Simon Dobson
Encyclopedia
Simon Dobson is an English composer
particularly noted for his brass band
compositions.
at age 18 on a scholarship to study composition
under Timothy Salter, Theo Verby and George Benjamin
, at South Kensington
's Royal College of Music
.
While at college, Dobson wrote music for many different ensembles including, wind orchestra, string orchestra
, percussion ensemble
and the RCM symphony orchestra. He received his first commission, from the London Philharmonic Orchestra
in 2002 during in his second year of study. In 2004 Simon was a featured composer at the world famous Three Choirs Festival and composed contemporary a work based on electronic music called 'sinewave'.
Also in 2002, Simon won the European Brass Band composers competition in Brussels
, which lead to Simon being commissioned to write the test work for the 2003 English regional Fourth section brass band competition
, Lydian Pictures. A number of other commissions follow including a work for the national youth brass band finals of Great Britain, including a march for the BBC
Music Live festival, and Brass Band Heritage Trust.
At RCM, Dobson was part of a group of students who formed 'Zone One Brass', a championship section band whom Simon conducted for four years before moving away from London in 2004 after earning his B.Mus and graduating to the sounds of his own fanfare!.
In 2007, Simon wrote the set piece for the European Brass band championships 'B' section, and his work The Drop, (based on Drum 'n' Bass DJ techniques), has been performed to acclaim, a number of times in some of the nations best concert venues, including the Birmingham Symphony Hall
.
He has been Composer in Residence both with the Leyland Band, and Brighouse & Rastrick.
Simon also works as a free lance conductor and is well known for his work with youth ensembles and players. His conducting lead him to coach many of London's championship standard bands, taking him nationwide, as well as to Norway
for the Norwegian Brass band championships in the NM 2008-11 and Switzerland. Simon worked with former national youth champions Mount Charles Youth Band, as well as the Devon
County Youth band and the famous Cornwall Youth Brass Band, for whom he wrote his composition 'Penlee'.
As a performer, Simon played horn
in the Dirty Pop band, 'Men Of Splendour', performing all over England, playing festival crowds in excess of 10,000 people. As a conductor, he conducted 'Zone One Brass', his own band, including at Buckingham Palace
. As a composer, Dobson continues to write many different types of music, such as, Drum 'n' Bass
, Dub
, Jazz
, Breakbeat
and more recently animated film scores, as well as providing film music for timelapse film company, Lobster Pictures Ltd.. His music is published by Faber Music ltd. London.
Simon was the winner of the Denis and Maud Wright conducting award and now holds the post of Assistant Musical Director at the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, studying under Bramwell Tovey
.
Simon has recently been undertaking judging and adjudication work having judged the 2010 Scottish open brass band championships in Perth, on this occasion he was judging on his own piece '...and when the river told...'. He also judged the Swiss Open Brass band championships in the Stravinsky hall in Montreux. In April 2011 Simon returned to Montreux with the Fairey (Geneva) Band to hear them perform the world premier of his latest composition 'A symphony of Colours' at the European Brass Band Championships.
Also in May 2011 Simons work 'Penlee' (based on the Penlee lifeboat disastour) was voted in at number 106 in the ClassicFM hall of fame. It was also the highest new entry of any genre and Simon was the seventh highest of living composer in the 300 strong list. This work has been used world wide as a test piece in brass band competitions, it was the set work for the Swiss national finals and the North American championships.
As a performer Simon has been playing trumet for various funk/soul/jazz and hip hops bands, working for producers across the southwest and recording studio sessions for bands such as The King Blues
. He appears on three of the album tracks on their new album Punk & Poetry
and produced the track '5 bottles of shampoo' with singer Johnny'Itch' Fox. The Album charted at number 31 in the UK album charts.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
particularly noted for his brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
compositions.
Biography
Having grown up in a brass banding family, Simon moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at age 18 on a scholarship to study composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
under Timothy Salter, Theo Verby and George Benjamin
George Benjamin (composer)
George William John Benjamin, CBE is a British composer of classical music. He is also a conductor, pianist and teacher....
, at South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
's Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
.
While at college, Dobson wrote music for many different ensembles including, wind orchestra, string orchestra
String orchestra
A string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
, percussion ensemble
Percussion ensemble
A percussion ensemble is a musical ensemble consisting of only percussion instruments. Although the term can be used to describe any such group, it commonly refers to groups of classically-trained percussionists performing primarily classical music. Percussion ensembles are most commonly found at...
and the RCM symphony orchestra. He received his first commission, from the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
in 2002 during in his second year of study. In 2004 Simon was a featured composer at the world famous Three Choirs Festival and composed contemporary a work based on electronic music called 'sinewave'.
