2017 Launchpad Prize Winners #2

Introducing...

Chameleon Wind Quintet

(Royal Northern College of Music)

The Players

Anna Murphy - flute
George Strickland - oboe
Jessica Tomlinson - clarinet
Joshua Jones - saxophone
Eleanor Mills - bassoon

Biography

Formed in October 2016, Chameleon is a group of musicians who met at the RNCM in Manchester. United by their ability to double/triple, they formed a group where each member performs on multiple instruments, often within the same piece.

As there is no existing repertoire for Chameleon, we do our own arrangements (though we would love to collaborate with orchestrators/arrangers/composers for future projects!). This means we can push the boundaries of typical wind ensembles, and can experiment with new combinations of wind instruments.

We base our set-up on a traditional wind quintet, replacing French Horn with Saxophone, and each member is principally one of the other four instruments - Flute, Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon. Our unique range of doubling instruments also means we can transform from a wind quintet to a sax group during a piece.

We have a keen interest in performance and outreach, bringing our music to other people in both the concert hall and in the community.

June Emerson Wind Music would like to thank Suzy Stonefield for organising 

the awarding of the Launchpad Prize at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Links

Chameleon Wind Quintet

chameleonquintet@gmail.com

Royal Northern College of Music

www.rncm.ac.uk

The June Emerson Wind Music Launchpad Prize 2017

About the Prize

The Launchpad Prize was an idea that began as a desire to help young musicians in some significant way. With our limited financial resources it was difficult to come up with something that would make enough of a difference to make it worthwhile. The idea of sponsoring a prize at one of the UK music colleges was something we just couldn’t afford, and we also felt that we’d like to be able to offer something to more than just one college and be a little more ‘hands on’. We eventually decided that we would assist one predominantly final year wind ensemble from each of the major UK music colleges to launch themselves onto the professional circuit.

First awarded in 2009, the Launchpad Prize consists of practical help, including:a substantial JEWM music voucher; dedicated space on the JEWM website; publicity at any time through our online media channels (JEWM blog, Twitter, Facebook etc); editorial coverage wherever possible; unlimited free advertising flyers in JEWM music orders in order to publicise themselves; exclusive access to the JEWM shop with use of all music and facilities; complimentary copies of any existing and future Emerson Edition publications which fit their instrumental line-up, and anything else we can think of.

The 2017 Winners!

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

Coburn Saxophone Quartet

Royal Northern College of Music

Chameleon Wind Quintet

Royal College of Music

Aesthesia Saxophone Quartet

Profiles of each of this year's winners will appear on this blog over the coming weeks...

Gloucestershire Double Reed Day

Gloucestershire Double Reed Day

Sunday 26th June 2016

For Information and Bookings:

www.glosdrd.org.uk

RNCM Saxophone Day

RNCM Saxophone Day

Sunday 8th November, 2015

"One of the most popular events we stage here during the year, RNCM Saxophone Day is a major happening in the sax calendar. We throw open our doors and welcome players of all ages and abilities and present a day jam-packed with participatory workshops and concerts. As is tradition, we kick off the proceedings with the now legendary Massed Saxophone Orchestra and this year there’s also a concert by the Apollo Saxophone Quartet.

But you don’t have to be a sax supremo to get something out of the day. You can simply enjoy watching the brilliant performances and take the opportunity to interact with our guests to find out something you always wanted to know about the saxophone but were afraid to ask…"

Rob Buckland & Andy Scott

Artistic Directors

The day is jam packed with activities to suit all ages and abilities, and includes workshops, recitals, ensemble sessions, masterclasses and an unmissable evening concert.

To complement all this there will be a large number of trade stands in attendance, so you'll be able to try out and buy instruments, pick up some accessories and browse through our extensive range of saxophone sheet music!

Tickets can be purchased for the full day or for specific events.

