Competition Winner Announced

Alex Scaife-McGee’s A River Reborn is the winner of the 2024 Richmond Brass Band Composition Competition, organised in association with London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

The winning composer Alex commented:

When I saw the brief I was immediately drawn to the mighty River Thames and began to look into the history of the watercourse, with specific reference to its ecology, flora and fauna.

What I found was both shocking and encouraging, with the river’s journey from being ‘biologically dead’ to becoming a thriving watercourse once again. This was such an inspiration for composition.

The work takes us on a journey from the industrial damage we inflicted on the river to the present day, celebrating landmarks on the river’s course and the plant and animal life that dwells within it. However, the composition ends with a cautionary warning, reminding us to never again treat our greatest river with such contempt!

Alex Scaife-McGee is a composer and conductor living and working in West Wales. He is musical director of the South Wales Police Band, the Carmarthen branch of the Rusty Player’s Orchestra and the National Police Memorial Service.

He has almost 30 works published for brass band and wind band and loves writing about his beloved Wales, especially the wildlife and landscapes.

A River Reborn will be premiered at the Richmond Brass Band Spring Concert on 29 March 2025 and performed at various events throughout the year.