Recent Projects - 2016

December 2016/January 2017:

Alun has just completed his second Pantomime Season featuring in all 57 performances of Cinderella at Newport's Riverfront Theatre with the Hiss & Boo Company and The Production Exchange.

November 2016:

Alun played percussion in Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé with the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of internationally renowned Bernard Haitink.

In the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, Alun led the RCM Percussionists in the musical enterntainment at the opening ceremony of The Francis Crick Institute

October 2016:

Alun performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall under conductor Christopher Warren-Green, playing timpani in BRUCH's Violin Concerto No.1 and second timpani in ORFF's Carmina Burana.

Box9 drumline released a new promotional video under the banner Box9 Lightline. Adding to their considerable stick mastery they have now added LED lighting to their repertoire - see Recordings.

Alun was principal percussionist with RCM's New Perspectives in their 'Tribute to Pierre Boulez'. The concert featured the world première of Corrugated Light by Daniel Lee Chappell, and sur Incises by Pierre Boulez. Timothy Lines conductored.

Alun was timpanist with the RCM Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven's Symphony no 7 in A major op 92. The conductor was Thomas Zehetmair.

Alun performed with Sinfonia Cymru in the special concert to commemorate 50 years since the Aberfan disaster. The concert included readings, songs and music that reflected on the tragic event and featured the world première of Cantata Memoria, composed and conducted by Sir Karl Jenkins CBE and based on a libretto by Welsh poet Mererid Hopwood.

The event was conducted by Gareth Jones and supported by many of Wales' celebrated artists including: Bryn Terfel CBE, Michael Sheen OBE, Dame Siân Phillips, Elin Manahan Thomas, Catrin Finch, Joo Yeon Sir, David Childs, Iwan Rheon, Mabli Tudor, Chris Lewis the Ynysowen Male Choir and school choirs from Ynysowen Community Primary School and Ysgol Rhyd y Grug.

The concert was a co-production between Wales Millennium Centre and Mr Producer on behalf of The Aberfan Memorial Charity and produced for television by Rondo Media and was broadcast on S4C on Sunday 9th October.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD - THE LARGEST DRUMMING LESSON Alun performed with the RCM's Percussionists alongside Inspire-works, Street Child United and London Schools at the Copper Box Arena, London in this world recording beating performance of 1827 drummers in "Bang the Drum 2016" to raise the profile for the rights of street children.

Alun performed with both the RCM Redhocks and Box9 drumline in the Surrey Arts concert "The Big Bang" celebrating the achievements of Surrey Arts percussionists and the life of Pete Handley, former RCM student and founding member of Box9 drumline.

September 2016:

Alun performed with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in their "LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS" extravaganza at Lowestoft's Marine Theatre. Hilary Davan Wetton conducted this concert which celebrated the best of British music, well-loved classical masterpieces, popular arias and Proms favourites.

August 2016:

Box9 drumline were again out and about over the summer months entertaining the crowds at annual music festivals. This year these included the Secret Garden Party and Alex James & Jamie Oliver's The Big Feastival.

July 2016:

Alun performed as part of the RCM's 6th annual Percussion Festival

# with the RCM's Drumline "Redhocks", performing Peter Vulperhost's Razzle Dazzle and Ritmixx, as well as Experiments by Sjoerd Westra and Crazy Army by Ed Lemley.

# alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra Timpani & Percussion Section, demonstrating their favourite orchestral repertoire, introduced by Alex Neal.

Alun performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the 38th Annual Classical Concert at Leeds Castle, Maidstone. The conductor was John Rigby, and the programme included many classical favourites including Pomp & Circumstance March No 1 and 1812 Overture.

June 2016:

Alun performed with the RCM New Perspectives under the baton of Timothy Lines. The programme included:

# Julian Anderson: Alhambra Fantasy

# Oliver Knussen: Notre Dame des Jouets and Two Organa

Alun featured in the RCM PERCUSSION SHOWCASE, including:

# Philippe Hurel's Loops II for solo Vibraphone

# with the RCM's Drumline "Redhocks", performing the world premiere of Peter Vulperhost's Razzle Dazzle and Ritmixx, as well as Experiments by Sjoerd Westra and Crazy Army by Ed Lemley.

# and alongside all of the RCM's percussionists, a unique arrangement of the overture to Thieving Magpie by Gioachino Rossini.

