Andy Scott will be joining leading jazz pianist Gwilym Simcock for a duo performance on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune this week.
The broadcast will take place on Friday 1 August at 4.30pm, hosted by Sean Rafferty. This is a special programme from Glasgow as part of the BBC's cultural celebration of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, BBC at the Quay - live from the pop-up festival site outside BBC Scotland's headquarters Pacific Quay on the banks of the Clyde. Gwilym and Andy will play Andy's Whisper Goodbye together live on air as a prelude to the performance of each of their New Music Biennial commissions at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall the following day.
Andy Scott’s New Music Biennial work A Child Like You will be performed at 5.00pm on Saturday 2 August by Foden’s Band with soprano Anna-Clare Monk and harpist Lauren Scott. Gwilym Simcock’s commission On a Piece of Tapestry will be performed earlier in the day at 1.30pm by clarinettist Michael Collins and the City of London Sinfonia. These concerts form part of a special two day festival featuring all 20 of the New Music Biennial commissions, linked to the city’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games. Tickets for all these events are free of charge.
New Music Biennial is a PRS for Music Foundation initiative, in partnership with Creative Scotland, Arts Council England and the British Council. It is presented in collaboration with BBC Radio 3, NMC Recordings, Southbank Centre and Glasgow UNESCO City of Music. Every two years, the New Music Biennial will support and provide a platform for talented organisations and music creators who are pushing the boundaries of new music in the UK. 
Click to view details of the In Tune broadcast on the Radio 3 website
Click to view details of the Andy Scott and Gwilym Simcock commission performances on the Glasgow Concert Halls website
Click to visit the website for Gwilym Simcock
Click to visit the Projects section of this website for more information about the New Music Biennial commission
Click to visit the New Music Biennial website
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Andy Scott and Foden’s Band have released a short film introducing the New Music Biennial commission that Andy recently composed for Foden’s, soprano / narrator Anna-Clare Monk and harpist Lauren Scott.
The video by Joe Mace features an open rehearsal of the work prior to the Southbank Centre performance. It gives a flavour of the powerful mini opera, with words and music both written by Andy Scott. A line of text running along the screen provides background to the innovative work, which focuses on the experience of a teenage refugee who fled Uganda and lived with Andy’s own family. The piece also features four members of Foden’s Youth Band, who both play and narrate.
The New Music Biennial commission, A Child Like You, was premiered at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in May, and received its second performance and London premiere at Southbank Centre in July. Its next performance will be in Glasgow UNESCO City of Music on Saturday 2 August, linked to the city’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games.
New Music Biennial is a PRS for Music Foundation initiative, in partnership with Creative Scotland, Arts Council England and the British Council. It is presented in collaboration with BBC Radio 3, NMC Recordings, Southbank Centre and Glasgow UNESCO City of Music. The New Music Biennial is an international celebration, part of Glasgow Culture 2014, the cultural programme of the XX Commonwealth Games. 
Click to view the video preview of A Child Like You on YouTube
Click to visit the Projects section of this website for more information about the New Music Biennial commission
Click to visit the PRS for Music Foundation New Music Biennial website

