D. and arranger for artists as diverse as “Posh”
Spice, Leo Sayer, Gerry Marsden (Gerry of the ‘PaceMakers’),
Gary Brooker (of Procul Harem), Jasper Carrott and David Stewart
(of Eurthymics).
Stephen has held a variety of teaching posts, including Professor
of Horn at the Birmingham Conservatoire, and gives master-classes
around the world at academies such as The Royal Academy of Music,
The Cairo Conservatoire, The University of Los Angeles, Tokyo Conservatoire
and The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.
He has adjudicated in many fields of competition, including brass
band and solo contests around Europe and the BBC Young Musician
of the Year. He is also a regular external examiner for performance
degrees at universities and conservatories.
© 4BarsRest
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