Childs takes to the air for busy month of music making

Euphonium virtuoso David Childs will be spending plenty of time in the air as well as on the concert stage over the next few weeks.

David Childs will be heading to a number of musical destinations in the next few weeks

Friday, 23 June 2017

Following recent conducting engagements with Black Dyke and Flowers, David Childs is gearing up for some high profile solo appearances by racking up the air miles to both sides of the Atlantic.

USA, UK and Europe

He has just flown into the USA for the fifth time this year to perform at the International Euphonium and Tuba Festival in Atlanta, Georgia together with low brass virtuosi Ã˜ystein Baadsvik, Brian Bowman and Glen Van Looy, before leaving later this week to link up with the North American Brass Band Summer School in Nova Scotia.

He told 4BR: "I've had an association with the Atlanta Festival for the last 12 years and I'm looking forward to being part of it once again.

In addition to playing a couple of concerts, I'm going to enjoy catching up with my good friend Adam Frey (the Festival founder and artistic director) and his wonderful family once."

Halifax to Llangollen

From Atlanta it's on to Halifax in Nova Scotia to kick-off the North American Brass Band Summer School, where over 60 delegates will be performing as part of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, the largest indoor show in the world.

However, after a short stay he will return to the UK to perform at the 70th anniversary Llangollen International Eisteddfod as a soloist with Cory Band.

He added: "It is a shorter stay at the NABBSS this year, but with a world class line-up of tutors, and special guest conductor, Sal Scarpa, they are in safe hands.

The invitation to perform the Karl Jenkins Concerto alongside Cory under the baton of Owain Arwel Hughes CBE is a great way to link with the band again — especially as we played together at the event in 2010."

Orchestra

The travelling will not stop in his homeland however, as following his performance he will be catching another flight — this time to Germany to play two concerts with the Baden Baden Philharmonic Orchestra in the historic Neuweier Castle.

"I played with the orchestra at a Moonlight Festival in Switzerland last year and had a great time working with them. I'm thrilled to have been invited back and look forward to performing new arrangements of Mozart and Hummel, in addition to some other fun solos."

To be able to perform with such outstanding musicians in the USA, UK, and Europe in such a short space of time makes all the travel and wait for my luggage at various airports all worthwhileDavid Childs

Musical detour

With a wonderful musical detour for a 20th anniversary concert in Calabria with the Italian Wind Band of Melicucco, and a couple of days in Scotland with Richard Evans at this year's NYBBS course, he will finally return home for a well earned break — although not before appearing at the Last Night of the Welsh Proms to give the world premiere of a new concerto by composer Paul Mealor accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

"It's a very hectic but musically rewarding period for me,"he said. "To be able to perform with such outstanding musicians in the USA, UK, and Europe in such a short space of time makes all the travel and wait for my luggage at various airports all worthwhile."

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