Chris Gumbley
Saxaphone
The Avesta Saxaphone Quartet
Naomi Sullivan
(Head of Saxaphone) with
The Birmingham Conservatoire Saxaphone Ensemble
18th November 2017
7.30pm
PROGRAMME
The Avesta Saxaphone Quartet
LEAMINGTON MUSIC PRIZE WINNERS FOR 2017
Josh Dean soprano, Louis Stanhope alto
Isobel Matthews tenor, Cameron Woodhead baritone
The winners of the 2017 Leamington Music Prize in a varied programme showing off the saxophone family.
Classic French works for saxophone, tango and some new sounds plus a Howard Skempton premiere.
Music from the Renaisance to today
Gabrieli
Mozart
Copland
Piazolla Gumbley
Lennon and McCartney
Sulzmann
Chris Gumbley
Chris Gumbley studied clarinet, piano and composition at Huddersfield School of Music before pursuing a freelance career in music.
He started off doing various casual jobs. These were often jobs he was ill-equipped for, and included stacking the shelves at Kwik Save supermarket, labouring on a building site, and strawberry picking.
However, he was lucky enough to get offered a teaching post at Stoke-on-Trent College almost straight away, which he did for around 13 years, and a residency playing saxophone in a function band ironically called the New Sound, which he could only stand for two years.
The recently-formed Fascinating Rhythm features new and exciting arrangements of American Songbook classics. The quartet, which includes Sara Colman (vocals), Ben Markland (bass) and Al Gurr (piano), has had success in introducing jazz to new audiences.
Naomi Sullivan
Head of Saxophone
Birmingham Conservatoire
Naomi Sullivan studied at Chetham’s School of Music, the Royal College of Music and Northwestern University, Chicago. She has performed across the UK as part of the Countess of Muster Recital Scheme and also for ‘Live Music Now!’ As a chamber musician, Naomi has been a member of a several groups – including Paragon Saxophone Quartet, Zephirus Quartet and she is currently performing with Flotilla and Syzygy.Naomi also performs as part of an international saxophone duo with Masahito Sugihara, which provides opportunity to travel across the USA and Europe giving masterclasses and saxophone duo recitals.
As an orchestral musician, Naomi has worked a number of UK orchestras including Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, Piccadilly Dance Orchestra, The Opera Group, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Music Theatre Wales. She has also played for musical theatre tours including ‘Wonderful Town’ and ‘Chicago’.
In September 2007 Naomi started teaching at Birmingham Conservatoire and has been Head of Saxophone since 2008. She has given masterclasses in a number of institutes including the Royal College of Music, Trinity College of Music, Chetham's School of Music, the Royal Conservatoires of Antwerp and Brussels and Ferrara. She was Musical Director of the 2007 London Saxophone Festival and Artistic Director the 2015 Birmingham Conservatoire Saxophone Day. She has taught at the Purcell School, City of London School, Hindhead Summer Course, and for various saxophone days across the UK.
Writing
Chris studied composition with Richard Steinitz at Huddersfield School of Music and his composition Chorale and Variations for Saxophone Quartet was written for his final degree recital in 1979.
Following a dormant spell, he started writing again in the mid 1990s during his time with Saxtet. Since then, Boosey & Hawkes, Saxtet Publications, Spartan Press and Brasswind Publications have all published his music, much of which has found its way onto national exam syllabuses. Cool School and 15 Crazy Jazz Studies have been the most successful books so far.
Chris’s writing is born out of a jazz mentality, which manifests itself in the seemingly unending desire to tamper with what’s gone before. The music itself has a certain immediacy, with its keen melodic sense and quirky jazz-based rhythms and harmonic twists leading others to describe it as having strong ‘muso appeal’.
This concert is kindly sponsored by Waitrose