Alun was the principal percussionist with the RCM Symphony Orchestra for their Stravinsky themed concert held in the Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, London. The conductor was Diego Masson, one of the world's leading exponents of the music of the 20th and 21st centuries, Samson Tsoy performed the Capriccio, and the programme included:

# Stravinsky: Symphony in 3 Movements

# Stravinsky: Capriccio

# Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale

# Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1945 version)

Alun performed the following for his 1st Year, Masters in Performance Recital:

# Marimba D'Amore by Keiko Abe

# Loops II by Philipe Hurel

# Bedtime Stories & Counting Duets by Tom Johnson

# Adagio from Sonata for Keyboard & Violin in C minor by J.S.Bach, arranged for Marimba

# Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Bejamin Britten arranged for solo percussion by David Corkhill

May 2016:

Alun performed in the pit for the RCM Opera School's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT.

The programme, conducted by Lionel Friend, directed by Bill Bankes-Jones with sets designed by Sarah Booth, was produced by the Royal College of Music in association with Tête à Tête. It featured a series of 15 minute operas written by members of the RCM's Opera School on a theme of Crime and Punishment. The works performed were:

# Stream of Consciousness, Sea of Blood: Benjamien Lycke (music) / Mien Bogaert (words).

# 76 Days: Kenichi Ikuno Sekiguchi (music and words).

# Bel and the Dragon: Alex Paxton (music and words).

# The Two Sisters: Algirdas Kraunaitis (music) / Grace Lee-Khoo (words).

# Der Eisenhut: Amy Bryce (music) / Roland Bryce (words).

# Killer Graphics: Sam Hall (music) / Darren Rapier (words) Killer Graphics.

April 2016:

Alun performed with the RCM Philharmonic in a concert celebrating the centenary of Yehudi Menuhin's birth. The programme, conducted by Ben Palmer and starring Yume Fujise on violin, included Sibelius's Finlandia, the world premiere of Alex Paxton's Spake and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto no 1 in D major op 19.

Box9 Drumline appeared in the Live concert at the Royal Albert Hall supporting the Ayoub Sisters, winners of the Big Music Project.

The Band also featured in the subsequent broadcast of the concert on radio.

Box9 Drumline performed at a private fund raising function at the Natural History Museum. Check out the Recording page for more!

Alun performed with the London City Orchestra. Pablo Urbina conducted the concert at St John's Waterloo, London. The programme included Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major featuring soloist Aisha Syed Castro, and Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances.

March 2016:

Alun performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Mahler's Symphony No 2 'Resurrection' at the Royal Albert Hall. The conductor was Vasily Petrenko.

Alun performed on the UK legs of the Video Games Live 2016 tour in Manchester's Albert Hall and London's Troxy where he played as part of the supporting orchestra British Sinfonietta.

Alun performed with the RCM New Perspectives in 'Steve Reich in Residence' concert celebrating the composers 80th birthday.

Quartet by Steve Reich - written for two pianos and two vibraphones, where Alun was joined by Angela Hui on the vibraphones.

Double Sextet by Steve Reich - written for two identical sextets featuring flute, clarinet, vibraphone, piano, violin and cello. Alun was again joined by Angela Hui on the vibraphones.

Alun performed at the RCM President's annual visit, where HRH The Prince of Wales conferred an Honorary Doctorate on the American composer Steve Reich. The programme involved opening and closing fanfares including 'Wiener Phlharmoniker Fanfare' by Richard Strauss and 'Quartet' by Steve Reich featuring two pianos and two vibraphones.

February 2016:

Alun performed in an Experimental Music concert where RCM composers presented a programme of works encompassing conceptual, theatrical, multimedia and collaborative dimensions.

Alun performed with the RCM Symphony Orchestra in a varied programme that featured:

Edgar Varèse's Ionisation conducted by Asier Puga. This composition dates from 1929-1931 was written for thirteen percussionists and was among the first concert hall compositions for percussion ensemble alone. The piece is built on a most sensitive handling and contrast of different kinds of percussive sounds, including the bass drum, snare drum, wood blocks, cymbals, piano, chimes, sirens and the 'lion's roar'.

Ravel's Rapsodie espagnole conducted by John Wilson. This is Ravel's famous and evocative Rapsodie espagnole composed in 1907.

Dutilleux's Symphony no 2 'La double' conducted by John Wilson. This captivating work, premiered in 1959, showcases Dutilleux's skills as a composer who was intensely attuned to the sensual and profound. This piece is unusual in that it features an ensemble of '12 musicians chosen from the first desk players' performing collectively as the 'solo element' in addition to the main orchestra.

January 2016:

Alun featured as the timpanist with the RCM Symphony Orchestra. The concert designed to showcase the extraordinary might of the trumpet included Mark-Anthony Turnage's 'From the Wreckage' conducted by Timothy Lines and Janáček's 'Sinfonietta' conducted by Håkan Hardenberger.

December 2015/January 2016:

Alun has just completed his first Pantomime Season featuring in all 57 performances of Jack and the Beanstalk at Newport's Riverfront Theatre with the Hiss & Boo Company .