Bone-afide
RPS Philip Jones Brass Prize | £2,500
Bone-afide are the winners of the 2021 Philip Jones Brass Prize; a new prize intended to draw profile to a brass player or ensemble of exceptional promise and to help them to progress professionally. The prize takes its name from the renowned and much-loved trumpeter Philip Jones CBE (1928 – 2000) and is made possible thanks to our close association with Philip’s wife Ursula Jones, a dear friend and supporter of the RPS.
A comment from Bone-afide:
‘We are extremely excited and grateful to have won the RPS Philip Jones Brass Prize. As a trombone quartet, one of our central ambitions is to combat existing stereotypes surrounding our instrument, largely through the creation of new repertoire and arrangements. This prize will massively help us move closer to achieving our goal: we are thrilled to be commissioning Errollyn Wallen to write us a new, original work for trombone quartet. Alongside this, we are continuing to work with our friend Will Foster to create more arrangements for a new programme that we are developing. This will include works by Liszt, Bartok, De Falla and Holst amongst others.
Beyond the creation of new repertoire, we also plan to build on our recording experience. Over the past year, we have professionally recorded several works and released them on our social media and YouTube channels. Part of this prize will also go towards releasing new recordings, to both broaden our reach and hopefully showcase what the trombone quartet is capable of.’
Biography
Bone-afide is an emerging chamber ensemble made up of some of the UK’s leading young trombonists. A group of friends all currently studying in London at the Royal Academy of Music, the group strives to showcase the versatility of the trombone, performing works from all genres and periods with the aim of defying stereotypes surrounding the instrument.
In 2020, the quartet became joint winners of the International Trombone Association Quartet competition. Later in the same year, they became a recipient of the prestigious Tunnell Trust Award, which will see the group perform a number of concerts throughout Scotland in 2022.
Alongside being chamber musicians, the members are also keen orchestral musicians. Having been members of various National Youth Orchestras and the European Union Youth Orchestra, they are now appearing on the professional circuit, including with the London Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera, Septura, The Philharmonia, BBC Scottish and Concert Orchestras, RTE and RTE Concert Orchestras, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonica de Galicia and London Brass.
The members of Bone-afide are Chris Brewster, Angus Butt, Isobel Daws, and Merin Rhyd.
Bone-afide is sponsored by Greg Black Mouthpieces.