The Wallace Collection was invited to perform a concert at the Nottingham Playhouse on 23 September 2016, launching the Autumn Lunchtime Concert Season arranged by Derek Williams. The visit also gave the ensemble an opportunity to run educational sessions – the first being an edu-concert for students at Trent College; the second a brass workshop with members of the brass section from the Nottingham Youth Orchestras.
Trent College Edu-Concert
The first performance was an educational concert for students at Trent College. Performing in the college’s chapel, the concert enabled the group to introduce and present the trombone, chatting about its development and demonstrating a variety of instruments from the trombone family through a short recital. This topic coordinated with the college’s own activities at the time, in promoting the trombone within their music department. The student audience were encouraged to interact with the group and asked lots of valid questions.
Nottingham Youth Orchestras – Workshop
The second educational visit started with a short recital to all three of the Nottingham Youth orchestras – approximately 150 young musicians. Whilst the other members left for their own rehearsals, the brass sections from each of the orchestras were then brought together for an interactive workshop session. The Wallace Collection ran the workshop as a Come and Play session, introducing and developing improvisational skills, honing creativity through group collaboration and building upon the fundamentals of playing a brass instrument. The workshop concluded with a short outcome performance with all the participants performing their respective pieces to their peers.
The Nottingham Playhouse – Lunchtime Concert
The lunchtime concert at the Nottingham Playhouse offered the ensemble an unusual setting, as the group rehearsed and performed amidst the scenery of a play which was in production that same week.
The short lunchtime concert offered the audience a whirlwind programme spanning from 19th century ‘brass classics’ through to more recent works of the 20th century:
- Quintet No 1 – Malcolm Arnold
- Quintet No 1 – Jean Francois Bellon (played on period instruments)
- O Ruddier than the Cherry – Handel (featuring Anthony George on ophicleide)
- The Golden Section – Jim Parker