Andy Scott’s New Music Biennial commission for Foden’s Band, soprano / narrator Anna-Clare Monk and harpist Lauren Scott will receive its Scottish premiere next month.
The new work, A Child Like You, will be performed in the main auditorium of Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 2 August at 5.00pm. The concert forms part of a special two day festival featuring all 20 of the New Music Biennial commissions awarded in the first round of the funding scheme, and linked to the city’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games. All tickets are free of charge, available from Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and should be booked in advance.
Child Like You tells the story of a teenage Ugandan Asian refugee, who after fleeing Uganda in 1972 to escape the brutal regime of Idi Amin, was taken in by Andy Scott’s family. Inspired by these real life events, this new 15-minute mini-opera explores questions about children who are adopted, fostered or orphaned, weaving together original text and music. A Child Like You was very well received at its world premiere in Manchester in May and last month’s London premiere at Southbank Centre, and received a positive review on the 4 Bars Rest website.
The work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and will be available for download along with the other New Music Biennial commissions, with a special discount running throughout July and August.
New Music Biennial is a PRS for Music Foundation initiative, in partnership with Creative Scotland, Arts Council England and the British Council. It is presented in collaboration with BBC Radio 3, NMC Recordings, Southbank Centre and Glasgow UNESCO City of Music. Every two years, the New Music Biennial will support and provide a platform for talented organisations and music creators who are pushing the boundaries of new music in the UK. 
Click to view details of the performance on the Glasgow Concert Halls website
Click to visit the NMC Recordings website for information about downloads
Click to read a review of A Child Like You on the 4 Bars Rest website
Click to visit the Projects section of this website for more information about the New Music Biennial commission
Click to visit the New Music Biennial website

Andy Scott will be teaching on three summer courses in the north of England this summer.
The season will start with the first ever Sandbach Saxophone Weekend on 19 and 20 July at Sandbach School. This course is aimed at both adult saxophonists and young people of Grade 3 level and above, and will include different levels of groups to enable intermediate and advanced players to improve their skills and be pushed to the best of their ability. Sessions will include Andy’s popular SaxAssault workshop with rhythm section and an Access All Areas introduction to improvisation for non-jazz musicians.
This will be followed by the Manchester Single Reed Summer School, where Andy will lead a half day composition and improvisation workshop. The course takes place at Stretford Grammar School in Manchester, led by Andy’s RNCM and Apollo Saxophone Quartet colleague Rob Buckland, and runs from 28 to 30 July, with Andy’s workshop taking place on 30 July, the final day of the course. The event also includes masterclasses, technique workshops, chamber music, large ensembles, jazz, and instrument making.
Finally, Andy will be guest tutor on the popular annual Harrogate Saxophone Summer School, which is also led by Rob Buckland. Running from 17 to 21 August at Ashville College in Harrogate, the course offers a stimulating week for all levels of saxophone players from grade 4 level upwards, with a packed programme of classes, ensembles, performance workshops and the option to take an individual lesson or advice audition.
Click to view details of the Sandbach Saxophone Weekend on the Love Music Trust website
Click to visit the Manchester Single Reed summer school website
Click to visit the Harrogate Saxophone Summer School website
Click to visit the Educator section on this website for more information about Andy’s education work

Andy Scott is busy preparing for his new Saxophone Weekend in Cheshire this month, and with a few places remaining, saxophone enthusiasts are advised to book now to avoid disappointment!
The first Sandbach Saxophone Weekend will take place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July at Sandbach School. This exciting new course is aimed at both adult saxophonists and young people of Grade 3 level and above, and will feature a stimulating and enjoyable programme of workshop sessions in a friendly, supportive environment. 
There will be different levels of groups to enable intermediate and advanced players to improve their skills and be pushed to the best of their ability. Activities will include Andy’s popular SaxAssault workshop, his Access All Areas introduction to improvisation for non-jazz musicians and an insight into his works for ABRSM and Trinity Guildhall saxophone exams, as well as a range of small and large saxophone ensemble sessions.
With over 20 years in music education, Andy Scott has earned a reputation as a gifted teacher. As versatile an educator as he is a performer and composer, Andy’s wide ranging music interests and experience enable him to teach across classical, jazz and contemporary styles.
The Sandbach Saxophone Weekend is run in collaboration with the Love Music Trust and sponsored by Selmer Paris, Vandoren and Astute Music. 
Click to view details of the Sandbach Saxophone Weekend on the Love Music Trust website
Click to visit the Educator section on this website for more information about Andy’s education work
Click to visit the website for Selmer Paris, Vandoren and Astute Music

