Ryan was born in Wigan, where he still lives. He began taking an interest in music when his older brother (Shaun), came home from school with a trombone and spoke about opportunities to join the school band. A tenor horn became available, along with lessons from Ian Darrington, - the director of the much acclaimed Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra, and so Ryan was encouraged to take the opportunity with both hands.
Whilst at school Ryan also took up piano lessons and soon he (and his parents) had a very busy week having commitments to Wigan Youth Brass Band, Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra, Ashton –in-Makerfield Music Centre Orrell Silver Prize Band, Cub Scouts and Chess Club!
In 1985 he changed instruments from the Tenor Horn to the Euphonium and during his years with Wigan Youth Brass Band toured Australia, Germany and Denmark.
Ryan started to really enjoy playing whilst playing for the Orrell Silver Prize Band. The band was not only a massive part of Ryan’s social life but the musical director – Neil Parkinson, was a source of much inspiration and in 1987 Ryan won the ‘Best Euphonium’ prize at the Burtonwood Brass Band Championships.
In 1988 Ryan went to study at Chetham’s School of Music for four years, where he changed instruments once again to become a tuba player. Here he received tuition from some of the country’s leading tubists including Stuart Roebuck, Brian Kingsley, Andrew Duncan and Oren Marshall. During his time at Chet’s he won the Northern Guild Music Competition and played with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
After Chetham’s Ryan studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and in 1999 graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music, where he was invited to become a member of Tubalaté.
Ryan is now very busy with Tubalaté and freelances with some of the country’s leading orchestras.
This is the last in the series of personal biographies. In the next issue we will present an insight into our FroTs
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Warrington Education Project
Over the past six months Tubalaté has been involved in an education project with 23 Warrington Primary Schools. Warrington Borough Council funded this project.
The aim of the project was to encourage young people to become involved in music. Tubalaté used the opportunity to show the children all about brass instruments through their education concert ‘Music in Motion’.
‘Music in Motion’ is a collection of pieces we use to demonstrate different musical elements. The concert gives everyone a chance to join in with Tubalaté. A Latin American percussion piece allows volunteers to become part of the band. The whole audience becomes involved in a weather machine during a performance of The Thunderer.
Each concert was followed by at least one workshop. We worked in a variety of ways dependent on the children. We could produce a rap, in the style of Ali G, without using a single instrument. We produced rhythm pieces based on the last meal each team could remember. The young people of Warrington involved themselves in every activity we offered they asked many questions and gave warm appreciation to Tubalaté.
In September Tubalaté will begin a residency in Denbighshire. Initially we are to spend five days in the county. Four of the days will be in Primary Schools. At each school we will produce an original composition based on the four seasons (not the Vivaldi piece - just spring, summer, autumn and winter). These will all be brought together on the fifth day when we are to visit a secondary school. All the children from all four primary schools will join together to form a large composition accompanied by Tubalaté.
More news of this project in another issue.
If you would like more information about ‘Music in Motion’ or our other education projects please feel free to contact us at: Tubalaté
5 Turnberry Drive
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 2QW
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Composer profile – David Stoll
David Stoll is a freelance composer working in the concert, theatre and media worlds.
David Stoll’s concert music spans orchestral, choral and vocal works as well as several works for chamber ensembles, such as the PIANO QUARTET and the SONATA FOR TWO PIANOS. Works range from MONUMENT for harmony band, commissioned by Ars Floreat for performance in Holland to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its liberation after the war, to FANFARES AND REFLECTIONS, a wind sextet commissioned for the opening of new College buildings in Oxford.
Recent premieres include MOTET IN MEMORIAM (New York, Sept 00), the Brass Quartet OCTAVE VARIATIONS (premiered by Tubalaté - for whom it was written - at their tenth birthday concert in Manchester, November 2001) and the CELLO CONCERTO (London, May 2001).
Recently completed works include THE PATH TO THE RIVER, an Octet commissioned for the chamber ensemble, Chroma, who will be recording it later this year; and a CELLO SONATA (premiered by Richard Jenkinson in April 2002). His most recently completed work is the third STRING QUARTET, commissioned by the Bingham String Quartet with funds from the RVW Trust, which was also premiered this April.
