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PHILIP SPARKE
Philip Sparke was born in London and studied
composition, trumpet and piano at the Royal College of Music, where he gained an
ARCM. It was at the College that his interest in bands
arose. He played in the College wind orchestra and also formed a brass band
among the students, writing several works for both ensembles. At that time, his first published works appeared -
Concert Prelude (brass band) and Gaudium (wind band). A growing
interest in his music led to several commissions, his first major one being for
the Centennial Brass Band Championships in New Zealand – The Land of
the Long White Cloud. Further commissions followed from individual bands,
various band associations and the BBC, for whom he three times won the EBU
New Music for Band Competition (with Slipstream, Skyrider and
Orient Express). He has written for brass band championships in New Zealand,
Switzerland, Holland, Australia and the UK, including three times for the National Finals at the
Royal Albert Hall, and his test pieces are constantly in use wherever brass bands can
be found. A close association with banding in Japan led to a
commission (Celebration) from and eventual recording of his music with
the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. This opened the door worldwide to his wind band
music and led to several commissions, particularly from the United States. In
1996 the US Air Force Band commissioned and recorded Dance Movements,
which won the prestigious Sudler Prize in 1997. His conducting and adjudicating activities have
taken him to most European countries, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan
and the USA. He runs his own publishing company, Anglo Music Press, which
he formed in May 2000. In September 2000 he was awarded the Iles Medal of the
Worshipful Company of Musicians for his services to brass bands. |
