interviews

RESOURCES

Podcasts of these interviews will be available for download from this site soon.
You can hear the whole show and selected interviews from the schedule page.
Here are just some of out interviewees;

Denis Wick

Denis Wick Full biography at DenisWick.com.
Denis Wick has had for many years an international reputation as trombonist, brass teacher and conductor. Having studied in London at the Royal Academy of Music, his first professional appointment was in the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra as the second trombonist. He became principal trombonist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 1952, leaving in 1957 to join the London Symphony Orchestra, also as principal trombonist, and remained there until his retirement in 1988. During his time with the London Symphony, which eventually became the longest tenure of a principal chair in the history of the orchestra, he played under many of the world's greatest conductors.

Ian Bousfield

Ian Bousfield Full biography in Wikipedia.
Ian Bousfield is Principal Trombone with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, having formerly held the same positions with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Hallé Orchestra.
Like many of England's top brass players, Ian's playing flourished quickly in the brass band scene, having been principal trombonist in the National Youth Brass Band at age 13, and for four years, principal with the Yorkshire Imperial Band, during which time they won the British, National and Yorkshire championships.

Dennis Rollins

Dennis Rollins Full biography at Dennis Rollins.com.
Acclaimed musician, composer, educator and funkster extrordinaire Dennis is well-known on the British and international jazz scene and is celebrated for his virtuosity, versatility and unique approach to the underrated trombone.
He has established a reputation as an artist of excellence who is comfortable performing in many styles. This has resulted in his working with some of the world's top jazz and pop personalities such as Jamiroquai, Courtney Pine, and Blur, Maceo Parker to name a few. Dennis has recorded 3 critically acclaimed albums to date (Badbone, Make Your Move, Big Night Out) promoting his funk band, Badbone & Co. An Ambassador of the National Foundation for Youth Music's 'endangered species' programme to boost youth interest in instruments such as the trombone, French Horn, the double bass, tuba and oboe, Dennis is also on the Board of Advisors of the British Trombone Society. In addition to his work in performance Dennis is a gifted educator who is renowned for his unique and highly effective approach to music education.

Chris Houlding

Chris Houlding Full biography at Brass Solutions.
Chris was appointed Principal Trombone of the Orchestra of Opera North, Britain's newest and most innovative opera company, when he was 21. Since then he has appeared as Guest Principal with most major UK ensembles including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London Brass, London Symphony Brass and the Symphonic Brass of London.
He is Senior Tutor in Brass at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music, regular Trombone Professor with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and has coached the European Union Youth Orchestra and Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. He gives recitals and masterclasses throughout the UK and Europe and has appeared has appeared regularly at the Joseph Alessi Summer Seminar, Juilliard, Eastman and Boston University in the USA.

Sheila Tracy

Sheila Tracy Sheila studied Piano, Violin and Trombone at the Royal Academy of Music before joining Ivy Bensons All Girls Band.
She joined BBC Television as an announcer and worked mostly in television until the mid 70's when she devised and presented the "Truckers Hour" and has introduced "Big Band Special" since it's inception in 1979. In 1992 she presented the Band on it's concert tour of America. She was also a regular contributor to Radio 4's “Breakaway”
“Bands, Booze and Broads”, a collection of her interviews with the American sidemen who played with the top bands in the 30's, 40's and 50's, was published in 1995 and is now available in paperback. Her follow up on British bands of the same era, “Talking Swing”, was published in 1997, the year in which she was made a Freeman of the City of London and an A.R.A.M. She is a former President of the British Trombone Society.

Simon Wills

Simon Wills Full biography at Endymion. Simon Wills began his musical life as a lute player but his ambitions were ended by a serious hand injury, following which he took up the trombone. He originally intended an academic career, but a chance meeting while working in Italy one summer led to his becoming principal trombonist of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. From there he moved to the London Symphony Orchestra.
He left the LSO in 1991 to be principal trombonist of The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, a position he held until 1997. He now divides his time between composing and playing: he is a regular guest player in the London orchestras and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He recently broadcast the Michael Haydn concerto for Sudwestrundfunk and the Berio Sequenza V on BBC Radio3. In June 2004 he gave the first performance of Judas Mercator.

Bob Hughes

Bob Hughes Bob Hughes has nearly thirty years' experience as a bass trombonist in many of the UK's finest orchestras. After studying with Harold Nash at the Royal Academy of Music, he joined the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in 1978. He left three years later to join the Scottish National Orchestra. During this time the SNO made many acclaimed recordings with conductor Neemi Järvi.
In 2006 he left the LSO to focus on his teaching and conducting commitments. In addition to teaching bass trombone at the Royal Academy of Music, he is also the Director of the RAM trombone choir. In 2005 he joined the Birmingham ConservatoireYour browser may not support display of this image. as bass trombone teacher. In 2006 he accepted the invitation to become President of the British Trombone Society.

Andy Berryman

Andy Berryman Andy is the Principal Trombonist of The Hallé Orchestra. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and was a member of the Ulster Orchestra before joining the Hallé in 1988.
He is in great demand as a player and teacher and has played with most of the country's orchestras and brass groups both in the trombone section and as soloist. He teaches at the Royal Northern College of Music, and has held clinics at the Julliard and Manhattan School of Music in New York. He is a member of Hallé Brass, and he has also been known to wield a conductors baton.