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Celebration Brass Ensemble




Listen to Celebration Brass !



Available now, the C.D. of live recordings from St. Mary's.



Here are two pictures taken at St. Mary's Parish Church in Slough.



Pictured behind the band are Organist Malcolm Stowell, soprano Louise Willis,
trumpeter Paul Willis and Composer Guy Bunce.






Formed in October 2000 as a brass quintet, with co - members Jeanie Wood (tuba) and Woody Wood (trumpet), Celebration Brass exists to provide a high level of musical enjoyment and entertainment for both players and audience, whilst providing support for local charities.

The instrumental combination gives a unique sound and introduces the darker, richer tones of the flugel horn, baritone & euphonium to small ensemble works, previously dominated by trumpet, French horn and trombone. Nearly all the musical scores are arranged especially for the group by Charley Brighton, and with already a vast repertoire, we can provide music for almost any type of function.

Here are just some of the items of music already in use;


Allegro Vivace, William Boyce.

Alleluia, from Cantata no.142, J.S.Bach.

Away In A Manger (A Variation), Charles Evans.

Be Still My Soul, from Finlandia, Sibelius.

Blue Tango, Leroy Anderson.

Brass Tacks, Georgia Galegrant.

Celebration, Fergus O'Carrol.

Chorale, Ted Huggens.

(The) Christmas Song, Torme & Wells.

Christmas, Christmas ! Algis Brazinskas.

Christmas Crackers, John Iveson.

Classica, Rudolph Bodingbauer.

Die Bankelsangerlieder, Anon. Arr. Robert King.

Evening Prayer, from Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck.

Gold & Silver Waltz, Franz Lehar.

Grand Choeur Dialogue, Eugene Gigout ( with Organ )

Gymnopedie no.1 Erik Satie.

I Dreamed A Dream, from Les Miserables, Schonberg.

Italian Festival, Glenn Osser.

James Bond 007, Barry.

Jasper's Dance, from Pineapple Poll, Sullivan.

Liberty Bell, March, Sousa.

Nimrod, Edward Elgar.

Nobody Knows, ( spiritual ).

Maori Farewell, Kaihau & Scott.

My Fair Lady, Lerner & Loewe.

Ode to Broadway, Guy Bunce.
(A new piece especially for Celebration Brass)

Procession of the Nobles, Rimsky Korsakov.

Processional No. 1, Tonni Wei.

Richard Roger's Waltzes.

Safe for a Moment, David Tutt.

Stardust, Hoagy Carmichael.

Summertime, George Gershwin.

Symphony for Brass Choir, Victor Ewald.

That's Entertainment, Schwartz.

Trumpeter's Lullaby, Leroy Anderson.

Under The Double Eagle, Josef Wagner.

We Three Kings, arranged by M.S. Freed.

When A Child Is Born, John Golland.



Introducing...............

Robin Lock, soprano cornet
Eileen Lock, flugel horn
Stephen Lock, tenor horn
Susan Vel, baritone horn
Charley Brighton, euphonium
David Elliot - Smith, tuba




Player Profile; Robin Lock.
Robin has played B flat cornet and E flat soprano cornet with several leading Championship bands in London, during their best years, including Hanwell, Hillingdon, Staines and the British Airways Band. The soprano adds an extra brightness to the sound of the ensemble.


Eileen Lock.
Is currently playing Flugel Horn with the British Airways Band. She has previously played cornet and flugel horn with Hanwell, Hillingdon & Staines bands. Her lyrical Flugel Horn sound provides the essential tones the group requires.


Stephen Lock
The youngest member of Celebration Brass, Stephen adds the voice of the E flat Tenor Horn to the group, doubling Baritone in the scoring. He has played with many small ensembles for fund raising causes alongside his parents. He recently passed music grade exams with honours.


Susan Vel
Sue began playing Cornet at the age of 13, later moving onto E flat Tenor Horn and joining the Colchester Silver Band. On moving to London, she played Tenor Horn and Baritone with Hanwell, John Laing (Hendon) and the Young Ambassadors Band of Great Britain. Her genuine baritone tone is rarely heard these days as the sound is often mixed with that of the trombone or euphonium. She is currently playing baritone with the B.B.C. Elstree Concert Band.


Charley Brighton.
Leader and musical arranger / director, Charley's full playing history is listed in these pages. Currently soloist with the B.B.C. Elstree Concert Band based at Maida Vale Studios in London, he promotes the Willson range of Swiss made euphoniums, believing them to be amongst the finest made.


David Elliot - Smith
David currently plays with the G.U.S. Brass Band. He started playing Cornet with the Egham Band learners group and it was some years later that he transferred to the E flat Bass Tuba, and was able to have lessons with the principal Tuba of the London Symphony Orchestra.
David is also featured with the Capriccioso Low Brass Quartet, who regularly perform at St. Mary’s. He has also given many solo recitals at the Church.

The Story So Far........


The group's launch concert in November of 2000, helped raise an enormous amount of money for the Thames Valley Adventure Playground Network based near Maidenhead, Berkshire. The group provided entertaining music during proceedings of a Silent Auction where very generous bids were received, making the fund raising very successful.


The weekend of December 3rd. saw the group performing at the historic 12th. century St. Mary's Church, Wexham, near Slough. The church had just re - opened following a major £50.000 restoration scheme and the Celebration Brass provided the hymns and performed other works from its repertoire.


Our New Year 2001 started with a performance on Sunday, January 21st. at The Kingsway United Reformed Church in Slough. All the hymns (St. Gertrude, Hyfrydol, Diadem &
Aurelia) were lead by the group, and a special 'first performance' was given of the Alleluia from J.S. Bach's Organ Cantata no. 142.



