Dan West

Bass Trombone

Since moving to London 20 years ago, bass trombonist Dan West has established himself as one of the city’s busiest and most versatile freelance musicians. Dan frequently performs as an extra or as guest principal bass trombone with London’s top orchestras, is often recorded on bass & contrabass trombones on major film soundtracks, and from 2015 until 2020 was trombonist in the West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. Raised in Canada, Dan moved to the United States to receive his Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas before moving to the UK in 2005 to earn a Post Graduate Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with the legendary Bob Hughes. As a Conn-Selmer performing artist Dan performs exclusively on Conn bass trombones, and since 2021 he has taught bass trombone at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

What is your favourite Septura piece to play?

The Prokofiev suite of four Pieces for Piano, Op. 12, is really fun to perform. Simon’s arrangement is a brilliant advert for the brass septet medium; Prokofiev’s variance of moods & character are enhanced greatly by the kaleidoscopic range of colours offered by the seven brass instruments. Compared to the original version for piano it’s like switching from an old black-and-white TV to the latest brand new High-Definition model.

I’m also a big fan of the suite from J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Again, it’s a pleasure to perform and a fantastic arrangement by Matt.

What would you do if you weren’t a bass trombone player?

When I was in school I looked into becoming a sports journalist, and back then I liked to dream that I could have become a play-by-play commentator for my hometown ice hockey team, the Calgary Flames. I was advised that it was quite a difficult industry to break into and would require years of study, auditioning and freelance work before finding lucrative employment – so I became a musician instead!

Your favourite Septura moment?

Performing Shostakovich’s 8th String Quartet in the beautiful church in Lieksa, Finland this past summer was incredibly rewarding, and the reaction we invoked from the audience was something I will remember for a long time. Nearly as memorable as the late-night swim in the chilly lake nearby…

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