Regent Brass recently linked up with the Camden Youth Brass Band (through Camden Music Hub) to host an innovative project at Regent Hall in London through Making Music's 'Adopt a Creator'.

Focus

The collaboration aimed to smooth the transition for young musicians between school to adult brass bands.

A key focus of the project was to build links between the groups to address the challenges of demographic representation within adult brass bands while promoting new music to a wider audience.

At its artistic heart was the creation of a new piece by composer Robin Fiedler with musical material primarily generated by the players themselves.

Castle in the Sky

The composer had earlier conducted separate workshops where members from each group engaged in improvisational exercises around specific themes.

The creative sessions were instrumental in producing the core ideas and motifs that Fiedler used in the composition, 'Castle in the Sky', making it a genuinely collaborative work.

Ownership

Speaking about the success of the project, Regent Brass MD Alan Duguid said: "This approach not only enabled the music to work for the range of technical abilities across the groups, but also instilled a profound sense of ownership and connection to the piece amongst the participants."

Alongside 'Castle in the Sky', the concert featured other new works, such as the march 'Corfe Castle' by Freddie Meyers, 'Beyond the Light' by Liz Lane, and the premiere of 'Eris and Harmonia' by Franklin Onyeso, a student at the Royal Academy of Music and the band's Young Composer in Residence.

The event was not only a performance showcase but also a celebration of the developing partnershipRegent Brass MD, Alan Duguid .

Partnership

Alan added: "The event was not only a performance showcase but also a celebration of the developing partnership.

Regent Brass will be performing 'Castle in the Sky' in concert through 2024 and look forward to working with the Camden Youth Brass Band and their inspirational conductor Dierdre Waller-Box on similar events in the future.

The band also look forward to working with Robin on the development of a new piece in 2025, which will mark the group's 40th Anniversary year."