LINKS

Click here for more details and booking information

Click here to download the Sax Day leaflet

Royal Northern College of Music

Launchpad Prize Winners' Profile No.5: Abelia Saxophone Quartet

THE PLAYERS

Emma McPhilemy - soprano sax

Hannah Corcoran - alto sax

Isobel Williams - tenor sax

Catherine Hanson - baritone sax

BIOGRAPHY

The Abelia Saxophone Quartet are a young and energetic Manchester-based ensemble currently studying at the Royal Northern College of Music under the tuition of Rob Buckland. Recently, they have been awarded the Trevor Wye Woodwind Chamber Prize and have also been named the RNCM Ensemble of The Year; The Chris Rowland Prize.

Abelia Sax Quartet with Timothy McAllister

During their time at RNCM so far the group have received coaching from chamber music specialists such as Carl Raven, Andy Scott and Huw Wiggin and have performed in public masterclasses for Johan Van Der Linden, Ainars Ŝablovskis and for Timothy McAllister at the World Saxophone Congress 2015 in Strasbourg. The quartet recently commissioned new works by RNCM composers as part of a January 2015 composition festival, and followed this with a live performance on BBC Radio 3 contributing to the ‘BBC Young Artists Day’.

The group has given recitals at venues including The Cosmo Rodewald Hall (University of Manchester) and The Carole Nash Recital Room (RNCM) as part of the Spotlight Concert Series, Buxton Opera House, The Lowry (Salford Quays) and many other local venues. Abelia have also accompanied Philippe Geiss in his solo feature recital at the RNCM Saxophone Day 2014 and are looking forward to recitals later this year at St Martin-in-the-Fields (London) and Whitworth Art Gallery (Manchester).

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Friday 30th October @ 1pm

Bury

Monday 2nd November @ 1pm

St Martin-in-the-Fields, London

DETAILS

Friday 6th November @ 1pm

Cross Street Chapel, Manchester

Wednesday 25th November @ 1pm

St Ann's Church, Manchester

DETAILS

Sunday 6th December @ 3pm

Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester

LINKS

www.abeliasaxophonequartet.com
abeliasaxquartet@outlook.com

abeliasax.tumblr.com

June Emerson Wind Music would like to thank Rob Buckland for organising the 

awarding of the Launchpad Prize at the Royal Northern College of Music.

www.rncm.ac.uk

Jess Gillam's World - Part 1

Jess Gillam - Welcome to my world!

“One of the best young saxophonists in the UK” 

-Snake Davis

Hello everybody, I am delighted to have been asked to write a blog for June Emerson Wind Music about music from a young person's perspective! I am a 17 year old saxophonist from Ulverston in Cumbria and I study at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Each month, I will write a little about performances and musical events I have been involved with and my life as a young musician.

July has been an exciting month and I have had some musical experiences I will never forget. One of these was performing a solo recital at SaxOpen (the World Saxophone Congress) in Strasbourg. I was the youngest of 2,600 delegates and performing to a room of saxophonists was a challenging task. Usually, I know that most of the audience will be unaware of details about saxophone technique and simply want to hear good music, but when performing to a room of people who know everything about the saxophone, it is quite nerve-wracking! However, I think emotions that music can convey and the power that music has is the most important thing to capture in a performance, so I tried to play just as I would if I was in front of a typical concert audience. 

My recital consisted of world premières of commissions from leading saxophonists: Barbara Thompson, Rob Buckland and John Harle, as well as one of my own compositions. All the pieces were written for saxophone with backing tracks. The whole experience of commissioning new works and working with the composers was very interesting and I really enjoyed performing the premières. My concert was on Day Two of the Congress which was the perfect time as I felt truly inspired by some of the performances I had seen the night before. Barbara Thompson's Concerto for Three Saxophones was performed with the Strasbourg Symphony Orchestra and soloists Rob Buckland, Francesco Cafiso and Michael Alizon each performed a movement. The third movement was performed by Rob Buckland on soprano saxophone - the connection he had with the music was very apparent and the rapport with the orchestra made the music come alive and really sing. It was a remarkable performance and a fantastic composition - I felt proud to have pieces written for me by Barbara and Rob and lucky to know them both and be taught by Rob. 

The Congress was the perfect place to meet saxophonists from around the world and to catch up with others. I met Mr Yanagisawa and, as I am a Yanagisawa Artist, I was very pleased to be able to meet him and thank him. I also met Hidemasa Sato who made part of the new Alto WO that I play, and it was lovely to be able to thank him for his skilled craftsmanship. 

