Water from Ancient Sources

I was delighted to be commissioned to compose this piece to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Malvern Chase Brass Band in May 2018. I hope the title is reasonably self-explanatory; after all, water is very much at the core of Malvern history in one way or another.

I was born and lived in Shropshire until the age of 18; indeed, I have numerous family members who still live there. There have been many times over the years when my travels to and from Shropshire have caught the outline of the Malvern Hills in the distance. I have often thought how similar in appearance they are to the hill country of southern Shropshire. Indeed. I think both the Shropshire and Malvern Hills compete for a bit of the history / legend of ‘Caradoc’.

J. M.

Jock McKenzie studied trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester where he was a joint recipient of the college’s concerto prize. Since 1987 Jock has based his musical career in Hampshire, working as a freelance trumpeter, conductor, composer, arranger and brass teacher. Currently Jock holds the position of Professional Leader (Brass) for Hampshire Music Service and is the Director of the Hampshire County Youth Band. It is the mix of all of these musical roles that has led to Jock establishing a reputation as a leading creator of brass music resources, particularly in the field of education and brass ensemble music.