Brass Explosion! 2010 Festival Programme

International Faculty
BrassExplosion! - 06 - - 07 - BrassExplosion!
The International
Faculty for the Brass Explosion!
represent over nine different countries. All are professional musicians currently employed by the world’s best orchestras,
bands, conservatories and schools of music. Their passion for music and brass playing has drawn them to Singapore for the
Brass Explosion and their knowledge and artistry has vastly enhanced the Brass Explosion! experience for everyone involved.
Desford Colliery Band
Founded in 1898 and comprising 30 musicians, Desford Colliery Band is considered
one of the finest exponents of the brass medium in the world. The Band’s repertoire
spans Baroque to Jazz; its soloists are among the finest you will hear.
Desford Colliery Band have achieved great popularity and success as an ambassador
for British culture and heritage abroad and have received accolades from audiences in
Moscow, Chicago, Singapore, Bangkok, and many European capital cities. The ensemble
is in demand for international festivals.
Desford Colliery Band has recorded many CDs gaining much critical acclaim. More
recently, they starred in their very own hit television show The Real Brassed Off; a flyon-the-wall
documentary.
Bart van Lier (Trombone)
Jeremy Monteiro (Piano)
Jeremy Monteiro, a jazz pianist, composer,
singer and educator has performed on the mainstage
of the Montreux Jazz Festival with his
group comprising the original Ramsey Lewis
Trio members: bassist, Eldee Young; drummer,
Isaac Redd Holt; saxophonist, John Stubblefield
and guitarist O’Donel Levy. At Montreaux, the
band received a three minute standing ovation!
Jeremy has released over 20 albums, and has
performed or recorded with jazz greats including
James Moody, Michael Brecker, Lee Ritenour,
Herbie Mann, Paulinho DaCosta, Ernie Watts,
Charlie Haden, Simon & Garfunkel and Toots
Thielemans. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society
for the encouragement of the Arts (RSA); current
Fellows include Nelson Mandela and Stephen
Hawking. Jeremy is the first pianist and jazz
musician accorded the Cultural Medallion,
Singapore’s pinnacle award in arts achievement.
He is Professor & Visiting Chair of Jazz at
LASALLE College of the Arts.
International Faculty
Henry Lowther (Trumpet)
Henry Lowther has played just about every genre of music in the past 60 years, but jazz has always
been his driving passion. He began as trumpet player in the Salvation Army and later attended the
Royal Academy of Music where he studied violin. In the Sixties, he played with rock legends such
as Manfred Mann, John Mayall and Keef Hartley with whom he appeared at Woodstock. He also
experiments with total free improvisation jazz.
He has frequently played with British jazz greats such as Michael Gibbs, Michael Garrick, Graham
Collier, Kenny Wheeler, Stan
Tracey, John Taylor, John Surman,
Gordon Beck, Pete King, and
many more. Henry often guests
with major symphony orchestras
and ensembles; as a session
musician he has recorded with
Simon Rattle, Elton John, Paul
McCartney, George Harrison, Van Morrison, Henry Mancini, Bing Crosby and
Nelson Riddle amongst many others.
Jason Katsikaris
(Conductor)
Australia, Desford
Colliery Band
Andy Scott
(Saxophone)
UK, Apollo
Saxophone Quartet
Katrina Marzella
(Baritone)
UK, Birmingham
Conservatoire
Bart van Lier has been a freelance trombonist in the Netherlands since 1968. He has played with groups such as the Netherlands
Jazz Orchestra, the Slide Hampton Trombone Quartet, the Mel Lewis-Joe Haider Big Band, Peter Herbolzheimer’s Big Band, and
the Skymasters and more. He was appointed first trombonist and soloist of the Metropole Orchestra in 1992, and since 1990 his own
groups Bart’s Bones and Trio Bart van Lier have been performing for the Nederland Impresariaat.
He teaches trombone at the Hilversum Conservatory, The Hague Conservatory, and the Rotterdam Conservatory. Since 1994, Bart has
designed several models of trombones for Kühnl & Hoyer, all bearing his name. He has written a technique book, Coordination Training
Program for Trombone Playing. Bart has toured and presented workshops throughout the world, including Germany, Switzerland, the
Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Hungary, the UK, India, Japan, and the US. He has numerous recordings to his credit.
Allen Meek
(Trombone)
US, Singapore Symphony
Orchestra
Brenden Wheeler
(Euphonium)
UK, Hepworth (Persimmon
Homes) Band
Marc-Antoine
Robillard (Horn)
Canada, Singapore
Symphony Orchestra
Henry has become increasingly interested in composition and formed his own
band, Still Waters, to enable him to pursue this interest further.
David Johnson (Horn)
US, Conservatorio della
Svizzera Italiana in
Lugano Switzerland
Michael Massong
(Trombone)
Germany, Aalborg
Symphony Orchestra
Tim O’Dwyer
(Saxophone)
Australia, LASALLE
faculty
Hidehiro Fujita
(Tuba)
Japan, Singapore
Symphony Orchestra
Micky Wrobleski
(Tuba)
US, China Conservatory
of Music
Tristram Williams
(Trumpet)
Australia, New Music
Ensemble ELISION
John Clarke
(Trumpet)
UK, Hong Kong
Philharmonic Orchestra
Shannon Pittaway
(Trombone)
Australia, Singapore
Symphony Orchestra
Unai Urretxo
(Trombone)
Spain, Daejeon
Philharmonic Orchestra,