After returning home from the Congress, I performed with the National Youth Jazz Collective Creative Leadership Ensemble at the Benslow Music Centre and then started planning and practising repertoire for what promises to be a very busy Autumn! 

www.jessgillamsax.co.uk

Follow Jess Gillam on Facebook

Follow @jessgillamsax on Twitter

LINKS

Yanagisawa Saxophones UK

www.yanagisawasaxophones.co.uk

Vandoren UK

www.vandoren-en.com

June Emerson Wind Music 2012 Launchpad Prize

We are absolutely thrilled and extremely proud to announce the winners of the 2012 June Emerson Wind Music Launchpad Prize. They are:

Royal Northern College of Music
Lekker Quintet

The Lekker Quintet is an exciting wind ensemble, formed in Manchester in 2011.  Formerly studying at the University of Manchester, all players have studied at the Royal Northern College of Music.

The Quintet tour the UK performing a varied repertoire at a variety of venues; including the Bridgewater Hall, St. Martins-in-the-Field and the Carol Nash Recital Room.  Musical education is close to the group's ethos and they enjoy giving educational recitals and workshops.

The ensemble have participated in the North West New Music Festival (2011), the Royal Northern College of Music Chamber Festival (2012) and the Per Nørgărd and Hans Abrahamsen festival (2012).  This coming October the quintet have been asked to perform as part of the Malcolm Arnold Music Festival in the Midlands.  The Quintet are regularly coached by Matthew Hunt, Malinda Maxwell, John Miller and Tim Reynish.

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Anime Duo

The Animé flute and guitar duo formed in 2010 while studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. It was here that they established their shared passion for ensemble performance, finding a particular enthusiasm for the music of the 20th and 21st Centuries. The duo aim to bring the music for this unique combination of instruments to a wider audience in an engaging and approachable style.  

Animé were accepted onto the Live Music Now scheme in April 2012, a charity which aims to organise concerts for those who may have limited access to live music. They went on to be selected by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama for the June Emerson Launchpad Prize  The duo have also performed in a number of recitals around Wales and the rest of the UK, including a performance at the Arcomis International Flute Festival held at the Wales Millennium Centre.

Royal College of Music
Echo Trio

The Echo Trio, formed in 2011 at the Royal College of Music (RCM), is an exciting combination of saxophone (Amy Green), violin (Radu Ropotan) and piano (Alexandra Zlatior).

They participated in the Chamber Music and Woodwind Ensemble competitions at the RCM in 2012, winning the June Emerson Launchpad Prize.

Based in London, they have performed in the concert series at St Mary Abbots Church, High Street Kensington, and in St John’s Church, Notting Hill, in conjunction with the Music Chamber series. This engaging trio enjoy working together and performing a diverse range of music.

About the Launchpad prize

The Launchpad Prize was an idea that began as a desire to help young musicians in some significant way. With our limited financial resources it was difficult to come up with something that would make enough of a difference to make it worthwhile. The idea of sponsoring a prize at one of the UK music colleges was something we just couldn’t afford, and we also felt that we’d like to be able to offer something to more than just one college and be a little more ‘hands on’. We eventually decided that we would assist one young (predominantly) final year wind ensemble from each of the major UK music colleges to launch themselves onto the professional circuit.

The Launchpad Prize consists of practical help including: a substantial JEWM music voucher; dedicated space on the JEWM website; publicity at any time through our online media channels (JEWM blog, Twitter, Facebook etc); editorial coverage wherever possible; unlimited free advertising flyers in JEWM music orders in order to publicise themselves; exclusive access to the JEWM shop with use of all music and facilities; complimentary copies of any existing and future Emerson Edition titles which fit their instrumental line-up; anything else we can think of.

We’d like to wish the 2011 winners all the very best for a successful future. Please support them by going to hear their performances - they’re all incredibly talented ensembles and you won’t be disappointed! They are: Les Trois Canards, Vesuvio Wind Quintet, Kudo Saxophone Quartet, Hafren Quintet, HMS Quintet and Bells Up!

