Surrey Brass President: Denis Wick

Denis Wick
Surrey Brass is proud to have the world-famous British trombonist, brass teacher and conductor, Denis Wick, as their President.

Denis has been highly influential in the development of the ensemble, and has often conducted the group in concert and rehearsal. He has also coached individual members as well as contributing music from his own arrangements for brass.

Denis Wick graduated from London's Royal Academy of Music, and his first professional appointment was in the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra as a second trombone. Then in 1952 he became principal trombonist of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and in 1957 the principal trombonist of London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), where he worked until his retirement in 1988. During this time he played for most of the world’s greatest conductors. Although employed in the LSO, Denis Wick has also been a member of the London Sinfonietta, played in the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble among many other groups. In addition, he performed as a soloist. Several British composers have dedicated his name to their concertos, for example: Gordon Jacob, Buxton Orr, and Alun Hoddinott.

His work as a conductor began at the Guildhall School in the early 1960s. The work was focused on the brass ensembles and youth symphony orchestra. Later in the 70s, his London Wind Orchestra made prize-winning recordings, which have set new standards for this kind of ensemble. Denis Wick has recently retired as a professor of London Royal Academy of Music. His graduates work in Britain and around the world, among them, the trombone soloist and virtuoso Christian Lindberg, members of the female quartet Trombones "Bones Apart" and many more. He is the judge of the most prestigious international competitions and maintains an important role as tutor with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.

From 2004 to 2006, Denis was the President of the International Trombone Association (ITA).

He is also a President of a Company "Denis Wick Products Ltd" producing mutes, mouthpieces, accessories and printing music for all brass instruments (Denis Wick Mouthpieces and Mutes).

He is also President of a Company "Denis Wick Publishing Ltd" which specialises in sheet music for wind and brass ensembles (Denis Wick Publications).

The Denis Wick book "Trombone Technique" was published in two editions in 1971 and in 1984 in "Oxford University Press" and is recognized worldwide as one of the best books about trombone ever written. The latest version is available exclusively from his Publishing website. As Denis says "...standards of playing are now incomparably better everywhere.  The trombone is now taken more seriously as a solo instrument internationally and each new generation seems to push forward the frontiers of performance.  More solo material continues to be written and performance demands that would have been unimaginable 35 years ago are now considered normal... "


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