Black Dyke’s MD, Professor Nicholas Childs has announced details of his plans for new music commissions.

Lasting relationships

He told 4BR: "For many years we have been encouraging a number of composers to write new pieces for our players, and have formed lasting relationships with several well-known writers.

"However, we feel that the strength of our policy has been its long-term nature, allowing our composers time and space to develop their ideas, and to get to know the band as individuals.

"Although some composers have been able to write successfully for our medium, many have been intimidated by the traditions of band scoring and notation. We have found that longer term associations have been the most fruitful."

James has been at the top of many wish-lists over several years, and we are thrilled that he has accepted our offer to write something for performance in 2012/3Professor Nicholas Childs

Associate composers

As a result, in addition to the in-house writing team, which includes Paul-Lovatt-Cooper, Sandy Smith, and Professor Philip Wilby, the band is announcing new relationships with a number of associate composers.

In 2009 they will work with Philip Harper. He is said to be keen to compose a work for Black Dyke in response to the success of his ‘Legend of Sangeet’ which the band has played a number of times with a variety of sitar specialists.

His new score ‘Willow Pattern’ will be played at the Black Dyke Festival in May, and then at the Deal Festival in July.

Exciting musical talent

In 2010 the band will work with Emily Howard, the winner of the 2008 prestigious Paul Hamlyn Award for Composers, and regarded as one of the most exciting musical talents to emerge over recent years.

Having studied mathematics at Oxford. Emily transferred to musical studies in Manchester, and works regularly with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Remarkable

Professor Philip Wilby told 4BR: "Emily is not only a composer with remarkable musical and personal energy, but also a much-needed role model in a male-dominated profession. Her continuing associations with Black Dyke will allow her the time to absorb our unique culture, and we look forward to playing a sequence of her works over time."

James MacMillan

By 2011 the band will be commissioning James MacMillan to write a brass band score of substance. Professor Childs told 4BR: "James has been at the top of many wish-lists over several years, and we are thrilled that he has accepted our offer to write something for performance in 2012/3."

Awards

James MacMillan is the winner of many recent awards. In April, the world premiere of his 'St John Passion' was performed by Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, and his opera 'The Sacrifice' won the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Opera in May. More recently, he won the British Composer Award 2008 for Liturgical Music.

Innovative and exciting

Professor Childs added: "There is a composer in every generation who might have written for our movement, but escaped. Gladly, James has accepted our invitation, and we will be playing some of his innovative and exciting music — including Sandy Smith’s new arrangement of MacMillan’s ‘Stomp’, in 2009, with the composer conducting.

He concluded: "This is a long-term and very high profile project which we are delighted to be able to sponsor."