Congratulations to Samantha Cockburn who won our 'LOMOND MUSIC SHIELD' with her lovely singing last week at the 'Fife Festival of Music'

NEW!! CHORAL CHRISTMAS is a new series of 16 titles for young choirs by Jean Allison and Bruce Fraser. Each title has three versions - Voice with piano, SA with piano and SSA with piano. They sell at one price - £1.50. Please contact by phone or email to order/inspection copy. The series is not on the website yet.

Titles - AND THE SNOWFLAKES FELL, BELLS RING OUT, CHILD IN THE MANGER, CHRISTMAS BELLS, CHRISTMAS IS WITH US, COOL !, HAPPY CHRISTMAS SONG, HOW FAR IS IT TO BETHLEHEM, LITTLE WALTZ CAROL, MESSAGES OF PEACE, PRESENTS, RAGTIME BLUES CAROL, REJOICE AND BE MERRY, RISE UP SHEPHERD AND FOLLER, SILVER STAR, THE CHRIST CHILD IS BORN.

 **OFFERING A NEW SERVICE - COMPOSITION LESSONS ON-LINE** Especially for anyone composing for Brass Band or Concert Band, or just looking for some general guidance. Lessons can be given via email or Skype. Assessment of your work or help with scoring, tailored to your needs. Bruce has been composing for many years and is pleased to offer consultation. Contact by email via website for more information and rates.

Wonderful experience on mid summer day when I joined a team of judges in Atlanta, Georgia, including Matt van Emmerick via Skype. My FANTASY for Euphonium was the set work and it was great to hear such fine performances. This was part of the IEI Conference organised by Adam Frey.

Just returned from Whit Friday weekend, where Musik Frohsinn Oberburg band from Switzerland were playing my new BRIT POP MEDLEY and Euphonium Duet TWINKLE TWINKLE. Photo below shows Markus and Marco with Bruce after the concert.

Just back from a little concert tour to the town of REZZATO in Italy where Bruce conducted a concert entirely of his music on 22nd April, including the World Premiere of LE STRADE DI REZZATO, published by Wicky Music, Milan. It was a fabulous trip and the friendship and hospitality was excellent. The Banda Comunale Rezzato is a 50 piece wind band and has a really exciting development plan.

On 13th April, LIVINGSTON TRIBUTE composed by Bruce will receive its World Premiere performance. The work was commissioned by Graham Hope, Chief Executive of West Lothian Council, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the town. This is a significant commission to be performed by West Lothiam Youth Wind Ensemble, Toccata ladies choir and the West Lothian Youth Pipe Band, all conducted by Camille Mason. The three movement work is based around the Burns song "The Bonnie Lass O' Livingston". The work has already been recorded and CDs will be available from the 13th April.

The winner of the LOMOND MUSIC SHIELD at the Fife Festival of Music was Amy Wallace. (seen here with the shield). Congratulations Amy!!

Bruce has just returned from a very pleasant weekend adjudicating at the French Brass Band Championships in Amiens. The jury president was Luc Vertommen and the other judge was Philippe Wendling. It was a pleasure to work with them. It was also really good to hear the emerging development of the French brass Band scene. Although small numbers, they have all 5 sections and the top section was an ear opener with extremely high quality performances. Paris Brass Band were the champions and will go on to the Europeans next year.

Bruce's latest commission is for the Midlothian Community Concert Band which celebrates its first anninversary on 17th November in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, with the World Premiere of BLACK DIAMOND OVERTURE commissioned by Midlothian Council.

Bruce was working on the Jury at the Marenco International Composition Competition recently. Here he is with the rest of the Jury - Manuel Ruiz Gomez, Patrizia Orsini (Competition Director), Laszlo dubrovay, Fulvio Creux, Maurizio Billi, Axel Ruoth, Thomas Fraschillo and Bruce.

Bruce and Pat were in Holland recently visiting Joop Boerstoel in Vorden. Bruce has written a SONGS OF BRITAIN for young choir and concert band specially for the Vorden Festival in September and attended a rehearsal with Joop conducting. Joop took Bruce and Pat to some of the bands he conducts. It was a wonderful visit and we were looked after splendidly by Joop's wife Symone.

Lomond Music sponsored a class in the Fife Festival of Music and here is Natalie O'Reilly with the shield which she won in the Scots Song Class.

