Welsh musicians from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) have travelled to Canada to perform as guest artists in the 35th Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.
The week-long event (1-8 July) features acrobatic acts, contemporary dancing, videos and music performances for more than 60,000 people, as well as an international television audience.
Performing at the Tattoo, the Royal Welsh College Brass Band will join the new North American Brass Band Summer School Band, as well as a selection of leading international military bands.
The international cast for 2014 features leading performers from Canada, Denmark, Germany, Russia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Dr Robert Childs, of the RWCMD, said: “Since we introduced the Brass Band pathway into the BMus (Hons) degree course ten years ago, the Royal Welsh College Brass Band has grown in strength and ability year-on-year.
“We’ve performed at a number of prestigious events and recently gave a stunning concert in London’s Regent Hall. However, when the invitation to play in Canada’s longest established and most famous Tattoo arrived in my email box in March I was absolutely flabbergasted!”
Euphonium soloist David Childs will feature as a soloist at the Tattoo and perform together with the RWCMD Brass Band as guest soloist. He is also a tutor at the Summer School.
In keeping with the musical requirements of the brass bands’ inclusion, the event organisers have commissioned fifteen new brass band arrangements from principal arranger major Denis Burton, director of music for the United Kingdom’s Band of the Royal Welsh, for this year’s show.
“I’m delighted that the RWCMD Brass Band will participate in this year’s show,” said Tattoo artistic director, Colonel Ian Fraser.
“They’ll be a fantastic addition to the Tattoo and their participation a great boost as we now establish our brass band summer school together with Dr Childs and the Buffet Group. The Summer School will allow us the opportunity to offer brass musicians from across the world the opportunity to gather here in Nova Scotia annually, participate in the show, and illustrate to tens of thousands of Canadian and visiting audiences exactly the incredible level of performance that brass bands worldwide have achieved”.
The invitation for the RWCMD Brass Band to perform as part of the cast of over 2,000 international performers was revealed at the official media launch at the 10,000 seat Metro Centre in Nova Scotia’s capital, Halifax.
Further information on the 2014 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, including the full cast, can be found at www.nstattoo.ca.
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