Our Bands

Northamptonshire Orchestral Winds is a community wind band college established by Andrew Bassey in October 2005, with the main band as its colourful showpiece ensemble. Ordinary members of the community can now have affordable access to professional training from professional musicians and composers. Members of the community can learn band instruments, learn how best to play in this complex ensemble, play new music at the cutting edge of today, as well as work with our very best composers and conductors. Members will grow musically, technically and conceptually. Members are actively involved in helping NOW to achieve our objectives.

Main Band

News:

Brass and percussion players coming up to Grade 8 may join.
First horn URGENTLY required for NOW Dectet.

This is the showpiece ensemble of Northamptonshire Orchestral Winds’ wind band college and as such benefits from courses with composers and other professional conductors and assumes the title Northamptonshire Orchestral Winds.The first group to be established (October 2005) has completed its first season, and produced a wonderful professionally recorded CD, played in a Showcase concert at the London International Wind Band Festival, and has been invited to play on the Carnegie Hall Stage in New York.

Our first weekend course with a composer was arranged for April 14th and 15th 2007 with the international respected and Head of Composition at the Royal Northern College of Music, ADAM GORB. This was a tremendous success!! Check this review...

You need to have reached grade 8 standard on your band instrument or equivalent expertise and be eager to learn and grow even more technically, musically and conceptually. If you haven’t played for a while please don’t let that deter you; apply anyway. If you played in the main Music Service county groups please contact us even if you did not quite reach grade 8!

Starter Band

New starter band classes begin February 2009. Venue, Northampton.
Session choices: Wednesday 4.30pm to 6.30pm, or 7.00pm to 9pm, or, Saturdays, 11.20am to 1.20pm. Demonstration early January. Cost: £2.00 per hour, any windband instrument taught, including music reading and theory, woodwind, brass and percussion.

From age 9. All under 9s must be accompanied by an adult on the same instrument. All children must be large enough to play their chosen instrument.

Please sign up here to be placed on our list of candidates.

Come along and have a go! Read our workshop review. Click here.

Read about our starter band. Click here.