Sonrise

Sonrise (I originally wrote this piece as a cornet solo for my son Angus to play with his youth brass band, hence the title “Sonrise” When Angus visited Uganda with me to play with the incredible young musicians involved with the charity “Brass for Africa” music programmes I arranged the piece as a trumpet duet for him to play with Lillian. Lillian is an inspiring young lady, a Rwandan refugee to Uganda, who at age 12 found herself orphaned and living on the city streets. Lillian has found her voice in music and playing the trumpet, and she now has a future through music as she teaches other young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Lillian and Angus performed “Sonrise” together on several occasions in Kampala and the piece became a symbol of unity through music. When renowned trumpet virtuoso and Brass for Africa patron Alison Balsom visited Kampala in January 2014 Lillian and Alison performed “Sonrise” to a large audience at a concert in the slums of the city, yet another example of how music can empower and provide otherwise unimagined opportunities. All proceeds from “Sonrise” are donated to Brass for Africa, a charity making a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in Africa through brass music and brass music education." Listen to "Sonrise" and see the score below on Score flipper, recorded by the composer, Jim Trott on the piano and his son Angus playing both trumpet parts!)