Grimethorpe welcomes Master of King’s Music
Judith Weir CBE HonFRSE, Master of the King's Music recently visited Grimethorpe Colliery Band as part of an ongoing project to write short pieces for four of the band's soloists. The visit allowed her to meet some of the players and hear the timbre of a brass band compared to an orchestra.
Judith spent some time working with principal cornet Jamie Smith, Mark Walters (flugel), Helen Varley (horn) and Andy Kennedy (euphonium) in an interactive workshop, accompanied by the band's resident Musical Director Steve Phillips and Composer in Association, Liz Lane. She then spent the evening listening to a selection of varied pieces from the brass band repertoire, discussing scoring with Steve Phillips, and also took the opportunity to sit in the tenor horn section to experience the sound world from a player's perspective.
Judith Weir is the first female composer to hold the role of Master of the King's music, a position that dates to 1626 and includes luminaries such as Edward Elgar and Arthur Bliss. Her music was featured at the recent Coronation of Charles III, where the specially selected Coronation Orchestra premiered her commissioned overture 'Brighter Visions Shine Afar'.
Talking about the welcome visit, Liz Lane, a former pupil of Judith Weir said: "I've kept in touch with Judith and shared with her some of my own experiences writing for the brass band medium. She was always very interested in knowing more about it, so when the opportunity came up, I was thrilled she agreed to work with the band." A spokesperson for the band stated, “We're all looking forward to working with Judith and we'll be announcing more about our exciting plans over the coming months."
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