Our tutor for the workshop is Paul Lovatt-Cooper.

Paul is an English percussionist and composer. He currently holds the position of director of music at Factory Transmedia, and is the managing director of his music company PLC Music. Paul is also ‘composer in association’ with the Black Dyke Band.

He is married to Zoe Lovatt-Cooper (nee Hancock), former flugelhorn player for Black Dyke Band. They have two children together.

Paul Lovatt-Cooper was born and raised in Alderney. His parents were officers in the Salvation Army. He was introduced into music by his family members, who were all musicians and keen to keep the family tradition going. Paul started his musical career by playing the drums at school at the age of twelve. He joined the school band shortly after, which led to an invitation to play for former British Open Champions Kennedy’s Swinton Band. The invitation came from his music teacher and conductor of the band Kevin Bolton.

As a percussionist, Paul has been successful. At the age of 12, he began performing with the Kennedy’s Swinton Band. He was invited to audition for the Williams Fairey Band in 1992 and passed. He then became a regular soloist and also became principal percussionist with the Williams Fairey Band. In 2003, he left Faireys to join the Black Dyke Band as percussionist.

Paul Lovatt-Cooper started composing whilst at the University of Salford, studying under the brass and wind band composer Peter Graham.

After joining Black Dyke, the conductor Dr Nicholas Childs realised Paul’s potential as a composer.  He soon had the band performing his works, starting with the world premiere of his Trombone Concerto “Earth’s Fury” at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, which was recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 2. In 2005, Lovatt-Cooper won the Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band’s 125th Anniversary Composers Competition with his piece “West Rydings”.

Paul’s “Where Eagles Sing” was included as the finale to Karl Jenkins’ CD This Land of Ours. “Where Eagles Sing” was also performed on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night by the Band of the Coldstream Guards.

Lovatt-Cooper’s music has also been featured in the gala concert of the National Championships of Switzerland 2007 by International Soloist David Childs where Paul was the invited guest. Lovatt-Cooper’s piece “The Dark Side of the Moon” was selected as a test piece for the regional championships 2008 and received performances all over the world. It was also selected as the test piece for the Dutch National Championships 2008.

Lovatt-Cooper has written several works for youth bands; his first, “Solar Eclipse”, was commissioned by Colin Duxbury and the Stockport Schools Band, who performed it at the National Youth Championships of Great Britain in 2000, in which they won. “The Big Top” was composed for the Wardle High School Junior Band as part of their award-winning performance at the National Festival of Music for Youth Final at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall in 2006.

“Dream Catchers” was commissioned by the National Children’s Band of Great Britain in 2007 and has since been performed at York Minster in the summer of 2008 by the Yorkshire Youth Band. Paul was also commissioned by the British Federation of Brass Bands to compose the test piece for the National Youth Championships of Great Britain 2009.