A work by Andy Scott will be used for a dance performance for the first time, when Nemesis, a duo for soprano saxophone and marimba, will be played in London this month.
The performance by saxophonist Simon Haram and Julian Warburton on vibraphone will accompany a specially choreographed dance by Eleesha Drennan, performed by Annabeth Berkeley, Annamarie Keskinen and Kenny Wing Tao Ho at The Place on 27 and 28 February. The programme will also include music by Mark Bowden, Graham Fitkin, John Woolrich and Iannis Xenakis.
Composed between 1996 and 1998, Nemesis is a three movement work in a contemporary classical style with jazz and Latin influences. The second part includes a short improvised section with an alternative notated solo. Nemesis was recorded by Rob Buckland and Simone Rebello on the CD Towards the Light. An alternative version for flute and guitar was recorded by Paul Edmund-Davies and Craig Ogden on The Bad Tempered Flute, a CD of Andy Scott’s works for flute.
Simon Haram is much sought after as a recitalist and ensemble player, appearing with many leading ensembles and orchestras. He was appointed Principal Saxophone of the London Sinfonietta in 1997. As a soloist, Simon has appeared with many of the UK’s top orchestras and has given several world premieres. He is Professor of Saxophone at the Royal Academy of Music. 
Click for more information about the performances
Click to watch a video of the first movement of Nemesis dance
Click to visit the website for Simon Haram

Two works by Andy Scott featured in the winning performance at the UniBrass 2015 Championship this month.
The University of Manchester Brass Band impressed the judges with an entertaining programme of high quality contemporary works to win the prestigious national championship in Warwick on 14 February. In an inspired piece of programming, the band built their choice of pieces around the work of the UniBrass Brass for Africa charity. Opening with Andy Scott’s Madiba, the performance also included My Mountain Top in an arrangement by solo cornet player Illiam Quane, as well as works by Peter Graham and Larsson.
Madiba has become a popular choice with brass bands both in the UK and further afield. Inspired by Nelson Mandela, Madiba is a powerful, uplifting piece that celebrates Mandela’s 46 year fight to end apartheid in South Africa. Featuring infectious melodies and a fiery Afro-Cuban groove, the music is challenging but great fun to play. My Moutain Top, which now exists in a number of different instrumental versions, is one of Andy Scott’s most often performed and recorded works. With a pre-recorded soundtrack featuring poetry by Lemn Sissay, it evokes a feeling of gradually drifting into a semi-conscious state in the heat of a summer’s day.
UniBrass is the world's only inter-university brass band contest. Founded in 2011 by a group of Lancaster University students, the competition has quickly become a firmly established event in the university calendar. Having come second in the last two annual championships, the University of Manchester Brass Band achieved a resounding win for the first time, scoring eight points above their closest rival. They were also awarded prizes for Most Entertaining Band and Best Solo Feature, while their conductor Jonathan Evans was awarded Best Student Conductor.
Andy Scott’s works are published by Astute Music
Click to read a full report on the 4 Bars Rest website
Click to visit the UniBrass website

Andy Scott’s double saxophone concerto Dark Rain features in two performances in The Netherlands within two months.
The award-winning work featured in a gala concert entitled Tribute to Adolph Sax, marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Adolphe Sax, at the Westland Saxophone Festival in Naaldwijk on 31 January. Arno Bornkamp and Erik-Jan de With (pictured) were soloists with the Gelders Fanfare Orkest directed by Erik van de Kolk, in this arrangement for fanfare orchestra by Jos Dobbelstein. Andy Scott was delighted to be there in person to hear his music played live by two great performers.
There will be a second opportunity to hear Erik-Jan de With and the Gelders Fanfare Orkest perform Dark Rain in the spring, this time joined by Linda Arnoldus as joint soloist. The afternoon concert, entitled "Blowing in the Beurs", will take place at 3.00pm on Sunday 22 March at Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam.
Dark Rain is one of Andy Scott’s most powerful and moving works. It was inspired by a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where Andy was struck by both the devastation mankind can inflict on itself and the overwhelming quest for peace. The groundbreaking double concerto won the brass band and wind band category of the prestigious British Composer Awards in 2006.
Dark Rain has often been performed in the UK and internationally, including in Slovenia, Hong Kong, the United States, Australia, Spain, and previously in the Netherlands. The piece was composed for John Harle and Rob Buckland, who can be heard playing it with the RNCM Wind Orchestra on Gameshow, Rob Buckland’s recently released CD, available from Sospiro Records.
Andy Scott’s works are published by Astute Music
Click to visit the Westland Saxofoon Festival website
Click to visit the Beurs van Berlage website
Click to visit the Sospiro Records website