Current commissions include a second Symphonic Poem based on Eliot’s "Four Quartets" (for spring 2003) and a new piece for string orchestra for the Shakespeare Birthday Concert in Stratford-upon-Avon next April.
Though now best known for his concert music, many of Stoll’s signature tunes for radio and television are also familiar around the world. He has written music for documentaries, dramas and general interest programmes and he still regularly writes production library music – orchestral, chamber and electronic.
He has also written many songs (lyrics and music), especially for children. Stoll co-wrote the music for TELLER OF TALES, the musical about Robert Louis Stevenson, produced in both Edinburgh and California in 1994. He was one of the composers commissioned to write for the UK Year of Opera and Musical Theatre, 1997: his one-act opera about the Tudor composer, William Byrd – FALSE RELATIONS – was premiered in March 97. April 98 saw the first production of the A&BC Theatre Company’s highly acclaimed IF I WERE LIFTED UP FROM EARTH for which Stoll wrote the music. He has also written the scores for recent productions of PERICLES and THE WINTER’S TALE.
Commercial recordings of Stoll’s music include CHAMBER MUSIC, a Meridian Records CD which was recently re-issued; THE SHAKESPEARE SUITE (Riverrun Records), a set of character studies for chamber ensemble; and the first two STRING QUARTETS (also Riverrun). Three pieces, including the Marvell setting THE FAIR SINGER, were recorded recently by the Renaissance ensemble Virelai for CD release later this year. The CELLO SONATA is also to be released on CD in 2002.
Stoll also writes articles on music and musical matters. He has also written several stories and poems for BBC Schools Radio. He is on the editorial committee of ‘The Works’ (the journal of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters) and particularly responsible for the ‘CrossOver’ section which deals with more philosophical musical topics.
David Stoll is ex-Chairman of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters. He conceived and acted as first Director for In Tune in Europe, a Seminar for European composers, initially funded by the UK Government and the European Commission.
Stoll was the first elected composer representative on the Appeals Panel of the Performing Right Society; he sits as a Director on the Board of British Music Rights and is a Trustee of the British Music Information Centre.
The Royal Academy of Music earlier this year honoured Stoll with election to an Associateship for "distinction in (his) profession".
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A fun week in Northumberland
The first week of July found Tubalaté on tour in Northumberland. Our accommodation - a cottage adjoining a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere!
Whilst we are all very serious about our music making and Tubalaté we feel it is very important to enjoy these times travelling. Ryan and John had planned well bringing a great deal of fishing equipment, Ian brought his running gear (he’s doing the Great North Run in October) and I brought…a loaf and a large jar of peanut butter!
All the evening concerts were a great success and we even met a FroT – a big hello to Miss Golland. During our stay in Northumberland we were also undertaking a number of lunchtime engagements and educational concerts – not leaving much time for sightseeing, however, we did spend a fascinating hour rock-pooling in Sea Houses. We found a number of crabs, some hermit crabs, a couple of starfish, a sea slug - but no sharks!
Food was usually eaten – ‘on the hoof’ but on a couple of occasions we were treated to Ryan’s culinary expertise – we tried a plaice he had caught and named ‘Ed and he also made a wonderful Thai fish soup with noodles (recipes are available!)
John had a little trouble with his contact lenses and resorted to wearing his glasses for most of the week. During a moment of frustration John slightly damaged his spectacles. Fortunately the contact lens he had lost and the lens that had fallen out of his glasses weren’t the same ones but it looked a mite unusual – although I’m led to believe it started a whole new trend in concertgoers in the region! Ten minutes before we were due to start a lunchtime concert John was frantically running round Alnwick trying to find an opticians – bearing in mind his sight was somewhat impaired it’s a miracle he was found alive! The local opticians provided a replacement contact lens for £1.50!
We had a successful week. I’m now considering taking my family on holiday to Northumberland to visit so many of the beautiful sights we passed. The moral of this tale is – if tourism in your area is struggling, book Tubalaté for a concert and we might just come back on our hols!!
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