Iain Rayner M.A. - A short biography

 

Iain was born in Northampton, UK and brought up through the Salvation Army. His family

moved to Bedford when he was a child and it was here that he learnt to play the cornet in

the junior band. He later moved instrument to euphonium and progressed through into

the senior band at Bedford Congress Hall Corps. Iain had lessons at school with Bedfordshire's head of brass, Terry Hext and was given the opportunity to play in the County Youth Brass and Concert bands as well as with a very good school concert band at Pilgrim school under the direction of Ian Smith. After leaving school, Iain joined the Army and became a member of Her Majesty's Life Guards (Household Cavalry) and took part in many prestigious events such as The Trooping of the Colour, The Royal Tournament and The Lord Mayor's Show and was also a State Trumpeter on the Household Cavalry's 'Musical Ride' mounted display team.

 

Shortly after leaving the Army, Iain began composing and arranging music for brass band and had his first success in 1996 when his arrangement of Smetana's Dance of the Comedians was played by the Salvation Army's International Staff Band at the Royal Albert Hall in London. This was also recorded by the band on their CD Partita later the same year. The following year the band again played another of his compositions In the Light at the Royal Albert Hall.

 

In the year 2000 Iain submitted a composition called Tsunami for the NABBC Young Composers' competition and won the first prize. Two years later, he was a finalist in the European Young Composers' competition with his submission Eclipse.

 

Since then his composition and arrangement portfolio has expanded and Iain has had music performed and recorded by some of the leading performers in the brass band field including David Daws (Cornet, now euphonium), Gary Fountain (Soprano), Carole Crompton & Kristy Rowe (Baritone) and Sheona White (Tenor Horn).

 

Iain's composition A Cavendish Suite was chosen as the test piece for 4th Section bands in the Mineworkers contest in 2008. Other high profile bands including Brighouse & Rastrick, Leyland, Sovereign and GUS have also performed his music. Among these pieces are classical transcriptions and arrangements, solos and trios, big band numbers, light concert music, test pieces and original works for brass band.

 

In addition to his works for brass band, Iain has had two series of songs published for Key Stage 2 & 3 school choirs and has written both accompanied and unaccompanied vocal music for adult choirs. 2016 saw more success as Iain's choral composition The Old Oak Queen was the winner of a national competition and was premiered by the East Cornwall Bach Choir in June of that year.

 

Iain has had many compositions and arrangements published by Danetre Music, for more information on these pieces please follow the link on the links page. Now, through Birchfield Music, Iain is making more of his composition and arrangement portfolio available and will be adding more music to enlarge the collection. Look out for new music on the site as it becomes available.

 

In January 2018, Iain graduated from Sheffield University with a Masters Degree in Psychology of Music in Education and after a number of years teaching in Primary Schools, he now teaches music in a Secondary school in Northampton. Iain has conducted bands throughout the sections in both East Midlands and London & Southern Counties regions and continues to work to develop his music portfolio. He is married, has two grown-up daughters and a dog.