" ...dazzling dexterity... "

Natalie Wheen, Classic FM

On Saturday 21 January we ran a Trombone Day at Wells Cathedral School, supported by Conn-Selmer and the British Trombone Society. 

We offered lots of ensemble playing opportunities with 3 groups rehearsing throughout the morning plus a Lotto for one-to-one lessons. John Packer brought along a trade stand showing off some Bach and Conn trombones as well as lots of mutes and accessories. 

After lunch there was a masterclass where Sarah, Becky and Helen coached some younger players through solo pieces by composers ranging from Max Bruch to Arthur Pryor. Some really fantastic and spirited playing here, well done all!

Then Jayne rehearsed the massed ensemble of nearly 60 trombonists (including a contrabass trombone, thanks Tom Pilsbury!) in preparation for the final performance which featured belting renditions of Spanish Gypsy Dance, Wallace and Gromit, We Will Rock You, Indiana Jones and the theme from Rocky. 

We also played a few pieces: a baroque aria by Camilla de Rossi, Torc - a new piece about Boudicca written by Helen, Kehaar’s Theme by Angela Morley and Windy City from Calamity Jane by Sammy Fain.

Thank you to all who took part, we hope you enjoyed the day; we certainly had a fantastic time meeting and hearing you all. The ages of participants ranged from 9 to 85, which proves just how inclusive and enjoyable music is! We look forward to the next one!

Huge thanks to Ross Brown and his team at Wells Cathedral School, Tom Lees and the British Trombone Society, and to John Packer and Scott Lashbrook at Conn-Selmer for arranging all the toys!

We started 2023 with two concerts of our ‘Wonder Women’ programme, one in Skipton in Yorkshire and the other in Frome, Somerset. 

Thankfully train strikes and snowy conditions didn’t scupper our plans and we headed up to Yorkshire without hitch. We were welcomed at Skipton Town Hall by Sally and the team at Skipton Music, who were all lovely and really helpful. Such a great hall, recently refurbished and now a fantastic arts venue. We headed off after the concert in the snow, which thankfully didn’t hang around.

After a couple of days doing other work (an RCM Open Day and a Mahler 5 with the BBCSO, among others) we were back on the road again, this time to Frome in Somerset. When we drove past the Rook Lane Chapel it looked so grand we didn’t think it could possibly be our venue! But lucky for us it was, and a really gorgeous acoustic too. It was a coffee concert so there was a nice relaxed feel about the performance. The audience was wonderfully friendly and responsive and even enjoyed the audience participation in ‘Sinnerman’! Thank you to Skipton Music and Frome Concerts Group for making us so welcome. We look forward to returning in the future.

Reviews

In November we spent a day with the brass students at the Perse School in Cambridge. We coached their trumpet group and 10piece brass ensemble and also gave some one-to-one lessons on some solo pieces for upcoming exams. After a lovely lunch we rehearsed a massed brass ensemble on a few pieces including Smetana Fanfare from ‘Libuše’ and the New Orleans favourite ‘Lily of the Valley’, both of which we filmed for a school video. It was a great day!

Huge thanks to their trumpet teacher Paul Mayes and the Director of Music Ben Wingfield for making it all possible. 

We look forward to visiting again!

“The evening concert allowed our ensembles to rub shoulders with a professional group at the top of their game.”

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Visit to Trent College, March 2022

In March this year we enjoyed leading a brass workshop with the students at Trent College and The Elms schools in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire. 

We were so excited to be back on the road again as we headed north to Nottingham on a beautifully sunny morning. A warm welcome and a delicious school lunch awaited us then we set up ready for the various brass workshops. Jayne was coaching the younger brass players through some sea shanties, Becky worked with the 17 (yes 17!) trombonists from the junior school. They had a great time practicing ‘We Will Rock You’, apparently entertaining and no doubt empowering the staff meeting happening in the adjacent room! Sarah and Helen worked with the senior brass group, taking them through some challenging corners in the theme from ‘Jurassic Park’. We got all the groups together for an informal run through of our pieces.

Then we had some time to relax, set up and rehearse for our evening concert. We performed our ‘Wonder Women’ programme which showcases female composers, songwriters and historical figures. It involves a huge variety of styles, techniques and some different stage positions to make the most of the school chapel’s acoustics.

We started off in four corners of the chapel with an atmospheric plainchant by Hildegard von Bingen. Later we gave the world premiere of ‘Torc’, a piece written by Helen. It’s about Boudicca, queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe who famously defeated the Romans. It uses some new and extended techniques on the instrument which the audience really liked. Also new in the programme was an arrangement of Cortège by Lili Boulanger and Kehaar’s Theme by Angela Morley, which was a glorious opener to our second half.

It was so good to be performing together again that the usual nerves were replaced with a genuine sense of euphoria and relief.

A big thank you to the school’s brass tutor Will Mee and Director of Music Nick Parrans-Smith for all their help and support in making it happen. We look forward to visiting again!

