Concentus Brass Ensemble

Biography

Whilst thinking up a name for the group, we came across the word ‘concentus’. We thought that it really summed up both the appeal and the challenges of making chamber music; different people coming together to create a harmonious blend, not only musically, but personally and artistically too. Our aim as a group is to always aspire to meet these challenges, and in so doing create entertaining, challenging and inventive concerts, education projects and recordings.

Concentus Brass Ensemble is made up of young professional musicians from across the UK. Forming in the summer of 2012, the group has already been in demand for performances in and around London. Recent highlights include a CBE Trio recital, a Performance of a Michael Nyman Fanfare and also filming for ITV’s Text Santa night.

Aside from performing with CBE, members of the group are kept busy as freelance musicians with some of the country’s top Orchestras and ensembles, these include; London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia, London Sinfonietta, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Britten Sinfonia, BBC Philharmonic, Welsh National Opera, Ulster Orchestra, as well as performing with such renowned groups and performers as Brass Monkey, Russell Watson, the Hoosiers and Andrea Bocelli.

Concentus Brass Ensemble has a strong love and enthusiasm for making and performing music. They hope to communicate this through their education work and concerts. Always striving to inform and entertain, the group plans concert programmes and workshops primarily with audiences and participants in mind. This bespoke service is at the heart of all that the group does, allowing clients to tailor to their event, making it extra special and individual. CBE hopes to take music to as wide an audience as possible, and in so doing promote brass playing to the musicians of the future and broaden their audiences musical horizons.

Shane Brennan

Shane Brennan graduated from The Royal College of Music as a scholar in 2010, and on doing so, he was awarded the Herbert Samuel Memorial Prize for Trumpet. Shane has already had a very diverse musical career. He has performed with various pop artists including The Hoosiers and Leon Jackson, the folk group – Brass Monkey, and he also recorded the commercial soundtrack to a staged version of Peter Pan for Buick Productions. In 2008, Shane was invited to Switzerland where he performed Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Trumpets with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

Shane has performed in a multitude of shows all over the world, most notably professional West-End show tours to Cyprus and Jersey performing as principal trumpet in Bernstein’s West Side Story with The London Theatre Orchestra. Shane continues to perform lots of ceremonial music. In October 2011, he performed fanfares to welcome celebrities and guests down the red carpet to 'The Three Musketeers' film premiere. Stars including Orlando Bloom, Milla Jovovich and Take That attended the ceremony.

2012 was a busy year for Shane. The year started with a trumpet and organ recital at St. Martin-in-the-fields and he then joined Brass Monkey on their anniversary tour which included a live DVD/CD recording package due for release in 2013. He performed at the iTunes Festival with Andrea Bocelli and The British Philharmonic Orchestra, and he also performed with The London Banqueting Ensemble at a number of high profile events.

Other highlights included filming for Snow White and the Huntsman, working with The London Mozart Players, The English Baroque Soloists conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, The London Concert Orchestra, Arts Symphonic, Brandenburg Sinfonia and Britten Sinfonia. Recent tours include a tour of Europe with The Westenders and Angelika Milster, a UK tour with Russell Watson, and a tour to Mumbai to perform with The Symphony Orchestra of India.

For more information, please visit shane-brennan.com

Jason Lewis

Jason Lewis started the trumpet at the early age of 8, quickly progressing to the National Youth Brass Band of Wales by the age of 11. Three years later Jason gained a place on the prestigious LSO academy, where he received tuition from James Watson and Rod Franks. Jason won a scholarship to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2007, where he received lessons from Philippe Schartz. During his studies Jason started working with BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera. After graduating graduating in 2011 with a first, Jason gained a place on the 2011 European Union Youth Orchestra summer tour, he has since returned as principal trumpet for their 2012/13 tours. As well as this Jason has been kept busy, playing with some of the UK's top orchestras, these include; BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Philharmonia, Welsh National Opera and recently Jason has been given a trial with the BBC Philharmonic.

Mark Bennett

In 2007 Mark was awarded a Foundation scholarship to the Royal College of Music with Tim Jones. During his four years of study there he has played with the RCM Symphony orchestra under the direction of conductors such as Vladamir Ashkenazy, Essa-Pekka Salonen and Bernard Haitink. In his third year he went on an ERASMUS exchange to the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris and on his return won the Royal College of Music Brodie Brass prize. He continued his studies at the RCM with a Masters of Performance degree in which he studied with John Ryan, Tim Jones and Jeff Bryant and was sponsored by the Martin Musical Scholarship fund, the Musicians Benevolent fund and The Countess of Munster Scholarship fund as well as the RCM John Lewis Scholarship. In the first few years of his professional career he has performed with orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC concert Orchestra and was Accepted on the London Philharmonic Orchestra Foyle Future First Programme.

Rupert Whitehead

Hailing from Llandeilo in west Wales, Rupert started playing the trombone aged 12 and progressed through the numerous youth music ensembles of the Carmarthenshire Music Service. In 2006, Rupert moved to London to study with Byron Fulcher at the Royal College of Music. After graduating in 2010 with a First, Rupert was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music, where he completed his MA with distinction. Since graduating in 2011 Rupert has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, the Ulster Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia.

 

Ray Hearne

Ray won a scholarship to study the tuba with Patrick Harrild at the Guildhall School of Music in 2008 where he graduated with a first class BMus (Hons) degree and a Concert Recital Diploma. There he continued his studies for one more year as an Artists Fellow. During his time at the Guildhall, Ray competed as a soloist and chamber musician in many competitions throughout the UK. In 2011, Ray was awarded first prize at the Newark Brass Festival and in the past two years has reached the final round of the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe, the Armourer's and Brasier's Prize, the Tunnell Trust and was a semi-finalist in the Royal Overseas League. Since graduating, Ray has enjoyed the pleasure of playing with some of Europe's finest orchestras and ensembles including guest principal performances with both the London Symphony and the London Philharmonic orchestras, as well as the London Sinfonietta, Royal Ballet Sinfonia and the European Union Youth Orchestra. More recently, Ray has been touring Europe extensively as a drummer in the progressive rock six-piece 'Haken' in promotion of their third studio release entitled ‘The Mountain'.

© All rights reserved Concentus Brass website by - Grant Irvine Bespoke Web Design