New Wind Band Work by Kenneth Hesketh (2026)
- WASBE Marcom
- Sep 11
- 3 min read
The World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) has undertaken the commissioning of a new work by internationally renowned composer, Kenneth Hesketh. The new composition will be premiered at the WASBE biannual conference in Rio de Janeiro in July of 2026. We are now inviting you to become part of this important international commissioning initiative.
This will be a 15-minute work in 4 to 5 movements at an approximate grade level 5 (on a 1 – 6 scale). Please see the composer’s description of the new work and his biography below.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Lead Commissioner – $1,000: Exclusive right to the local premiere during the 2026–27 season, plus score and parts with no additional performance fees.
Supporting Commissioner – $250: Similar rights, with performances beginning after the 2026–27 season.
For participation details, please contact Matthew George, WASBE Commissioning Projects Chair, at mjgeorge@stthomas.edu.
NEW WIND BAND WORK - CONTEXT and IDEAS
I have had a great love and interest in mechanical automata and horology ever since I can remember. Change ringing, carillons, and clocks suffused my childhood. In wanting to celebrate this I'm planning a work for full wind band (see instrumentation below), c.15’ in duration, which would be in seperate movements (4 or 5). I see a procession of character pieces that respond in some way to automata clocks (the Prague Orloj being a farvourite of mine). The impetus for such a work has come from a small prject I worked on last year for 15 note music box, completely diatonic, which led to some interesting compositional choices! I would love to more fully realise the potential of such work on a larger and more coloristic canvas, the result I hope would produce an exciting piece for many bands, of no greater difficulty or increased band size that my early work Danceries (set 1).
Ken Hesketh
INSTRUMENTATION
(based on Danceries set 1 instrumentation)
Piccolo
2 Flutes
Oboe
Cor anglais (doubling oboe)
Eb Clarinet
3 Bb Clarinets
Bb Bass Clarinet
Soprano Saxophone
2 Eb Alto Saxophones
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
2 Bassoons
4 Horns in F
3 Bb Cornets
2 Bb Trumpets
2 Tenor Trombones
Bass Trombone
2 Euphoniums
2 Tubas
String bass
Timpani
Percussion (5-6 players)
Tubular Bells, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Suspended Cymbal, Clash Cymbals, Side Drum, Tenor
Drum, Bass Drum, Triangle, Sleigh bells, Tam-tam, Whip
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Kenneth Hesketh’s work has been described as ‘engrossing and ultimately rewarding’ and where “music, life, poetry and visual art merge masterfully”. A professor of composition and orchestration at the Royal College of Music, honorary professor at Liverpool University and active as a guest lecturer and visiting professor, Hesketh has taught at the Summer Academy of the Ionian University, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Bowdoin International Music Festival USA, and Cheltenham Composer Academy, England.
He has received numerous national and international commissions and has been represented at festivals from London (Proms) to the USA (Tanglewood/Bowdoin) to China (Beijing Modern Music Festival). Awards include the André Chevillion-Yvonne Bonnaud Foundation Prize, France, a British Composer Award in 2017 for his work In Ictu Oculi and shortlisted for an Ivors Academy Award in 2020 (Uncoiling theRiver). A Paladino Music CD featuring Hesketh’s orchestral works was judged BBC Music Magazine Orchestra choice of the Month and called ‘An exhilarating and beautiful synergy of form and expression […]" and Hesketh described as "a composer at the height of his considerable powers”.
Hesketh's music for symphonic wind band, including Danceries (Sets 1 and 2,) Masque and Diaghilev Dances have become contemporary classics of the genre. In their versions for brass band, Danceries (Set 1) has been selected as a test piece for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain in 2002, while Masque is well established in the international repertoire. Hesketh's The Alchymist's Journal (2002), released on the NMC label in 2008, featured as a set test in the 2015 event.
His work has been recorded by NMC, BIS, Paladino Music, Somm Records, Prima Facie, and Chandos labels, all released to critical acclaim. His disc In Ictu Oculi (Paladino Music) was judged one of the Top 100 disc releases in 2018 (The Times). His most recent disc (2024) has been praised as "well-crafted and built on a foundation of finely honed expertise, [having] a quality of permanence and necessity" (Dominy Clements, musicwebinternational).
To learn more about the composer, visit http://www.kennethhesketh.co.uk/