December saw us entertaining elderly people at a home in Wembley, followed by a Christmas Festival Concert in St. Mary's Church, Slough, combining with Louise Willis
(soprano), Paul Willis (trumpet) and Malcolm Stowell (organ).
The programme included a Fanfare by Mike Davis, Be Still My Soul, by Sibelius, When A Child Is Born and movements 2 & 3 of Christmas Crackers by John Iveson.
Charley Brighton used a vintage 1891 euphonium to play O Holy Night with the mighty Norman & Beard Organ of the church.
The ensemble then all combined to play the Bach Alleluia from Cantata 142.
The concert raised over £100 for Church funds.



December 21st. saw us at the Riverside Arts Centre in Sunbury on Thames where we were guests alongside the Super - Tonics ladies quartet, Julian Black, piano, Mike Salter, comedian and pianist / composer Tony Wakefield, compered by Ellie Roper.
In addition to Christmas music, the group performed the Trumpet Tune by Purcell and the march Come And Hear by Salvation Army composer Thomas Mack



The New Year 2002 started with a concert on February 2nd. with The Capriccioso Low Brass Quartet and The Windsor Festive Brass, Malcolm Stowell (organ) and Louise Willis (soprano).
The concert at St. Mary's Parish Church, Slough drew a capacity audience and the groups programme included a special 1st. performance of Ode To Broadway, especially written for Celebration Brass by Guy Bunce.
Other items included Di Bankelsangerlieder, Anon., Liberty Bell, Sousa, I Dreamed A Dream, Schonberg and Procession of The Nobles, by Rimsky Korsakov, combining with the mighty organ of St. Mary's.
The concert started and ended with a 16 piece massed brass choir playing Fantasia by Willbye and Sancta Maria, from the Vespers of 1610 by Verdi.



July 20th. saw us back with The Windsor Festive Brass, Malcolm Stowell (organ) and Louise Willis (soprano).
The concert at St. Mary's Parish Church, Slough featured a splendid programme which included music for brass and organ specially arranged by Charley Brighton.
This included Processional No 1,by Tonni Wei, the final movement of Symphony for Brass Choir, by Victor Ewald and the Grand Choeur Dialogue by Eugene Gigout, combining with the mighty organ of St. Mary's.


In December, we started our round of seasonal appearances with music for Slough Mencap in Slough Town Hall Council Chamber.
At the request of Eleanor Cryer, we provided Christmas music for the A.G.M. and celebration supper. On this ocassion Shirley Drake and Woody Wood played Flugel Horns, Sue played Baritone, I was on Euphonium and Jeanie Wood was on Tuba.

December 21st. was a special date for us as we premiered Malcolm Stowell's Reverie, composed for piano, violin, organ and brass choir.
Written in 1981, the original 4 part SATB parts were rescored for brass in this magnificent work. Mark Robbins was on violin with Louise Willis taking the piano part. Malcolm himself was at the organ.

In addition, a trio from Celebration Brass played the Finale to Beethoven's Opus 87, originally for 2 obes and cor anglais. This featured Susan Vel (baritone), Charley Brighton (euphonium) and David Elliott Smith (tuba).


Our first concert for 2003 was given on February 8th. at St. Mary's. Once again combining with Malcolm Stowell & Louise Willis on organ.

Our guests this time were Paul Willis on E flat Trumpet and Shirley Drake on Flugel Horn. The programme featured Die Bankelsangerlieder, Stardust, with Susan Vel as Baritone soloist, Be Still My Soul, Brass Tacks, Classica Quintet, Chorale, with Charley Brighton as Euphonium soloist, I Dreamed A Dream and James Bond 007. We also featured a brand new arrangement of a beautiful lullaby, Safe For A Moment by David Tutt.

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On May 17th. we saw the long awaited arrival of the Rutgers University Chorus from Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A. with their conductor John Floreen.


Celebration Brass commenced the proceedings with Fantasia by John Wilbye, as a double brass choir at opposite ends of St. Mary's Church.
Charley Brighton was the featured euphonium soloist with Malcolm Stowell on piano, in two numbers from West Side Story, Maria & Tonight.
Brass and choir closed the first half of the concert in special arrangement of Elsa's Procession to the Minster, from Lohengrin, by Wagner.
The finale to the concert was the combined forces of band, choir & organ in Gerre Hancock's Song to the Lamb, and Vaughan Williams Old Hundredth, conducted by John Floreen.

Featured players were;

Soprano cornet, Robin Lock
Flugel Horns, Eileen Lock & Shirley Drake
Baritones, Susan Vel & Kate Thulborn
Euphonium, Andrew Barratt & Tuba, David Elliott-Smith.



On Saturday, June 19th. 2004, we were guests of the Egham Choral Society in a concert at the American School in Thorpe, Surrey. Joining us in the programme were soprano soloist Mary Clare Morris, pianist David Darby and choir soloists Evelyn Dodd and David Food, all conducted by Henry Macey.
Celebration Brass featured in a solo item, Chorale, by Ted Huggens and then entertained the large audience whilst they pic-nicked on the lawns.
To close the concert, we joined forces in Rule Britannia, Jerusalem, Land of Hope & glory and the National Anthem.


On September 30th. 2006, Celebration Brass appeared in the 900th. Celebration lunchtime concert at St. Mary's Slough, with the Reading Minster Midweek Choir and organist, Malcolm Stowell.
The music featured a special arrangement for the event by Terry Treherne, 'With True Adoration', based on the hymn tune Hanover. Terry also conducted the massed ensemble.

Featured players were;

Laura Jurd, Linda Hodges and Donna Tubb (trumpets)
Susan Vel (baritone), Charley Brighton (euphonium) and David Elliot-Smith (tuba).



For bookings and more information;

Email us here

Telephone contact numbers; 01753 575766, Mobile 07905 169850.

DS Al Fine