Eric Crees

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Eric Crees (* 1952 in London , England ) is the first trombonist at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden . He was previously principal trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) for 27 years . He is a well-known teacher, arranger and composer of brass music.

Life

Eric Crees was born in London in 1952 and studied at the Wandsworth School, where he sang in the well-known boys' choir, giving him the opportunity to play with many professional orchestras and conductors at an early age . Benjamin Britten , who wrote a solo part in Children's Crusade for Crees, has long been associated with this school .

While still in school, he received a part-time scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama . He then studied music at the University of Surrey , where he won the Joyce Dixey Award for composition. At the same time he was also a member of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble . After graduating, he became a trombonist in the London Symphony Orchestra in 1973. After seven years, he became the first trombonist in the LSO in 1980.

In 1991, Crees became a teacher at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he still works. He also frequently gives masterclasses around the world, including with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Ulster Youth Orchestra and the Pacific Youth Orchestra in Japan .

Eric Crees is the director and arranger of the Royal Opera House Brass Soloists . Prior to that, he conducted the London Symphony Orchestra Brass for many years . With LSO Brass he performed regularly at the Barbican Center and recorded several CDs. Many of the arrangements on these CDs were made by Crees himself. The best known of these are Leonard Bernstein's Suite from West Side Story , Aaron Copland's El Salon Mexico and Charles Ives ' Variations on 'America' . With LSO Brass, Crees also recorded the entire instrumental music of Giovanni Gabrieli on three CDs for Naxos .

Original compositions by Crees include Silk Street Stomp (written for the Guildhall School of Music Big Band), Two Antiphonal Fanfares , Frighteners' Gallop for eight horns (commissioned by the British Horn Society), Orage for 16 trombones (composed for Bone Lab), Processional for PJ for large brass ensemble in memory of Philip Jones , The Birth of Conchobar (commissioned by the Ulster Youth Orchestra), Three Sketches from Rackham for flute and harp , Flourish for solo trombone and Carillons for six harps.

Discography (selection)

  • Alban Berg's Chamber Concert : LSO with Claudio Abbado (Sony, 1985)
  • Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3 : LSO with Tilson Thomas (CBS, 1987)
  • American Brass : LSO Brass (Collins Classics, 1991)
  • Cathedral Brass : LSO Brass (Collins Classics, 1991)
  • Gabrieli Music for Brass , Vol. 1-3: LSO Brass (Naxos, 1995-7)
  • London Trombone Sound (Cala, 1995)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Crees, Eric
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British trombonist
DATE OF BIRTH 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH London , England