Reviews

Luxembourg, Birmingham and Glasgow, January/February 2020

In January 2020, we took our Wonder Women programme to Luxembourg to the Escher Conservatoire in Esch-sur-Alzette. Despite the very early start to the day (4am taxis to the airport) we found the energy to give some coaching and lessons to the trombone and brass students on arrival. There was a very supportive and appreciative audience for our evening recital (despite a tinge of sadness with it being January 31st, the day the United Kingdom formally left the European Union). Special thanks to the conservatoire's trombone teacher Claude Origer for inviting us and showing us such great hospitality after the concert.

Next stop on our mini-tour was Birmingham; a visit to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to give a short recital and adjudicate the Bernard Brown Brass Chamber Prize. What a fabulous new campus! This conservatoire is really on the up and any budding young students should definitely consider applying to study there. We heard four brass groups: a trombone quartet, two brass quintets and a tuba quartet. We were treated to a wide variety of music and an impressive standard of playing. However it was a unanimous decision that the tuba quartet (baritone, euphonium and two tubas) When Tuba Come One were the winners of the prize. They performed a highly entertaining and polished programme which was a joy to hear. We wish them well in what will undoubtedly be a bright future. Many thanks to the RBC's Head of Brass, trombone tutor and general hero Amos Miller for inviting us.

Then after a little break to unpack, repack, do other rehearsals, concerts, etc we regrouped again in Glasgow for a three day residency at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. We had been planning this residency with Head of Brass John Logan for a while and really wanted to make the most of our visit to the conservatoire's thriving brass department. We coached some brass chamber groups, took a trombone sectional on Mahler Symphony No.2, and played through some trombone choir pieces; and that was just day one! We also took part in the RCS’s Brass for Schools concerts to local school children. The programme theme ‘Dances with Valves’ encompassed everything from Susato to a 90’s dance music mix, ending of course with the Can-Can! A really great initiative performed to a full house; a truly memorable event for all those young people listening. Later we coached some of the older trombone students focusing on their upcoming recital repertoire. There was an impressive standard of playing and enjoyed working more in depth with the college’s trombonists. The final morning was taken up with the now usual decision of whether to go for a morning run or not, packing, then the short walk to the Conservatoire to top and tail our Wonder Women lunchtime recital programme. It was a packed hall with a very appreciative crowd, and a smattering of trombonists just to calm the nerves! ;)

Big thanks to the indefatigable Head of Brass John Logan and the RCS for inviting us! 

Read a review by the Bandsman magazine. 

" the music was brought to the stage by a chamber group at the peak of its powers in a performance of elegance, subtlety and considerable variety in tonal colour. "

Wonder Women!

Low Brass Workshop and Concert in Cheddar, May 2019

Hampshire Music Service Trombone Day, April 2019

In April we visited Fareham for the Hampshire Music Service Trombone Day organised by Jon Cranston; huge thanks to him for making this possible. We had planned this event for early February but heavy snow meant we had to postpone. Luckily we had great weather for our eventual visit and it was a great day!

Redbridge Music Service Trombone Workshop and Concert, April 2019

In April we were invited to give a Trombone Workshop for Redbridge Music Service at Sir James Hawkey Hall in Woodford, Essex. We started with a group warm up for everyone to get limbered up. Then we split into two groups to work on some ensemble pieces. The afternoon culminated in a joint concert showcasing all the work throughout the day, finishing with a rousing rendition of the theme to Indiana Jones played by everyone! Huge thanks to Chris Wilcox for organising the whole event.

Visit to Hampton School, March 2019

Recital and masterclass at the RWCMD, January 2019

In January we returned to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff to give a lunchtime recital in the fantastic acoustic of the Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall and then take afternoon masterclasses with the trombone students. We were welcomed by dynamic new Head of Brass Roger Argente, but were also very happy to see trombone gurus Chris Mowat, Kevin Price and Phil Goodwin. As part of our programme we gave the UK Premiere of Simon Wills Sonata Tenebrosa. Thanks to all the students who took part in the masterclasses. We look forward to visiting Cardiff again.

Trombone Class at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, June 2018

We had a fun evening with the trombone students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in June. On a swelteringly hot Monday night in an equally sweltering rehearsal studio we coached the trombonists through some quartets and performed some of our repertoire to them. We also discussed choosing repertoire, arranging and building a programme and organising performances.

We topped off the class with all 18 students playing through some trombone octets including Berlioz 'March to the Scaffold', 'All Through the Night' and Fucik 'Entry of the Gladiators' arranged by Duncan Wilson.

The sound was certainly awe-inspiring, especially in such a confined space!!

Thanks to all the students who took part and made us feel so welcome.

We look forward to meeting you all again in the future.