Following the successful London premiere of Andy Scott’s New Music Biennial commission at Southbank Centre on 6 July, the new work will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 later this week.
The live recording of the London performance of A Child Like You by Foden’s Band, Anna-Clare Monk, Lauren Scott and four members of Foden’s Youth Band will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Hear And Now at 10.00pm on Saturday 12 July, presented by Sara Mohr-Pietsch. The programme will also feature a selection of other New Music Biennial commissions.
Staged by the PRS for Music Foundation to coincide with this year's Commonwealth Games, the first ever New Music Biennial showcases new commissions from a wide range of composers across the UK in two special events held in London and Glasgow. This is the first ever broadcast of New Music Biennial commissions.
Click to view details of the broadcast on the BBC Radio 3 website
Click to visit the Projects section of this website for more information about the New Music Biennial commission
Click to visit the PRS for Music Foundation New Music Biennial website

Fiona Bruce, Member of Parliament for Congleton Constituency, attended the London premiere of Andy Scott’s New Music Biennial commission, and has some fantastic words to say about the piece.
The work, A Child Like You, was performed at Southbank Centre on 6 July by Foden’s Band with soprano Anna-Clare Monk, harpist Lauren Scott and four members of Foden’s Youth Band, conducted by Michael Fowles. Immediately following the performance, Fiona Bruce issued a press release about the event, in which she shares her reaction to the powerful and moving work.
The press release explains that “this dramatic piece is a fifteen minute mini opera. It tells the story of a seventeen year old Ugandan Asian refugee, taken in by the family of composer Andy Scott – when Andy himself was under ten years old – to help the young Ugandan Asian refugee escape the brutal regime of Idi Amin. It tells Andy’s foster brother’s story from Uganda to refugee camps in the UK to living with his new family, weaving together original text and music.”
Fiona Bruce said “This was a complex and dramatic piece, which vividly stirred compassionate thoughts and emotions about the challenges faced by children losing their homeland and having to start life again in a completely strange environment and culture. It was a privilege to attend this prestigious event. The powerful, creative work and the sensitive dramatic way in which Foden’s interpreted it showed yet another dimension of Foden’s musical versatility. The whole performance was received extremely well by the audience, in fact, so much so, it was played twice! It made me very proud to represent Sandbach as Member of Parliament. I was particularly interested to learn that excerpts from a speech in Parliament from the 1970s were woven into the text. It was also wonderful to meet Andy’s foster brother who also attended the performance.”
Fiona Bruce is MP for Congleton, which includes Sandbach where both Andy and Foden’s are based.
Click to visit the Projects section of this website for more information about the New Music Biennial commission
Click to visit the PRS for Music Foundation New Music Biennial website

Andy Scott’s popular Sonata for Flute and Harp will be premiered in a new version for Flute and Guitar this month.
The Andrews Massey Duo will perform their own arrangement of the Sonata in a lunchtime recital at Leatherhead Methodist Church on Thursday 3 July. The Duo had previously premiered their arrangement of the first movement, and this will be the first performance of the complete work.
The Sonata for Flute and Harp is influenced by Eastern European folk rhythms and jazz harmony. The writing calls for special effects and timbres, including using the harp as a percussion instrument to create rhythmic intensity. Movements one and three are thematically linked, whilst the second movement stands on its own. It features on The Bad Tempered Flute, a CD of flute works by Andy Scott, performed by Clare Southworth and Lauren Scott.
The Andrews Massey Duo comprises flautist Emily Andrews and guitarist David Massey. The duo won a prestigious Tunnell Trust Award for 2012-2013 as well as being semi-finalists in the Royal Overseas League Competition three years in a row. Emily and David play many different styles of music, and enjoy programming familiar favourites with lesser-known works. They also recently released a CD of their own arrangements of British folk music, …from the Roots, which is receiving excellent reviews.
Click to visit the website for the Andrews Massey Duo
Andy Scott's Sonata for Flute and Harp is published by Astute Music
The Bad Tempered Flute is available from Amazon