Lomond Music

Lomond Music was founded as a partnership in 1982, with assistance from Levenmouth Enterprise Trust, to publish quality music particularly for school brass and wind bands.

Bruce Fraser is the composer and his wife, Pat, deals with administration.

As the popularity of the titles, Lomond Music expanded into Classroom Ensemble titles with the Concepts Series for GCSE and Standard Grade/Intermediate courses. Quickstep Music, featuring the music of Jean Allison, became part of Lomond Music, and Quickstep titles are in use in many classrooms thoughout the UK.

The most popular titles are for Junior Bands all over the world, but Lomond titles will be found in bandroom libraries of Brass and Wind Bands worldwide.

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.

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.

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.

Bruce was at the Scottish Concert Band Festival where there were terrific performances by all finalist bands. Regional heats begin again in November. Look at the scottish Concert Band Festival site. Also Bruce went to the Fife Wind Band Festival day where 435 youngsters performed his YOUNG WIZARDS conducted by Major Andy Thornhill of the Royal Marines.

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.

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

Bruce has written an article for the Scottish Concert Band Festival website on "How to commission works for concert band". Read the article at www.scottishconcertbandfestival.com. Bruce compered the SCOTTISH CONCERT BAND FESTIVAL at RSAMD in Glasgow on Sunday 21st March.

"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.

Customers have been asking about buying pieces as pdf files, so we are looking into providing this service. 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.

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. Photo is of Bruce with Ray Gillis and John Garfield at the concert. 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.

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

Bruce Fraser’s music is also published by many publishers worldwide – Studio Music, G&M Brand Publications, Musilverlag Frank (Switzerland), Obrasso Verlag (Switzerland), Kirklees Music, Fortune Music, Chester Music, Bandleader Publications, Gobelin Music (Holland), Difem (Switzerland), Edition Wicky (Italy) and TRN (USA).

Lomond Music titles are available from Mostyn Music and Just Music as well as your favourite music retailer, and, of course, online from www.lomondmusic.com

Bruce Fraser has established a reputation as a multi-faceted composer with Lomond Music's range of titles for young brass and wind bands, test pieces at most levels and a range of arrangements for the Swiss publishers – Obrasso, Difem and Musikverlag Frank. He has also a vast number of titles for wind band published mainly by G&M Brand, Studio Music, Edition Wicky, TRN and Gobelin Music. He has composed many commissions for a variety of groups, including a Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra for John Wallace and the Fife Youth Orchestra, SUN for BBC Young Brass player Katrina Marzella, a Tuba Concerto for James Gourlay and a recent work for Adam Frey premiered in USA.

As a conductor he has been conducting brass bands, choirs and wind bands for over thirty years. He is currently Musical Director of Cupar Choral Society - www.cuparchoral.org.uk As an adjudicator he has appeared at many Music Festivals, Brass Band Competitions and Wind Band Festivals throughout the UK and Europe.

He took early retirement as Head of Music at Buckhaven High School in 2007 and is developing his career as a composer, conductor and adjudicator. His Brass band work IMPERIUM was selected as the Third Section National Test Piece at Harrogate in September 2007. Bruce was delighted that ALTA VISTA was selected as the Fourth Section National Test Piece at Harrogate in September 2009. Congratulations to the winning band - St. Breward. His work, HELLAS for Trombone and Piano was the set piece for the British Trombone Society competition for young players, won by Hayley McConnell of Durham, and he was commissioned to write TWIN SLIDES for Brett Baker of the famous Black Dyke Mills Band. (both of these titles available from Studio Music)

The Tuba Concerto for James Gourlay has been performed in several countries in Europe and US, the premiere by The Brighouse and Rastrick Band, conducted by Alan Morrison. The concerto exists in various accompaniments – Brass Band, Concert Band, 10 piece brass ensemble, Orchestra and Piano, which are available from Studio Music, London. The Concert Band version was recorded in September and was released on the Polyphonic label in December.