Concerts for Pinner Music Festival and Solway Arts in Cumbria, 2017

Première of new work at Bristol University, April 2017

In April this year we visited Bristol University to give a lunchtime recital at their stunning Victoria Rooms. The main reason for our visit was to première a new work for trombone quartet - 'It Felt Like Drowning' by Elan Higueras Calvo. Elan was the winner of the 'Inspired - A Life of Breath' composition competition organised by Jess Farr-Cox in collaboration with Prof. John Pickard and the University's Composition department. Elan writes: "It Felt Like Drowning is a piece that explores the pain and suffering that victims of domestic violence abuse experience. Breathlessness, anxiety and silent resilience are expressed musically in this trombone quartet." We stood in a line along the front of the stage quite far apart from each other, this was to enable the spatial effects of the rhythmic exchanges between players. With very long held notes, quick mute changes, cross-harmonic slurs and flutter tongue effects there was lots of tension and drama created in his writing. Sound clip coming soon...

We also performed music of Monteverdi, in his 450th birthday year, Beethoven, Gershwin and Bernstein, celebrating 60 years since he wrote West Side Story.

After the recital we gave a brass masterclass with members of the University's brass department. We heard a variety of styles and players perform solo works with piano. We greatly enjoyed what was lovely sunny day in Bristol and a huge thanks to Elan, Jess and John for making it all possible.

The picture above is of a glass-blown trombone, a work of art from Air: Visualising the Invisible in British Art 1768-2017 at the RWA, Bristol.

'In the Same Breath' by Kate Williams, 2008, borosilicate glass / 40 x 125 x 40 cm / courtesy of the artist / Photo (copyright) Yiannis Katsaris

New Music for Trombone Choir now available!

We have some brand new arrangements for trombone choir now available from our shop page.

They include Mussorgsky's complete 'Pictures at an Exhibition' for 12 trombones arranged by Robert Holliday, plus trombone octet arrangements of Fucik 'Entry of the Gladiators', Berlioz 'March to the Scaffold' and Gounod 'March of a Marionette' by Duncan Wilson, as well as Wagner 'Parsifal Prelude', Mussorgsky 'Great Gate of Kiev' and Tchaikovsky 'A Pine Forest in Winter' by Robert Holliday.

Please have a browse through our catalogue via the Shop page.

Cheddar Valley Music Club, April 2016

We were thrilled and very humbled to receive this handmade 'Thank You' card from all the students in the Cheddar Valley Music Club after our recent visit. Inside it read:

" Thank you so much for the very special day Bones Apart gave us in Cheddar. You are the most amazing players and teachers. We hope you will be able to visit us again soon. With best wishes from The Cheddar Valley Music Club "

It was filled with lovely comments from all of the students telling us what they each enjoyed from the day.

Receiving feedback like this is so important to us and it really drives us forward in our passion for music and bringing it to as many people as possible. Thank You! :)

Artwork by Katherine Amey 

Slings, Arrows and Saturday night on Sauchiehall Street!

April 2016

This month we embark on a series of concerts and workshops around the UK, with performances in Nottingham, Glasgow and Cheddar.

On Friday 8th April we are giving an 'After Hours' recital at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham. We perform immediately after the Hallé Orchestra's concert that evening and our eclectic programme will include 'Scenes from Sherwood' by Dan Jenkins. Where better to hear this uniquely entertaining take on the legendary characters of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck and the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham!

Then from April 15-17 we are heading to Glasgow. We give a lunchtime recital at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on Friday 15th April, when we will perform our Shakespeare-inspired programme 'If Music Be The Food Of Love'. We join this year's celebrations of 'The Bard' with music by Dowland, Mendelssohn, Duke Ellington, Jason Carr and Leonard Bernstein to name a few. This is followed by a masterclass with the brass students of the RCS.

On Saturday 16th April we will be giving a short workshop at the junior RCS and we look forward to hearing and working alongside these talented youngsters.

The finale to our Scottish visit will be taking part in the British Trombone Society's Scotland Event on Sunday 17th April, also held at the RCS. The day will include workshops, massed blows, recitals, trade stands, masterclasses, Led Zeppelin and maybe even some haggis! Do come along and say hello! 

Christmas Sheet Music Now Available!

December 2015

We are delighted to announce that we have a number of seasonal quartet arrangements now available to buy from our Shop.

Gabriel Fauré's uplifting Il est né, le divin Enfant and Mykola Leontovych's ever-popular Carol of the Bells are the most recent additions to the catalogue.

Other titles include Shepherds' Farewell by Berlioz, Abendsegen from Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Spanish Christmas lullaby El Noi de la Mare and Tchaikovsky's inimitable Nutcracker Suite.

For those of you who are struggling for Christmas gift ideas you can also buy a copy of our CD All We Want for Christmas, but hurry and catch the Christmas post! 

Red Nose Day at Dulwich College, March 2015

If Music Be The Food Of Love...

March 2015

Conn-Selmer Artists Roster

El Nuevo Mundo, Summer 2014

New Sheet Music titles

Chasing Legends

pBones Apart!

All We Want For Christmas

Bones Apart in the USA

OUT NOW! Gershwin - Three Preludes

New 10th Anniversary CD 'ten'

four4four

Bones Apart at the International Trombone Festival

Muso Magazine interview

10th Anniversary Tour