Rob Buckland - Saxophonist

Places are going fast on this year's Summerschools: Go to the Summerschools page on the Educator tab above for links - if you are looking for a great way to give your Saxophone playing a boost, whether you are a student, teacher, intermediate or advanced, why not come along to one of the 3 Summer courses that I direct: The International Saxophone Summer School based at Woldingham School nr Croyden, The Manchester Single Reed Course at Stretford Grammer School nr Manchester, or the Harrogate Summer School, based at the Ladies College in Harrogate.  These courses are a fantastic way to meet like minded people with a love for the Saxophone, and work on your technique, ensemble playing, solo performance, improvising skills, pretty much all areas of your playing, and all in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. There are also concerts featuring the tutors during the course, giving you a great opportunity to watch some of the UK's best players ion action up close! Particularly popular with young players thinking of pursuing their playing at Conservatoire or University, as this gives you a chance to really understand what the required standard of performance is, by working with course tutors who teach at the countries finest Conservatoires. There are still a few places left on all three courses, but they do book up fast, and accommodation places on the Woldingham and Harrogate Courses are limited. Also, the further ahead you register an interest, the more easily we can plan timetables to suit you!  Looking forward to seeing you this summer!!!!

Here's a press clip for a great show that I've been working on over Easter. The 50 piece Halle Orchestra (featuring 5 saxes/woodwinds, with yours truly on Bass Saxophone!!) started the run with 2 weeks at the Lowry in Salford Quays, and then the show tours nationally until early July.  I'm dipping in and out of the tour, but do check it out - the score is amazing, and the whole production is sparkling - a really great night out. Info at http://www.wonderfultown.co.uk.Here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y2boKGsskg

This concert at the Turner Sims Concert Hall on Sunday 4th March at 7pm is part of MusicNation 2012 and sees a new collaboration between Rob Buckland and Simone Rebello and very special guest Jason Rebello, with a brand new programme premiering at this special event.

At 4pm, Rob will lead a workshop based on a new commission for massed saxophones and percussion, to be premiered in the 2nd half of the evening concert. For further details and booking, visit: http://www.turnersims.co.uk/musical-alphabet

BBC4 Documentary Sun 19 Feb @ 9pm: As many of you will know, I have had a long and happy association with Barbara Thompson - saxophonist and composer extraordinaire, and now dear friend.  I first met Barbara almost 10 years ago, when we collaborated on a new version of her Rhythm of the Gods for my Equivox Trio CD The Time is Now, which led to the beginning of a series of commissions and premieres of her Saxophone Quartets, and Quartet Concerti.  In January of this year, another exciting chapter opened when we recorded a new CD of Barbara's wonderful music for 12 Saxophones, with the formation of the Apollo Saxophone Orchestra - this exciting disc will be released later this year.  On Sunday 19th Feb, BBC4 is screening the premiere of a new documentary following Barbara's career in the last decade or so as she continues to fight the onset of Parkinson's Disease - please tune in - it's a fantastic piece of filming, and captures Barbara's incredible spirit and determination to keep playing and writing depsite the challenges that PD presents - a truly inspirational person, and a very inspiring film.  There will be some footage of a wonderful class that Barbara gave to my students at the RNCM, and the screening is followed by a short clip from her recent DVD showing some classic Paraphernalia footage.  I am also hoping to play her wonderful Concerto at the World Saxophone Congress later this year - watch this space.

Jason Rebello & Rob Buckland Duo: By curious coincidence, Jason Rebello and Rob Buckland, both highly respected as musicians who cross many genres, and whose individual performing schedules regularly take them to the far corners of the globe, discovered that their musical orbits will unexpectedly and fortuitously align on 26th February. This curious turn of fate presents an opportunity for them to compile an engaging set that brings together music with influences from the many and varied musical situations that these two players frequently find themselves, and to combine these genres and sounds to create a new duo that draws its inspiration from an astonishingly wide range of music. Expect chilled melodies, laid back grooves and unexpected gems from the likes of Pat Metheny, Kenny Wheeler, Bob Mintzer, Manu Katche, Ralph Towner, and originals from Jason and Rob. This is the first time the Duo will have played together...and who knows, it may be the last!....so book now, just in case!!!  https://www.quaytickets.com/cinnamon/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=53F69AB2-4F8F-4D0B-8B69-6E1B8E55D095

Earlier this year, I was invited to record Martin Ellerby's new Cinnamon Concerto for a disc on the Polyphonic label, and this exciting recording has just been released. The recording took place on a very hot late summer day in the RNCM's fabulous Concert Hall, and the college's Wind Orchestra played brilliantly on a very tight schedule - we had just 2 hours to record the whole piece - it certainly has a lot of energy!!!.

"Scaredy Cat is the most coolest piece I have ever played...the guy who wrote it must be the most amazing dude ever!!" ( Alastair - yr9).

Scaredy Cat is one of my compositions for solo saxophone (and now clarinet and flute too) that features on the Grade 5 syllabus for a couple of exam boards.  Published in the Solo Saxophone Book (http://www.astute-music.com) it has unexpectedly proven to be one of my most popular pieces, and I am constantly getting emails from young players asking all about the Scaredy Cat - what it's name is, what colour it is, etc, as well as lovely comments about the piece.  The quote above was sent to me this week by one of my ex-students, who's Yr9 pupil came out with this quote in his lesson - kudos indeed! 

It was also played down the phone on the Simon Mayo Radio 2 drive time show on the clarinet a while back, and features in concerts and exams all over the place.  Scaredy Cat has become a legend thanks to all of you who bought it and play it!!!  Do email in with any more sightings of the Scaredy Cat, and I'll post them up here!!!  

In the next 6 months or so, I am going to be recording no less than 5 saxophone concertos - a new CD on my own label of Saxophone Concertos that I have commissioned/premiered for Saxophone and Wind Orchestra - which will feature World Premiere recordings of fantastic concerti by Graham Fitkin, Michael Ball, Jacob Ter Veldhuis and Andy Scott (the last one is a double saxophone concerto featuring myself and John Harle), which is being recorded in mid-november, and will be released in the late spring of 2012.