International Concert Series 2023-2024
A TASTE OF CHRISTMAS
WITH ROYAL HOLLOWAY BRASS BAND & BIG BAND EVENT PROGRAMME
DECEMBER 7, 2023 ROYALHOLLOWAY.AC.UK/MUSIC
Department of Music
School of Performing & Digital Arts
International Concert Series 2023-24
OUR 2023-24 SEASON We are pleased to welcome you to our 2023-24 International Concert Series at Royal Holloway. We, at the Department of Music, cannot wait to showcase the varied talent of our students and staff, but also bringing internationally renowned musicians to the College. For 2023-24, we are back and better than ever with more student and staff opportunities through the creation of 'The Platform', an open opportunity for the community at the Department of Music to share with you what makes us so special. Alongside our popular Midweek Music and Pocket Concert Series, we are excited to continue our special partnerships with the Young Classical Artists Trust and BBC New Generation Artists and continue our alumni recital series by bringing back the epoch ensemble. We are pleased to also bring a wealth of international artists to our series, including pianists Pina Napolitano, Mary Dullea, Sholto Kynoch, Alexander Soares, and Joseph Havlat, violinist Darragh Morgan, guitarist Laura Snowden, clarinettist Jonathan Leibovitz, 1|P a g e
sitarist James Pusey, mezzosoprano Helen Charlston, jazz group Solstice, and the London Mozart Players. 2023 also marks the final season for our quartet-in-residence, the Tippett Quartet, as we say farewell to this stellar group with their final concert at Royal Holloway. All in all, this season is representative of the world-class talent our community at the Department of Music has fostered as we showcase our students and the range of music performance we programme and encourage; from jazz to world music, orchestral performance to solo piano, as well as presenting performers from the international stage. We look forward to welcoming you to our series this year. Dr Nathan James Dearden Music Performance Manager & Curator of the International Concert Series
International Concert Series 2023-24
Taste of Christmas with Royal Holloway Brass Band & Big Band International Concert Series 2023-24 Thursday, 7 December 2023 Windsor Building Auditorium with
James Begg Conductor
& Monique Smithers Conductor Ben Norris Conductor
Estimated finish time: 10.00pm There will be a 15-minute interval during this evening’s event, where refreshments will be available to purchase in the foyer Please no flash photography or visual/audio recording throughout the event. For news about our future events, please visit royalholloway.ac.uk/music/events
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International Concert Series 2023-24
EVENT PROGRAMME Sing, Sing, Sing Glenn Miller arr. Jeff Hest (orig. composed 1936) Take the “A” Train Billy Strayhorn and the Delta Rhythm Boys arr. Dave Wolpe (1939) Moonlight Serenade Glenn Miller arr. Jeff Hest (1944) Baby it’s cold outside ft. Dimitra Sotiropoulou and Ruben Dales Frank Loesser arr. Matt Dunkley (1944) Isn’t She Lovely Stevie Wonder arr. Bill Holman (1976) Mercy Mercy Mercy Josef Zawinul as played by Buddy Rich (1966) Spain Chick Corea arr. Paul Jennings (1973) Sleigh ride Leroy Anderson arr. Dave Wolpe (1948) 3|P a g e
INTERVAL Refreshments will be available to purchase in the foyer
Gaudete Traditional arr. Rodney Newton (c.1600) Stop the Cavalry Jona Lewie arr. Derek Broadbent (1978) The Snowman Howard Blake arr. Philip Sparke (1982) Troika Sergej Prokofiev arr. Alan Fernie (1934) Santa Claustrophobia Sandy Smith (2013) Jingle Bells James Lord Pierpont arr. Derek Ashmore (c.1850)
International Concert Series 2023-24
PERFORMERS Royal Holloway Big Band, Undergraduated Established in 1995, Undergraduated Big Band is an ensemble that is open to everyone who enjoys popular styles of music and wants to explore these in both a big band and a smaller group setting. We accommodate for all instruments, and we are nonauditioned. As well as regular rehearsals as a full band we plan to host regular sessions at Crosslands bar where you can have the experience of playing with a small jazz trio in a relaxed setting, whether it’s singing or with an instrument. This is alongside opportunities to play in more formal concerts as well as at societal balls and events across campus. If you would like to get involved, please message us on Instagram (@rhul_bigband) where there is also a link to our Facebook group in our bio.
