About Austonley

Concerts, collaborations, weddings, recitals, recordings - One of the North of England's finest brass chamber ensembles - Austonley Brass

3 of 12 photos

Trumpeter

Sheffield

Austonley Brass is a 10-piece brass ensemble based in the North of England that proudly boasts some of the most sought after brass musicians and educators in the north of England. The group is the brainchild of trombonists Garrath Beckwith & James Garlick with the aim of entertaining audiences all over the UK and further afield with excellent brass music played by the best British Brass instrumentalists. There has always been a long standing tradition of high quality British brass playing and Austonley Brass endeavor to continue this British legacy by bringing together great brass players in special collaborations with music festivals, concert societies, concert promoters, choral societies, education establishments and recording companies. The personnel of Austonley Brass are equally at home on the concert platform or in recording studio having performed live and recorded numerous albums, TV shows and radio broadcasts with professional ensembles and artists such: the Hallé Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North, the Remix Ensemble, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Elbow, the Black Dyke Band, Liverpool based rock band The Wombats, Corrine Bailey Rae, Hallé Brass, the Brighouse & Rastrick Band, the Yorkshire Building Society Band, the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, the Andy Prior Big Band, Kate Rusby, Andrea Bocelli & Bryn Terfell, Manchester Camerata, the Northern Sinfonia, Dame Shirley Bassey's Orchestra, the British Philharmonic Orchestra, numerous West End, UK & International Tour Theatre Orchestras and the Royal Variety Performance Orchestra amongst others. This gives you a real sense of the quality that is behind the ethos of Austonley Brass: to entertain audiences to the very highest standards. Our repertoire is varied spanning every musical genre literally from Bach to the Beatles and Handel to Hendrix – we have our own ‘in house’ arrangers but we are always looking to promote new material and musical arrangements. The ensemble are available to perform at any type of event and travel throughout the UK, Europe and further afield on a regular basis. If you would like more information about Austonley Brass or to read testimonials about the group please feel free to visit contact us through the contact / submit enquiry section.

Austonley's Reviews

Since the 10-piece brass ensemble format was originally conceived and developed by Philip Jones in the early 1970’s, the ‘tentet’ has joined the ‘quintet’ to become a well-established form of brass chamber music. Since then many groups have appeared, with varying degrees of success and longevity, and I was intrigued to hear of the formation of a new group – Austonley Brass – under the leadership of Garrath Beckwith and James Garlick. The personnel boasts a host of young players from a wide variety of musical backgrounds, and they aim to carry the torch of brass chamber music to a wide audience nationally, drawing new audiences also through a comprehensive educational programme. Initial impressions are extremely positive; already they have achieved a pleasing homogeneity of sound and ensemble and – most importantly – approach their well-varied repertoire with an intelligence and musicianship which I find very encouraging, and which will doubtless develop further, as they continue to work and mature together as an ensemble. I was very proud to be a founder member of this tradition, and I wish Austonley Brass every success as they take it forward

You absolutely need to hear this group! If you’re a fan of big brass ensembles then this is for you. This a wonderful collection of some of my favourite brass players, making a beautiful and rich sound together. The ensemble exudes the varied and extensive experience of the players, giving a polished, tight and exciting performance. I love it!!

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8th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years

Musicianship

Genres:

Christmas, Traditional church music, Military, Classical, Classical crossover, Contemporary classical, Fanfare, Film / TV music, Musical theatre, Renaissance, EDM, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, 1960s era music, 1980s era music, 1970s era music, 1990s era music, Traditional English folk, Jazz, Swing, Easy listening, Light music, Experimental, Covers, Pop, Contemporary Christian

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Instruments:

Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Tuba, Bass Trombone

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Event types:

Concert, Wedding, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Private event, Corporate event, Charity event, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Birthday party, Christmas party

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Other skills:

Arranger, Composer, Orchestrator, Transcription, Fluent sight-reader, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Composition teaching, Examiner

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