Brad
Edmondson
Even at the
age of 10, when Manchester-born guitarist Brad Edmondson began playing, he knew
it was something he would want to do for the rest of his life. But it wasn't
until the end of high school that he realised he could make a living from it.
That was when his exposure to jazz and jazz/rock fusion took his playing to
another level. After a few years as a freelance guitar tutor he enrolled at the
prestigious Royal Northern College of Music on the flagship session musician
foundation degree course. It is here that Brad is refining his unique style
before completing his studies at Leeds College of Music. His own eclectic
musical taste ranges from rock, blues and jazz/fusion to Latin and reggae.
THE DJEMBE ENSEMBLE
The Djembe Ensemble gives Royal Northern College of Music staff, students and graduates a unique chance to celebrate the musical spirit of West African rhythm, song and dance. A series of project workshops by Drumroots, one of the UK's most dynamic music collectives, focuses on traditional djembe and dundun drumming and percussive instruments to provide a springboard for learning that leads to authentic and energising live performances. The Djembe Ensemble will perform today with world class drum master Iya Sako from Guinea, members of Manchester-based drum troupe Tanante, and the awe-inspiring high energy dancing of Ibrahima and Diene Sagna from Senegal.
THE
RNCM Gospel Choir
Director -
Audrey Mattis; pianist -
Formed in
2006, the RNCM Gospel Choir initially began as a series of workshops for
students, graduates and staff of the Royal Northern College of Music. Under the
inspiring leadership of Audrey Mattis, the choir continues to go from strength
to strength and performs regularly at the RNCM and throughout the Manchester
area with one of many highlights being their performance at the 2007
Manchester International Festival. The choir, which strives to achieve an
authentic sound through a mixture of Gospel standards and modern classics, also
featured in a recent BBC Radio 4 play.
The D'Avanzo Quartet
Formed in
September 2008 at the Royal Northern College of Music, the D'Avanzo Quartet - violinists Lucia D'Avanzo and Lynette Bowring, viola playerTegen McGrahan and cellist Tom
Bayman have explored a large variety of repertoire including works by Brahms,
Haydn and Ernst Křenek. The quartet has performed for many of the RNCM's
prestigious chamber music prizes as well as playing regularly at weddings and
corporate events - often in collaboration with other musicians. Having recently
played Samuel Barber's Dover Beach
for voice and string quartet and Steve Reich's Eight Lines for double quartet, two flutes, two clarinets and two
pianos, at the RNCM, future projects include performances of Maurice Ravel's Introduction and Allegro for harp,
flute, clarinet and string quartet and Max Bruch's String Octet.
Feldspar
This unique four-piece acoustic band write and perform original songs with a folk-inspired sound. The original duo Will Green and Ben Lloyd-Evans twice played alongside the legendary Vin Garbutt, supported Lau and Jon Strong and played regular gigs in London, packing out the renowned 12 Bar Club in Soho many times and delivering memorable performances at Green Note, The Edinburgh Cellars, Mass, The Proud Galleries and 23 Romilly Street. Now with Ben Cashell's beautiful and inventive cello playing and Rob Cope's formidable ability on soprano sax Feldspar delivers a unique award-winning combination of instruments to match their astute lyrics and intelligent harmonies.Their 10-track studio album Bright Day, recorded in Stockport, showcases their impressively rich musicianship.
BOOTH STREET WEST
The Booth Street West jazz sextet is made up of musicians trained at the Royal Northern College of Music and several also trained on the prestigious postgraduate courses at the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College of Music. They have performed at the inaugural Manchester International Festival, the Imperial War Museum and provided music for a Granada Television film. The band has performed alongside Stan Sulzmann, Norma Winstone, Tim Garland, Digby Fairweather, Dennis Rollins, Jacqui Dankworth and Sir John Dankworth. Featuring the breath-taking voice of Stevie Jennings-Adams, Booth Street West has an eclectic repertoire from traditional standards through to original compositions.
All musicians appeared by kind permission of the Royal Northern College of Music.