All our latest news 

February 2012

Bruce has just finished writing his latest symphonic tone-poem 

Fantasia: Music From The Movies - Part 1.

Written for a large concert orchestra, but now with extra parts playable up to a full symphony orchestra, this utilises over 60 pieces of well-known movie music themes, seamlessly interwoven with original material.      The comments received so far from listeners say that they have never heard so many musical jokes in a piece, and that it should be played at every concert which includes Movie Music.       

Bruce had written original music for some films earlier in his career, but moved away from this field to pursue other avenues of music.   With 32 albums under his own name, and being a busy session-player, arranger, and conductor, it didn't leave much time for other musical ventures.

Graham Mintram has just sent Bruce a copy of his saxophone quartet CD, Sax In The City, where he has recorded Bruce's Divertimenti #3.     Graham has played all of the parts himself, and done a great job of the mastering and production. 

July 2011

Ged Brockie, the Scottish Jazz Guitarist, premiered and recorded  Bruce's Five Innovations For Guitar and Orchestra, and featured it in five concerts during the Edinburgh Festival in August 2010.
 
 
               Ged Brockie                        Bruce                                    Hummie Mann
 
The accompaniment was by the talented New Festival Arts Ensemble, a young and enthusiastic 21-piece orchestra, and was conducted by the double Emmy award-winning Hollywood composer Hummie Mann.   The final concert was professionally filmed for DVD, and will now be released on the 8th August by Circular Records, an independent Edinburgh company.
 
  
 Hummie, and The Festival Arts Ensemble during rehearsals

2011 promised to be an interesting year, and is still living up to that promise, with many new, and interesting, contacts already being made, and much interest being shown in Bruce's  latest compositions.

Bruce has finalised his latest Symphony No 5  -  'Of Circus & Fairs', a 4-movement  symphonic piece about the Circus and Carnivals.    All of the music parts are now completed, and all scores have been printed.

His 4-movement Suite for Strings, Harp, and Solo Violin is now finished, and the score and parts have been printed.   Similarly his six-movement Spanish Gold Suite for Concert Orchestra.

He has also just finished the parts and scores for his Reverie For Brass  (for Brass Band), and his Brass Quintet No 1.            These will be published shortly.

An adaption of his Divertimente No 3 for Strings, has just been orchestrated for Saxophone Quartet.     Within two minutes of receiving the parts the Tapestry Saxophone Quartet confirmed that they are going to record it.

New Recordings and Shows

Bruce's  'Robbie! - The Musical'  has just been revised to suit a School Concert performance by older children. This has now been released, and it can be accompanied from a solo piano up to a small orchestra.

'Robbie!'  has also been revised as a Evening Concert  version, suitable for large Choral Societies.

More News 

Christopher Parkening, the American Guitar Virtuoso, has been teaching Bruce's three Guitar Concertos to his pupils this semester. He has recorded extensively for Angel/EMI Classic, and has twice received Grammy® nominations as well as being the Distinguished Professor of Music and Chair of the Guitar Department at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Bruce has been the Musical Director of the 18-piece Croydon Jazz Orchestra since May 1997, and the band has been featuring his compositions in many concert venues around the South London area since then.    The CJO played at Botley Hill Farmhouse, near Warlingham, for 8 and 1/2 years.

Bruce's large-scale jazz compositions are now being featured by many other large concert-jazz bands in Europe, America, Asia, and Australia.

Charles Cleese CEO