Porthouse Leads Cornwall Youth Through Festive Course

Cutting short their Christmas Festivities, forty two musicians of the Cornwall Youth Brass Band gathered at Truro High School for Girls on December 27th for their four day Christmas Residential Course, under the baton of Guest Musical Director Ian Porthouse.

Ian , making his third visit to the Band, led the musicians, aged from 12 to 19, through intensive Rehearsals and study of a varied programme of music, from the classic Test Piece Labour and Love, to more recent works, such as Shine as the Light by Peter Graham, and Fire in the Blood by Paul Lovatt-Cooper.

He also conducted the CYBB in the World Premiere of Characters, an exciting new work which Ian brought with him by the Austrian Composer, Stefan Unterberger who was born in 1978. After musical training at the local State music school on the Tenor Horn and Trombone, Stefan followed this up with study at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg. As well as his busy composing career he plays Tenor Horn with the Austrian Champions, Brass Band Oberösterreich, of which Ian is Guest Conductor.

Ian has a record of conducting the CYBB in first performances, having given the World Premiere with them in 2008 of Penlee by Simon Dobson, commissioned by the CYBB, and which has gone on to be played all over the world, and which has now been chosen as the Championship Test Piece at this year’s National Youth Championships. The Intermediate Test Piece at the Championships, Smoke Sketches, has been specially commissioned from Daniel Hall, a former member of The Cornwall Youth Brass Band.

On this Course Ian was joined by his wife, Leanne, who generously sat in with and coached the Cornet Section, as well as son, Harry, who was welcomed as an Honorary Member of the Band on Third Cornet.

The Cornwall Youth Brass Band’s local Lead Conductor, Darren Hawken, assisted by Aaron Harvey, and the Team of Local Tutors, took care of Sectionals during the Course, as they had in the monthly Rehearsals prior to the Course. The end of Course Concert was held at St Michael’s Church, Newquay, attended by The Mayor of Newquay, and a large audience of relatives of the Band’s Musicians and local supporters. During the Concert a Presentation was made to Phillip Hunt, who was stepping down as Secretary of the Band after 13years in the post.