James Sear

Championship Level Brass Banding I have been principal percussionist with Redbridge Brass for over 20 years. During this time we have had a lot of success at Contests, playing test pieces written to be at the cutting edge of technique and musicality. We regularly appear at the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Parks and on BBC Radio. We supported Hot Chip at the Brixton Academy and at Glastonbury and we have provided music for many prestigious events such as an England rugby international, the opening of the Broadgate Centre by the Queen, the opening of Canary Warf and the Olympic Torch Relay. We have also been involved in film and television work such as The One Show and Les Miserables. Lately we appeared alongside British Sea Power for their Sea of Brass performance at the Barbican and on BBC 6 Music. The Committed I am the drummer and Musical Director for The Committed, a Colchester based Commitments tribute band. This is a 10 piece soul band that aims to be the most authentic and representative to the sound and spirit of the film. It is my responsibility to achieve this by creating the arrangements and organising and rehearsing the personnel. The band has played all over the UK and Ireland, appearing at The Big Tribute festival in Wales and at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival where we headlined at the main Festival venue. Brides of Rain I am the drummer for Brides of Rain, a Kent based band that combines elements of alternative rock, heavy metal, post punk and ethnic fusion. The band was established in the Spring of 2011 and has gained a formidable reputation in the local music scene wining a competition for up and coming acts, headlining at the Sweeps Festival in Rochester and appearing at the Broadstairs Folk Week. General Playing As a jobbing Musician I have played with Symphony Orchestras, Jazz Orchestras, Big Bands, Dixieland Bands, Jazz Combos, Brass and Military Bands, Theatre Pit bands, Irish Ceilidh bands, Percussion Ensembles, Samba Bands and for Cabaret artistes. I have also worked in the club circuit with a rock n roll covers band. Musical Direction I have been Musical Director for many Amateur Dramatic companies putting on shows such as Brigadoon, Camelot, Fame, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Kiss Me Kate, High Society, Orpheus in the Underworld, Little Shop of Horrors and Carousel. I have also directed Jazz Orchestras, Samba Bands and Percussion Ensembles, Military Bands and Brass Bands. My latest project was “An Island Story”, a musical play commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Homecoming of the exiled population of Alderney in the Channel Islands. I had to transcribe all the songs from vocal tapes, MIDI files and visits with the author, create all the orchestral and rehearsal parts and then pull everything together during show week.