It has been a busy few months for the talented tenor horn player Andrew McMillan of the Whitburn Band.
Following a recent concert appearance with the West Scotland Divisional Youth Band, he is now heading to Malmo, where he is looking forward to playing at his first European Brass Band Championship with the Scottish champion.
Quick return
And following a quick return to the UK to help them in their efforts at the Grand Shield in Blackpool, he then heads back to Scandinavia with the Voss International Ensemble (VIBE) in Norway.
Alongside colleagues such as Russell Gray and Oddvar Nøstdal, they will perform concerts at several venues across the country, showcasing musical repertoire arranged by Torstein Aagaard-Nielsen, including a world premiere of a sinfonietta written by Rudolf Swartjes.
Earlier this year Andrew was invited by conductor Bryan Allen to play principal horn with Sachsen Brass Band in Germany. His three day visit culminated with a concert in the Mendelssohn Hall in Leipzig, whilst he returns in June to enjoy a short tour with Bryan and the band to Austria.
Student
Andrew is a second-year student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is mentored by Yamaha Artist and multi-instrumentalist Arfon Owen and Chris Gough, former principal horn of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
He finishes off a busy period by performing with the European Brass Septet, a new project based brass ensemble that plays in the Finnish brass band and symphonic brass style. Last year they headed to the Netherlands and performed at music festivals and concerts led by euphonium artist Robert Visser.
I'm also looking forward to my visits to Austria and Norway which I'm sure are going to be rewarding experiences and a real honour to play with renowned world class musiciansAndrew McMillan
Looking forward
Speaking about his packed calendar, Andrew said: "It's been a very busy period but I'm really looking forward to experiencing the European Championships with Whitburn.
I'm also looking forward to my visits to Austria and Norway which I'm sure are going to be rewarding experiences and a real honour to play with renowned world class musicians."
