Three premiere recordings of Edward Gregson’s new work for brass band
Rococo Variations have recently been released – one from a live performance, the other two studio recordings.

Co-commissioned as the test piece for the British Open (September 2008) and Norwegian National (February 2009) championships, the work made a huge impact at its premiere performances. It is highly unusual to have three recordings of a new work released within a few weeks of each other, but it is a significant measure of the work’s appeal that this is the case.

The recordings of Rococo Variations are by three of the …

Edward Gregson is to be made an Honorary Doctor of Music at Chester University in a special ceremony on 6 November. The citation for the day is as follows:

Professor Edward Gregson, musician, composer and former Principal of the Royal Northern College of Music, is being presented today for admission to the degree of Doctor of Music, honoris causa, of the University of Chester.

Gregson already holds degrees from the universities of Birmingham City, Lancaster, Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan, and Sunderland (the city of his birth). He also is an honorary Fellow of many of the leading UK conservatoires.…

Edward Gregson has completed a new work for clarinet and piano entitled
‘Tributes’. Each of the five pieces, or Tributes, is dedicated to a composer
known for his contribution to the clarinet repertoire: Poulenc, Finzi,
Stravinsky, Messiaen, and Bartok.

In addition, the composer has dedicated each of the pieces to a clarinettist
with whom he has had musical associations. Two of the pieces are to be
premiered in Portugal next month by one of the dedicatees, Nicholas Cox. The
complete work will be premiered next year by all five clarinettists with
dates and venues to be announced. The other four …

Edward Gregson has been commissioned by two English universities to write new ceremonial brass works for their graduation ceremonies. Anglia Ruskin University has commissioned Ceremonial for brass quintet for their graduation ceremonies this coming Autumn; the commission commemorates the 150th anniversary of John Ruskin’s foundation of the Cambridge School of Art, now part of Anglia Ruskin University.

The other commission is from the recently established University for the Creative Arts which has commissioned Music for an Occasion, also for brass quintet. The first performance took place at a ceremony at Guildford Cathedral in June, with others following over the …