Eric Crees
Encyclopedia
Eric Crees was appointed Principal Trombone
of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
(London) in 2000. Before that he spent twenty-seven years at the London Symphony Orchestra
, twenty as Co-Principal Trombone. He is also a noted brass conductor, composer, arranger and teacher.
As Professor of Trombone at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
he has nurtured a great number of the leading trombonists of the next generation of orchestral principals including Helen Vollam
, Byron Fulcher
and Graham Lee
. He was made Fellow of the School in 1991. Eric Crees is also a frequent coach at music colleges & specialist schools both in the UK & abroad, including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Ulster Youth Orchestra and the Pacific Youth Orchestra in Japan.
Eric Crees is Director of the Royal Opera House Brass Soloists and for many years was Director of the London Symphony Orchestra Brass. With the LSO Brass they performed regularly at the Barbican Centre and made several recordings, including American Brass and Cathedral Brass for Collins Classics. These featuring many of his arrangements, including Bernstein's Suite from West Side Story which has been commercially recorded four times. Other highlights include arrangements of Aaron Copland
's El Salon Mexico
and Charles Ives
' Variations on 'America'. Crees also prepared a Performing Edition and directed the LSO Brass in a trio of CDs for Naxos covering the complete instrumental music by Giovanni Gabrieli
.
In 1994, Eric was invited by Cala Records to arrange a number of pieces for 16 trombones from the London orchestras to record on a CD called "The London Trombone Sound". The popularity of this disc, which memorable versions of Samuel Barber
's Adagio and Eric Clapton
's Layla led to more arrangements for The London Horn Sound.
Recent original compositions include Silk Street Stomp written for the Guildhall School of Music Big Band, Two Antiphonal Fanfares, Frighteners' Gallop for 8 horns commissioned by the British Horn Society, Orage for 16 trombones written for Bone Lab and premiered at the Dartington Summer School
, Processional for PJ written for large brass ensemble in memory of Philip Jones, The Birth of Conchobar again for symphonic brass and percussion commissioned by the Ulster Youth Orchestra, Three Sketches from Rackham for flute and harp, Flourish for solo trombone and Carillons for six harps.
Eric Crees was born in London in 1952 and studied at Wandsworth School, where in the famous boy's choir, he worked with many distinguished professional orchestras & conductors. Of particular importance was the school's long association with Benjamin Britten
, who wrote a solo part for Eric in the Children's Crusade.
While at school he was awarded a scholarship to study part time at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He went on to study music at the University of Surrey
and meanwhile undertook an extensive period of work with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and won the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society's 'Joyce Dixey Award' for composition. Upon graduation he joined the London Symphony Orchestra.
Eric Crees is in great demand as a juror for international competitions, such as the Donatella Flick Conducting competition, the Leonard Berstein Conducting Competition, in Jerusalem, the Narbonne International Quintet Competition, the National Brass Championships, the European Brass Band Championships and the All England Masters Brass Band Championship.
Notable recordings
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
(London) in 2000. Before that he spent twenty-seven years at the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
, twenty as Co-Principal Trombone. He is also a noted brass conductor, composer, arranger and teacher.
As Professor of Trombone at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
he has nurtured a great number of the leading trombonists of the next generation of orchestral principals including Helen Vollam
Helen Vollam
Helen Vollam is Principal Trombone for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, appointed in 2004 as the first woman to be appointed principal trombone in a London orchestra, and the first in a UK orchestra since Maisie Ringham of the Halle Orchestra in the last century...
, Byron Fulcher
Byron Fulcher
Byron Fulcher is Principal Trombone with the Philharmonia Orchestra, appointed in 2001. In addition he is Professor of Trombone at the Royal College of Music....
and Graham Lee
Graham Lee (musician)
Graham Lee is Principal Trombone for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also Professor of Trombone at the Royal College of Music and Trinity College of Music....
. He was made Fellow of the School in 1991. Eric Crees is also a frequent coach at music colleges & specialist schools both in the UK & abroad, including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Ulster Youth Orchestra and the Pacific Youth Orchestra in Japan.
Eric Crees is Director of the Royal Opera House Brass Soloists and for many years was Director of the London Symphony Orchestra Brass. With the LSO Brass they performed regularly at the Barbican Centre and made several recordings, including American Brass and Cathedral Brass for Collins Classics. These featuring many of his arrangements, including Bernstein's Suite from West Side Story which has been commercially recorded four times. Other highlights include arrangements of Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
's El Salon Mexico
El Salón México
El Salón México is a symphonic composition in one movement by Aaron Copland, which uses Mexican folk music extensively.-Analysis and history:...
and Charles Ives
Charles Ives
Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
' Variations on 'America'. Crees also prepared a Performing Edition and directed the LSO Brass in a trio of CDs for Naxos covering the complete instrumental music by Giovanni Gabrieli
Giovanni Gabrieli
Giovanni Gabrieli was an Italian composer and organist. He was one of the most influential musicians of his time, and represents the culmination of the style of the Venetian School, at the time of the shift from Renaissance to Baroque idioms.-Biography:Gabrieli was born in Venice...
.
In 1994, Eric was invited by Cala Records to arrange a number of pieces for 16 trombones from the London orchestras to record on a CD called "The London Trombone Sound". The popularity of this disc, which memorable versions of Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
's Adagio and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
's Layla led to more arrangements for The London Horn Sound.
Recent original compositions include Silk Street Stomp written for the Guildhall School of Music Big Band, Two Antiphonal Fanfares, Frighteners' Gallop for 8 horns commissioned by the British Horn Society, Orage for 16 trombones written for Bone Lab and premiered at the Dartington Summer School
Dartington Hall
The Dartington Hall Trust, near Totnes, Devon, United Kingdom is a charity specialising in the arts, social justice and sustainability.The Trust currently runs 16 charitable programmes, including The Dartington International Summer School and Schumacher Environmental College...
, Processional for PJ written for large brass ensemble in memory of Philip Jones, The Birth of Conchobar again for symphonic brass and percussion commissioned by the Ulster Youth Orchestra, Three Sketches from Rackham for flute and harp, Flourish for solo trombone and Carillons for six harps.
Eric Crees was born in London in 1952 and studied at Wandsworth School, where in the famous boy's choir, he worked with many distinguished professional orchestras & conductors. Of particular importance was the school's long association with Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, who wrote a solo part for Eric in the Children's Crusade.
While at school he was awarded a scholarship to study part time at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He went on to study music at the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
and meanwhile undertook an extensive period of work with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and won the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society's 'Joyce Dixey Award' for composition. Upon graduation he joined the London Symphony Orchestra.
Eric Crees is in great demand as a juror for international competitions, such as the Donatella Flick Conducting competition, the Leonard Berstein Conducting Competition, in Jerusalem, the Narbonne International Quintet Competition, the National Brass Championships, the European Brass Band Championships and the All England Masters Brass Band Championship.
Notable recordings
- Berg Kammerkonzert - Abbado, LSO (1985, Sony SMK64504)
- Mahler Symphony No. 3 - Tilson Thomas, LSO (1987, CBS M2K44553, deleted)
- American Brass - Crees, LSO Brass (1991, Collins Classics)
- Cathedral Brass - Crees, LSO Brass (1991, Collins Classics)
- Gabrieli Music for Brass, Vol. 1-3 - Crees, LSO Brass (1995-7, Naxos 8.553609 etc.)
- London Trombone Sound (1995, Cala CACD 0108)