Scottish virtuoso tuba soloist James Gourlay will headline the Oakland University Department of Music, Theatre & Dance Festival of Brass, held Saturday, October 18, 2008. This day long event is geared for brass players of all ages and ability levels from middle school to college level students and amateurs. The festival will culminate with an evening concert.
With an impressive list of solo tuba recordings, James Gourlay has taught at the Royal Northern College of Music
of Manchester, England and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in
Glasgow, Scotland. In addition, he is in demand throughout Europe as a
leading conductor of brass bands and wind bands.
The day begins at 10:30 am, with clinics presented by Oakland’s brass faculty, including members of the Detroit Symphony and Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestras. In addition, Mr. Gourlay will present a special clinic and masterclass. The Festival of Brass Gala concert at 8 pm will feature Mr. Gourlay as tuba soloist and guest conductor of the Capital City Brass Band. The concert will feature of a newly composed Tuba Concerto written specifically for Mr. Gourlay by Bruce Fraser. He will also perform Celestial Morn by Salvation Army composer, Leslie Condon. Also performing will
be the OU Brass Ensemble.
Later in the concert Mr. Gourlay will take up the baton to conduct British composer, Edward Gregson’s "Variations on Laudate Dominum" for brass band. Other highlights of the program include John Williams’ "Olympic Fanfare and Theme", Cole Porter’s "It’s Alright With Me," featuring the band’s trombone section. The performance will conclude performance with Ottorino Respighi’s climatic “Pines of Appian Way” from "The Pines of Rome". These, as well as other selections, will be conducted by the Capital City Brass Band’s music director, Kenneth Kroesche, who also serves as the professor of low brass at Oakland University and is the festival’s artistic director.
Kroesche said “this year’s festival offers students and the public an incredible opportunity to hear one of the finest tuba soloists in the world today. We believe this will be an event people will talk about for years to come.”
The registration for the festival begins at 10:00 am runs throughout the day. The cost for student participants is $10 and includes a complimentary ticket to the evening’s Gala Concert. Adult brass enthusiasts may register at a cost of $20 which includes the day’s events and the final concert.
Tickets for the Festival of Brass Gala Concert are also available to the public. General admission tickets are $16 and student tickets are $8. The Gala Concert will take place in the Varner Recital Hall at Oakland University. All events for Festival of Brass will also take place in Varner Hall throughout the day.
For more information about participating in the Festival of Brass, please call at 248-370-4303. For concert ticket information, please call 248-370-3013.
