This November BBC Radio 2 is celebrating the 70th birthday of composer Edward Gregson. Gregson met with BBC broadcaster and conductor Frank Renton in October and these interviews will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2’s “Listen To The Band” on Thursday 5 and Thursday 12 November 2015 at 23:30.

Gregson speaks to Frank Renton about his career in music, his passion for music education, and his appointment as Principal at the Royal Northern College of Music. Alongside this he talks about his close relationship with the world-famous ensemble Black Dyke band, his early life in the Salvation Army, as well as his fruitful collaborations with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The RSC not only inspired some of his most famous wind band pieces, but they also gave him a deep insight into a composer’s role in the theatre and in the wider musical world.

Featured works in this programme include Gregson’s march Dalaro – his first published work, Connotations, the Finale of Variations on “Laudate Dominum”, some rarely heard pieces for Cornet and Euphonium as well as Festivo – a piece conducted on a broadcast by Frank Renton himself. 

The programme will also be available to download or view on BBC iPlayer following the broadcasts in November.