Also in 2002, Simon won the European Brass Band composers competition in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, which lead to Simon being commissioned to write the test work for the 2003 English regional Fourth section brass band competition
Brass Band Sections in Britain
There are five main brass band sections in the United Kingdom: Championship, First, Second, Third, and Fourth. The top bands are in the Championship section, and the bottom ones are in the Fourth section...
, Lydian Pictures. A number of other commissions follow including a work for the national youth brass band finals of Great Britain, including a march for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Music Live festival, and Brass Band Heritage Trust.
At RCM, Dobson was part of a group of students who formed 'Zone One Brass', a championship section band whom Simon conducted for four years before moving away from London in 2004 after earning his B.Mus and graduating to the sounds of his own fanfare!.
In 2007, Simon wrote the set piece for the European Brass band championships 'B' section, and his work The Drop, (based on Drum 'n' Bass DJ techniques), has been performed to acclaim, a number of times in some of the nations best concert venues, including the Birmingham Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue located inside the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by the Queen in June 1991, although had been opened on April 15, 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hosts around 270 events...
.
He has been Composer in Residence both with the Leyland Band, and Brighouse & Rastrick.
Simon also works as a free lance conductor and is well known for his work with youth ensembles and players. His conducting lead him to coach many of London's championship standard bands, taking him nationwide, as well as to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
for the Norwegian Brass band championships in the NM 2008-11 and Switzerland. Simon worked with former national youth champions Mount Charles Youth Band, as well as the Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
County Youth band and the famous Cornwall Youth Brass Band, for whom he wrote his composition 'Penlee'.
As a performer, Simon played horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
in the Dirty Pop band, 'Men Of Splendour', performing all over England, playing festival crowds in excess of 10,000 people. As a conductor, he conducted 'Zone One Brass', his own band, including at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. As a composer, Dobson continues to write many different types of music, such as, Drum 'n' Bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
, Dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Breakbeat
Breakbeat
In 1992, a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave" because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out,...
and more recently animated film scores, as well as providing film music for timelapse film company, Lobster Pictures Ltd.. His music is published by Faber Music ltd. London.
Simon was the winner of the Denis and Maud Wright conducting award and now holds the post of Assistant Musical Director at the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, studying under Bramwell Tovey
Bramwell Tovey
Bramwell Tovey, OM is an English-born Grammy Award winning conductor and composer. His musical roots are in The Salvation Army. He was educated at Ilford County High School, the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London. His formal music education was as a pianist and composer...
.
Simon has recently been undertaking judging and adjudication work having judged the 2010 Scottish open brass band championships in Perth, on this occasion he was judging on his own piece '...and when the river told...'. He also judged the Swiss Open Brass band championships in the Stravinsky hall in Montreux. In April 2011 Simon returned to Montreux with the Fairey (Geneva) Band to hear them perform the world premier of his latest composition 'A symphony of Colours' at the European Brass Band Championships.
Also in May 2011 Simons work 'Penlee' (based on the Penlee lifeboat disastour) was voted in at number 106 in the ClassicFM hall of fame. It was also the highest new entry of any genre and Simon was the seventh highest of living composer in the 300 strong list. This work has been used world wide as a test piece in brass band competitions, it was the set work for the Swiss national finals and the North American championships.
As a performer Simon has been playing trumet for various funk/soul/jazz and hip hops bands, working for producers across the southwest and recording studio sessions for bands such as The King Blues
The King Blues
The King Blues are a punk band from London, England, credited for fusing ska and folk together with influences from punk rock and hardcore punk. Tariq Ali described the band's sounds as 'rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of this country. A new generation of musicians are...
. He appears on three of the album tracks on their new album Punk & Poetry
Punk & Poetry
Punk & Poetry is the third album by The King Blues. It is set to be released on April 17, 2011 on digital download, and on CD the following day. The track listing for the album was released on March 5, 2011 on their website, and featured the previously released Headbutt single, which reached number...
and produced the track '5 bottles of shampoo' with singer Johnny'Itch' Fox. The Album charted at number 31 in the UK album charts.
Awards
- 1997, Winner, Brass Section, Cornwall Young Composer Competition
- 2002, Winner, European Composer's Competition, Brussels, Belgium
- 2002, Newcomer of the Year, 4BarsRest