UPDATE
Follow the link to see two more Launchpad Prize winners for 2012.

June Emerson Wind Music at the RNCM Sax Day - Sunday 13th November 2011

We'll be taking all our saxophone music and books off the shelves and over to Manchester for the 11th annual Sax Day at the Royal Northern College of Music. With such a comprehensive stock of music available for you to look through and buy, you can't afford not to come and see us! If you're going to be there and would like music put aside for you, please give as much notice as possible, as some things may be needed to be ordered in, which can take time.

If you haven't yet registered for this hugely popular event, please visit www.rncm.ac.uk for booking details. This year's programme includes workshops, masterclasses and performances featuring John Harle, Julian Arguelles and Rob Buckland.

About the Royal Northern College of Music Saxophone Day

This year, the 11th RNCM Saxophone Day, we have another action packed day of concerts, masterclasses and workshops for saxophonists of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, covering a wide variety of saxophonic styles and genres. Special guests this year are all UK artists, celebrating the rich tradition of world class saxophone playing that we have in this country: John Harle joins the RNCM as featured classical guest, and Julian Argüelles makes his first appearance at the event as the featured jazz artist, in a duo with award-winning pianist Kit Downes.

As ever, there will be a comprehensive trade exhibition featuring the world’s leading instrument manufacturers, retailers and publishers, plus a series of creative workshops especially for young beginners.

Venue
The RNCM is located one mile south of Manchester City Centre, in the heart of the Education Quarter, on the corner of Oxford Road and Booth Street West. Oxford Road connects the RNCM by bus to the City Centre and all of Oxford Road, Piccadilly and Victoria train stations.

Les Trois Canards - Launchpad Winners 2011

Les Trois Canards is made up of three postgraduate oboe students from the Royal Northern College of Music. The trio was formed in September 2009 and has already achieved success, having made it to the final of the Woodwind Chamber Music Prize in both 2010 and 2011.

The trio has also taken part in master classes in both Manchester and London. In March it had the opportunity to provide a whole recital programme as part of the Monday Lunchtime concert series at the RNCM.

Les Trois Canards enjoys playing a wide range of music from Baroque to contemporary, as well as discovering some of the lesser known works written for oboe trio. In 2011 they will be recording ‘Intercession’ by James Macmillan to be part of a new CD of woodwind works performed by students at the RNCM.

Dolce Cinque are to Play at The Bridgewater Hall

On Friday 20th May 2011 at 12.30 pm Dolce Cinque are going to play in the foyer (free admission) at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

Award-winning woodwind quintet Dolce Cinque, formed in September 2007 at the Royal Northern College of Music. After playing together for just five months, the quintet won the RNCM Woodwind Chamber Music Competition and Trevor Wye chamber music award.

Dolce Cinque - Emily Berridge (Clarinet), Jo Wilcox (Oboe), Helen Wilson (Flute), Amy Briggs (Bassoon), Kirsty Howe (French Horn)
image: www.dolcecinque.com

Since then the quintet has covered a large and diverse set of repertoire and has performed together in several recitals, always keen to discover new works. Dolce Cinque were asked to premiere new works at the RNCM Chamber Music Festival in 2009 and 2010, and in May 2009 they won the Chris Rowland prize for chamber music performing Poulenc's Sextour for Piano and Winds with Duncan Ward. Most recently, Dolce Cinque have been awarded the June Emerson Launchpad Award.

For more information visit their website: www.dolcecinque.com

Venue Details

The Bridgewater Hall is in the centre of Manchester, easily accessible by public transport and by road.

Metrolink tram passengers should alight at St Peter’s Square. Discounted Metrolink vouchers are available to purchase from the Box Office or online when you buy your concert tickets. The discounted fare is £3.50 adult and £1.50 child; vouchers are valid for unlimited travel from any Metrolink stop after 9.30am.

The nearest bus stops for major routes into the city centre are St Peter’s Square, Portland Street or Deansgate.

The nearest rail stations are Deansgate and Oxford Road.

Coaches can drop off and pick up outside the main entrance on Lower Mosley Street; longer term coach parking is available near Piccadilly Station.

The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS

Event information was taken from www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk