Northern Ireland Trombone Day

BY NATHAN MOORE

On 26 February 25 trombonists gathered in sunny Antrim for the Northern Ireland Trombone Day 2023. This was the second event put on by the BTS in collaboration with the Education Authority of Northern Ireland. Our special guests this year were Richard Ashmore (Principal Bass Trombone of the Ulster Orchestra) and Stephen Barnett (retired 2nd Trombone of the Ulster Orchestra). The day was led by BTS Northern Ireland representative Nathan Moore and Will McLean.

The event began with stretching and breathing with Richard, who talked about the importance of preparation before practice, as well as injury prevention. His insights into breathing were informative and practical, spending time showing everyone exercises to breathe efficiently and how to turn that breath into a great sound. Nathan then took over with some lip slur exercises and note bending to build on what Richard had worked on beforehand.

Once everyone was warmed up and ready to play Stephen rehearsed the trombone choir with two specially adapted arrangements by Kevin Morgan.

Kevin very kindly had taken two of his arrangements, When the Saints and Teddy Bears’ Picnic, and added beginner trombone parts for our younger participants. Stephen focused on ensemble and sight-reading skills and had the choir sounding absolutely glorious.

Just before the coffee break, we had a masterclass featuring some of Northern Ireland’s very talented young trombonists, Daniel, Michael, Oisin, and Edward. We heard brilliant performances of the Cavatine by

Saint-Saens, Bach’s Arioso, Chattanooga Choo Choo by Gordon and Warren, and Greenwood’s The Acrobat Our guests demonstrated how to be comfortable behind a music stand, how to engage with the audience and how to stay focused when playing with a pianist. I think we can all agree that these are all things we can forget in the practice room, yet it can make a huge difference to our performances.

After our coffee break, we rehearsed the trombone choir before performing for the parents at the end of the afternoon. Check out the video on the BTS social media pages to hear the choir performing When the Saints.

We would like to thank the British Trombone Society and Education Authority Northern Ireland for helping us put on the event. Special thanks to Martin Haggan from EA who worked behind the scenes to make this event happen and to Kevin Morgan for adapting and letting us use his arrangements for the event.

Will and I would like to host more events in Northern Ireland as we have a wealth of great trombonists here and not very many opportunities to get together. We’re planning some smaller events to focus on trombone choir playing later this year. Please get in touch if you would like to get involved! ◆