_______________________________________________________ The Wessex Brass Quintet _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________ THE WESSEX BRASS QUINTET (WBQ) was co-founded by five local brass instrumentalists & teachers for a one-off concert at The Melksham Festival in July 1989. The group enjoyed themselves so much that they decided to meet regularly to give brass chamber concerts and to share instrumental music teaching ideas. WBQ is co-directed by Tim Norris and Timothy Warren. WBQ has performed at venues across the South of England including Winchester and Portsmouth Cathedrals, Romsey, Beaulieu and Malmesbury Abbeys, Christchurch Priory, New Hall at Winchester College, Milfield, Canford and other public schools, Portsmouth Guildhall, The Winter Gardens, Bournemouth and at The Turner Sims Concert Hall, University of Southampton. WBQ has been featured on BBC Radio and in July 1993 was invited to play live on CLASSIC FM's "Friday Live". In addition to these prestigious engagements, WBQ has a busy schedule of recitals in towns and villages across Southern England, bringing brass chamber music to the wider community. WBQ is committed to working with Schools, Colleges and Universities and has been delighted to have given masterclasses and workshops across the Wessex region. The group thoroughly enjoys meeting and sharing its musical ideas and skills with younger brass players and is happy to work within music departments assisting to form new bands or ensembles. Since 1997, in association with The Winchester Music School, based at The University of Winchester, WBQ has been Ensemble in Residence and has performed in partnership with Foundation Music, under the direction of The Rev'd Prof. June Boyce-Tillman at The University of Winchester. WBQ has played for leading business and leisure companies including Marks and Spencer, House of Fraser, BMW, Rover, Honda and Time Warner Leisure. WBQ has provided the music for dinners, weddings, product launches, exhibitions and conferences at leading venues such as The Southampton Hilton, Bournemouth International Centre and The Winchester Guildhall. WBQ has produced numerous recordings on the Pine Studios label, in association with Belgarum Music Publishing. WBQ has been very fortunate to have had numerous pieces of music written for them, including works by June Boyce-Tillman, Norman Durrant, Calum Gray, David Hill and Ernest Piper. Members and friends of WBQ frequently arrange pieces for WBQ including pieces for organ and brass, voices and brass and solos. One such piece was performed at The Royal Hampshire County Hospital in the presence of HRH The Duke of Kent for the opening of the new MRI scanner. As part of the Millennium 2000 celebrations, WBQ took part in a Watchnight Service on New Year’s Eve, broadcast live from Winchester Cathedral on BBC Radio. In June 2000 WBQ was invited to provide music at the memorial service to Lord Coggan, former Archbishop of Canterbury, in Winchester Cathedral. The service was attended by representatives of the Royal Family, the Government and leaders of all the Christian denominations and other world religions. Since 2000 the WBQ have played for the induction and installation of Lord West, former First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, as the first Chancellor of Southampton Solent University at Southampton Guildhall and Mrs Mary Fagan, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire as first Chancellor of The University of Winchester. WBQ has been awarded grants funded by the National Lottery through Awards for All for community music and music education programmes. WBQ's mission is to create a significant musical contribution to the cultural life of the Wessex region, providing its members and audiences with opportunities for musical growth through creative direction, excellence in performance and educational outreach. For further information please contact either: Timothy Warren (co-director) Tel: 023 8084 7639/07979 304468 Email: Timothy.warren@btopenworld.com or Tim Norris (co-director) The Winchester Music School The University of Winchester West Hill Winchester Hampshire SO22 4NR Tel: 07803 108265 Email: Tim.Norris@winchester.ac.uk See Contact Page