A fabulous brass workshop and concert with Onyx Brass

Our brass players were thrilled to have a masterclass with Onyx Brass when they came to Hazlegrove on Thursday 25 February. Onyx Brass were very impressed with the standard of our boys playing and said that they were playing at a level in advance of five years of their own age! All hail to our wonderful Mr Fawbert and Mr Hewitt who has taught the boys so well.

During the master class, they learnt how to sharpen up their notes by taking out their mouth pieces and blowing through their instruments in time with each other. Just a simple technique, but when they played the same piece again, it was so much sharper and the sound so much cleaner. There were lots of great tips from Onyx Brass and the boys had fun learning how to get the best out of their instruments.

After the master class there was a concert. Onyx Brass played some magnificent numbers including some renaissance and baroque dances, a terrific ‘Rodeo’ by Copland and finished with a lovely jazz arrangement of Gershwin’s ‘They Can’t Take That Away From Me’. The grand finale was when our brass boys came on and played an arrangement of Clarke’s ‘Trumpet Voluntary by John Iveson with Onyx Brass. The sound was glorious and resplendent, it couldn’t have been better. What a wonderful way to end the day.

The musicians have terrific pedigree and, between them, have performed with all the major symphony, opera and ballet orchestras in this country. What an absolute treat for our children, to be up close to such fantastic musicians.

Click here to see the photo album of the Onyx Brass workshop and concert in Flickr

Celebrating its 21st anniversary in 2014, Onyx Brass continues to be the leading light in establishing the brass quintet as a medium for serious chamber music, presenting it in the entertaining and articulate style that has become the group’s trademark.

BBC Music Magazine described the group as “easily the classiest brass ensemble in Britain”, and Gramophone hailed “some of the most thrilling chamber brass-playing of its kind”.

Education is a large part of the remit of Onyx Brass: workshops and master-classes range from Primary School to the Juilliard School. The group is currently resident ensemble of Imperial College, University of London.

During 2014, Onyx Brass toured the country, bringing contemporary brass music to bandstands, parks and public spaces with a project called Tour de Brass! – part of the PRSF New Music Biennial