Friday 19 January was a ‘red letter day’ at Monmouth School, especially within the Music Department, when they welcomed Philip Sparke, one of the most prominent contemporary composers of band music in both Europe and the United States, as Composer in Residence during 2007. 

Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of Monmouth School, he will visit the School throughout the year and has undertaken to write a new work each for the Junior Symphonic Wind Band, Monmouth School Brass and Haberdashers’ Symphonic Winds.  He will conduct the premieres of these new works at the Gala Charity Christmas Concert in December.

Philip Sparke was born in London and studied composition, trumpet and piano at the Royal College of Music, where he gained an ARCM.  It was during his time at the College that he became interested in band music.  He played in the College wind orchestra and also formed a brass band among the students, writing several works for both ensembles.  At that time, his first published works appeared – Concert Prelude for brass band and Gaudium for wind band.  He has written for brass band championships in New Zealand, Switzerland, Holland, Australia and the UK, twice for the National Finals at the Albert Hall, and his test pieces are constantly in use wherever brass bands can be found.  His conducting and adjudicating activities have taken him worldwide, including commissions from Japan and a recording of his music with the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.  In 1996 the US Air Force Band commissioned and recorded Dance Movements, which won the prestigious Sudler Prize in 1997.  In September 2000 he was awarded the Iles Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians for his services to brass bands.  In 2005, Music of the Spheres won the National Band Association/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest. 

It is therefore with great pleasure that we are welcoming Philip to become the Composer in Residence at Monmouth School.

His first visit this weekend provided a workshop for Symphonic Winds in the Music School on Friday, together with workshops in the Blake Theatre on Saturday for Junior Symphonic Winds and Brass Band.  The weekend culminated in him conducting the three bands at a performance in the evening.

David Lawson, Director of Music at Monmouth School said, “The School is delighted to have secured the services of someone with such a high profile, and enormously grateful to the Friends of Monmouth School for making it possible.  We are all very excited at the prospect of having new works written especially for our musicians, by a composer whose music is so regularly performed around the world”.

Blake Theatre, Tuesday 4th December 2007

The audience at Monmouth School’s Gala Charity Christmas Concert and Première ended an evening of fantastic performances with a standing ovation for Philip Sparke, the School’s Composer in Residence for 2007.

Director of Music at Monmouth School, David Lawson, says “It is very rare to get a standing ovation; it was a truly outstanding evening. Our Composer in Residence, Philip Sparke, has exceeded all expectations with his new compositions and coaching our musicians to such a high standard. The concert also raised a very generous amount of money for our deserving charities.”

Click here to visit the website of Philip Sparke.