The musical events lined up for this year included Oktoberfest festivities, plenty of busking and our very own first-term concert ‘Around the World’ themed. We are looking forward to competing in the annual UniBrass contest held in Warwick and a tour to finish the year! We promote versatility in the band, from encouraging brass quintets to seeing many brass players take on the challenge of learning different instruments within the ensemble, or even taking the rehearsal as conductor. We encourage all student and staff brass instrumentalists and percussionists of all levels, studying any course, to get in touch. We also love to throw in a social whenever possible, so join us for some musical bingo, SU nights, pub crawls, attending local brass band concerts or the essential post-UniBrass curry. Follow us on Instagram @rhbrassband
James Begg Conductor
Royal Holloway Brass Band Royal Holloway’s own brass band, rehearses and performs a broad selection of music from traditional marches to more experimental modern repertoire, with some fan favourites along the way.
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James Begg is an accomplished musician who has gathered a wide range of experience over the last 20 years. He has played with a wide range of ensembles from local Brass Bands and Jazz Bands to professional orchestras. James’ musical career has included performances in venues such
International Concert Series 2023-24
as the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, and the O2 Academy. James currently plays Cornet with The Egham Band, a Championship section Brass Band with strong ties to Royal Holloway. Further to this, James is also heavily involved in the Egham Band Youth Brass Project and MD’s the Egham Youth Band. As a RHUL alumnus, James is excited to be able to work with RHULBB and looks forward to a successful year.
Monique Smithers Conductor Monique is an aspiring conductor and musician from London, who is currently a final year Music student at Royal Holloway. She was a soprano and conductor for Jane Holloway choir last year and has since conducted for the Conductors Collective. As well conducting the Royal Holloway Big Band, Monique is also this year’s manager for the Royal Holloway Symphony Orchestra (RHSO). She hopes that this experience will help further progress her career in arts management and orchestral conducting. In 2019 Monique became a student at Abbey Road institute in London, specialising in advanced audio production and sound engineering. During this time, she worked with solo artists and bands alike, helping them to write, record and produce their own music, whilst also developing her own personal skills as a singer.
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Ben Norris Conductor Ben Norris is a 3rd year music scholar at Royal Holloway University and is studying piano under James Kirby and formerly, Matthew Stanley. Here, he co-directs the Big Band, sings as a tenor in Founders Choir, has regular jazz gigs and writes programme notes. Ben started learning piano at 6 and has achieved a distinction in the ABRSM Level 4 Diploma in Music Performance in 2019. He is the paid accompanist of local community group, Windsor Soundswell Choir, working with Dr Guy Bunce. He has been brought up with music, with his father as an organist and musical director and his mother as a singer/actor.
International Concert Series 2023-24
Royal Holloway Big Band Trumpets Laura Kee* James McPherson Oscar Wells Emma Varley Joe Marks Trombones Michael Hews Anjeli Valydon Rory Arthur Clarinets Maria Custodio* Katie Mair Antonia Ah-Kon Alto Saxophones Martha Soares Pippa Brown Tom Sheppard Jessica Harding Jocelyn Hails Josh Chen Margarida Raposeira Georgie Taylor Tenor Saxophones Alice Bennet Lucy Anderson Jimmy Davies
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Baritone Saxophone Annabel Mullett* Piano Jamie Layfield Ben Norris* Dhruv Gajjar Drums/Percussion Todd Lucas-Phillips* Joseph Milne Neel Anand
Repiano Cornet Tom Bartlett Flugel Horn Hannah Griffin Tenor Horns Lucy Arrowsmith Cole Bryan Jo Green
Guitar Oliver Vesey Seb Clemson
Baritone Horn Faye Jones * Harry Diggins
Bass Gregory McCrorieShand William Celikyay Owen Morgan
Euphonium Harry Snasdell *
Royal Holloway Brass Band Cornets Laura Kee* Emma Varley * Millie Russell Joshua Whalley Benjamin Collins Oscar Wells Suzie Kaczor Soprano Cornet James McPherson
Trombones Michael Hews Ivan Smith Rory Arthur Bass Will Thomas Owen Knott Lauren Henderson Drew Pritchard Percussion Will Bishop Annabel Mullett Tom Hyatt Harry Miller
*Committee Members
VISIT OUR WEBSITE ROYALHOLLOWAY.AC.UK/MUSIC