My first foray into brass writing was not good! In my early 20s I was paired with a brass band and it was just after I had returned from living in Paris where I had been very influenced by French spectral music. I can still here the remark on the bass trombonist as he walked out in my first rehearsal with a pained look on his face saying, “I’ve only got one note and I can’t play that!”

So it’s ironic that I now write quite a lot for brass. I’ve been lucky to be commissioned by some of the best contemporary brass groups in the UK - Onyx and Slide Action