The Berwick Music Society’s 2025/26 music programme launches with the inaugural performance of the newly formed Berwick Brass Quintet at the Berwick Parish Church, Berwick, Saturday 27th September 2025, 2pm-3pm. Tickets are £10 on the door or via the BMS website.
The Berwick Brass Quintet, who are all based in Northumberland, features London session player and Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, Gordon Campbell (trombone); Dr Martin Parker (French horn), a composer of experimental electronic and computer music; Don Banham (tuba), who played with orchestras in Wellington, New Zealand and Brisbane, Australia; Dr Jeremy Brown (trumpet), a university biochemist who combines lecturing with studying the history of brass instruments; and former south Londoner May Thompson (trumpet), who was a composer in residence for community projects at Shakespeare’s Globe and played with the dectet EC1 Brass.
Their inaugural concert will see them playing a varied programme of brass music and arrangements reflecting the eclectic tastes and global influences of the five players. This includes popular classics such as Joplin’s Cleopha, Souza’s El Capitan, Bernstein’s Maria, Weil’s Mack the Knife and Anka’s My Way.
‘This is our second year and we’re delighted to unveil a diverse and eclectic range of music events over the coming months. For a place as small as Berwick – the population is circa 13,000 – there is an impressive cultural offering and we’re delighted have a new ensemble launch our season,’ says the chair of the Music Society, Dr. Catherine Preston.
The rest of the programme also includes jazz, saxophone and piano concerts as well as opera masterclass and a fascinating audio-visual lecture on Baroque music, a period that changed how musicians and audiences played, composed and listened to classical music.
The dates and timings of the rest of the programme, which all take at Berwick Parish Church, are as follows:
- Carl Raven (saxophone), Saturday 25th October 2025, 2pm-3pm, (£10)
- Tim Kliphuis Trio (jazz trio), Saturday 22nd November 2025, 2pm-4pm (£15 with interval)
- Yvonne Barclay ‘Rising Stars’ Masterclass with vocalists Sarah Moore and Cameron Robertson, Saturday 24th January 2026, 2pm-3pm (£10)
- Maria Chester and The Gal Trio, exploring Music and Art of the Baroque Period, Saturday 28th February 2026 2pm-3pm (£10)
- Ieva Dubova (piano), Saturday 21st March 2026, 2pm-4pm (£15 with interval)
A £50 season ticket saves £20 whilst Under 18s have free admission. Concessions are available on request thanks to the ongoing support of the Community Foundation North East. As part of its ongoing commitment to making music accessible to all, under 18s have free admission free for the season. Music lovers who find the £10 ticket price prohibitive can email info@berwickmusic.org in complete confidence.
The Music Society’s ambition is to showcase work by composers and performers in Northumberland and the Borders and to encourage local community to become more involved in music. The Society also has a patrons scheme for music fans to show their personal support for the town’s ever-evolving musical offerings.