Young trombone player, Hayley O'Connelly plays Bruce's work HELLAS with Reg Vardy Band. Hayley won the Young Trombone Player competition run by the British Trombone Society with HELLAS as the test piece. It is published by Studio Music.

THE NEW FLEXI ENSEMBLE SERIES

Titles from the Band series in a brand new format. There are five parts (with a vast array of transposed parts available) plus 2 Percussion, Bass Guitar and Keyboard parts. Suitable for all sorts of ensembles. (Scroll to bottom for more details)

Bruce was commissioned recently to arrange the song A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN BERKELEY SQUARE for Mandy Miller, conductor of Dunfermline Choral Union, to celebrate her 50th birthday. Due to his own choral commitment Bruce, was not able to be at the presentation, but had a few "secret" rehearsals with the choir to prepare for the event.

 Bruce and Pat visited the band room of the Epsom and Ewell Silver Band recently. The band are celebrating their Centenary and commissioned Bruce to compose a new march titled EPSOM DOWNS. The photograph shows Bruce presenting the score to conductor Ted Howard. Bruce used the local folk song OFF TO THE EPSOM RACES as the basis for the Trio section of the march.

Just returned from Laura Jackson's Brass Summer School in Durham. Great youngsters and good to work again with Tina Mortimer, Keith Norris and David McKeague, who did a great job with the percussion players.

Bruce and Pat have just returned from yet another cruise, this time in the Ionian Sea sailing the coast line from Venice down to Dubrovnik. Followed by a week in Corfu. Laura Boyle's Summer School in Durham coming soon.

You can now find more of Bruce Fraser's music at www.sibeliusmusic.com and at www.myscorestore.com, where there is a variety of titles which never found their way into publishing catalogues.

Bruce and Pat were in France in March, where Bruce was working with Brass Band Oceane and Brass Band en Seine, conductor Pascal Piedefer, trumpet player and teacher at the Le Havre Conservatory of Music. The culmination was a joint concert with the two bands and a great audience.

Bruce has just discovered that he is number 49 in the top 100 Famous Cultural Fifers along with musicians like John Wallace and Jim Gourlay.

Home of great music for Junior Bands, Brass Bands, Wind Bands, Concert Bands and Classroom Ensembles. Most of the titles are by Lomond Music's main composer Bruce Fraser.

"It is a great pleasure to be able to review music for younger players, without whom the band world has no future" British Bandsman September reviews of LOMOND HILLS OVERTURE, FILE UNDER POP and MARCH - CITY LIMITS.

Bruce and Pat were on the Isle of Man working with the Neptune Street Nippers in Ramsey for a very succesful concert recently. Most of the titles were from the Lomond Music catalogue. See www.ramseytownband.com news section.

Bruce has been in Manchester for the recording session of his Tuba Concerto with Jim Gourlay and the RNCM Wind Orchestra, conducted by Mark Heron. What a great orchestra and the recording is superb.

Customers have been asking about buying pieces as pdf files, so we are looking into providing this service soon. To test the water for interest, use the Contact Us section to request pdf versions of our titles and these will be emailed with invoice.

Listen to Bruce's Tuba Concerto played by Jim Gourlay and the Brighouse and Rastrick Band conducted by Alan Morrison at http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DO1NB599

Here is Bruce in Harrogate with the winning conductor, Kevin McKenzie, of the 4th Section National Finals where 19 bands competed playing his test piece ALTA VISTA on Saturday 26th September.

Please visit our online shop to browse our titles and buy your music. You can try out pages of our music by visiting our Play a Page section or download directly when browsing the music in our shop.

You can also listen to some of our titles. Visit our Listen sections to listen to the brass band, wind band and classroom pieces being played. If you have a recording of a Lomond Music title, send it to us and we will add it to the LISTEN section crediting your performance. Most of the titles are computer generated (CG) and it would be good to have live recordings.

Quickstep Music is part of Lomond Music and features the wonderful classroom works of Jean Allison. Also titles from Jan Millar and James O'Malley.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

LOMOND MUSIC FLEXI ENSEMBLE

This series provides a flexible alternative to the Brass and Wind Band titles in Lomond Music catalogues.  If you do not have the instrumentation for either the Brass or Wind Band titles, try this series, which should give you great sounds with a flexible choice of instruments to suit you.