Children’s summer music course in Bristol is legacy of a family tragedy

An annual summer music course for children comes to Bristol for the first time this year. It was born out of a family tragedy when young musician Nicholas Branston died in a car accident in 2008. His family and friends ensure his name lives on.

Bristol, United Kingdom – April 30, 2017 /PressCable/ —

When Nicholas Branston’s car hit a tree late one night in 2008 and ended his young life just two hundred yards from his home it seemed to be the end of the world for his parents and younger brother Joel. Nic was a musician on the brink of an orchestral career. At the age of 26 he was regularly touring the country for concerts with The London Symphony Orchestra, Opera North and the The London Philharmonia. Yet his musical friends and colleagues did not want to let his memory die with him and money raised at his funeral was set aside to start a charity in his name and run an annual summer music course for children.

Under the guidance of Nic’s parents The Nicholas Branston Foundation, for the past eight years, has run the annual music course for ages seven to eighteen. Many of Nic’s former friends are now professional performers who teach on the course and coach youngsters in the skills of musicianship, musical theatre and stagecraft. This summer the NB Music Course comes to Bristol for the first time and will be held at Bristol Cathedral School from 7th to 11th August.

Nic’s mother Rachel Branston said, “The NB Music Week has given hundreds of children and teenagers an opportunity to develop their talents. We bring in dynamic young specialists in instrumental and singing technique who work with the youngsters to produce a fantastic show for parents by the end of the week. I think we are unique in bringing together Musical Theatre and orchestral performance in the one course and we have places for very experienced performers and for young beginners alike”.

The Musical Theatre group is led by Katharine Woolley who was a friend of Nic at the Royal College of Music and now is the Children’s Musical Director for the show ‘Matilda’ in London’s West End. Orchestra leaders include international concert violinist Victoria Mavromoustaki, globetrotting percussion specialist James Godfrey and Bristol born, award winning composer and conductor Owain Park.

Nic’s father Paul Branston said, “The NB Course has been a family passion for us. We know that making music together can change lives for the better and seeing the fun and satisfaction everyone gains from the week makes all the hard work worth while. We’re also delighted to have raised thousands of pounds through the charity to support Music Therapy which helps many more people through troubled times.”

More information about this year’s NB Music Course in Bristol can be found at the the web site www.NBMusicCourses.org.

Contact Info:
Name: Paul Branston
Email: info@nbmusiccourses.org
Organization: The Nicholas Branston Foundation
Address: Highfields, The Wrangle Compton Martin, Bristol, Somerset BS40 6LB, United Kingdom
Phone: +44-7912-499433

For more information, please visit http://www.nbmusiccourses.org

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 192317