Whilst the majority of the works on offer at Portus Press are arrangements by the founder, Lisa Portus, there are a significant number of pieces available by other arrangers and composers. Here’s a brief overview of each of them:
Graham Sheen
Graham Sheen is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and became a professor there in 1979. He was principal bassoonist of both the BBC Symphony Orchestra (1983-2017) and, until 2016, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, having completed forty years’ service. He has appeared extensively as soloist with both orchestras and in April 2013 gave the première of a new bassoon concerto by Judith Bingham. He has recorded two solo CDs with Elizabeth Burley for SFZ Music. Graham is also a composer, editor and arranger with over sixty published works. He has written several graded albums and studies for bassoon and bassoon ensemble, including Mr Sheen’s Miscellany, a series of 13 pieces for the Trinity Guildhall Examination Board.
Frances Jones
Frances Jones is a freelance wind player based the Thames Valley, UK, particularly sought after as a performer, teacher, lecturer, adjudicator, arranger and writer. She took a music degree at the University of Reading and studied oboe with Sydney Sutcliffe at the Royal College of Music. Since 2005 she has become the UK’s leading exponent of the Swiss alpine horn, which has resulted in engagements to perform and lecture all over the World. Following the completion of her ground-breaking PhD about the influence of the alphorn on the classical composer she wrote a fascinating book ‘The Alphorn through the Eyes of the Classical Composer’ which was published by Vernon Press in 2020.
Frances’s bassoon quartet arrangements usually follow the 1-4 hierarchy of parts. That is the majority of the melodic material goes to the 1st bassoon, and the bass line mostly to the 4th bassoon. Each arrangement is carefully thought out and all parts are great to play!
Janet Beat
Janet Beat (b.1937) studied music at Birmingham University, continuing her studies in Italy. On her return she received composition tuition from Alexander Goehr and encouragement from Luigi Dallapiccola and Sir Michael Tippett. One of the women pioneers in electronic music composition in the UK, she established the electronic music and recording studios for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama). In her long career she has held a number of posts including Visiting Composer at Meister-Konsvatorium, Nürnberg, (now the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg/Augsburg) and Lecturer and Honorary Research Fellow at Glasgow University (1996-2015). In 2019 her inspiring legacy was officially recognised when she received the Scottish Women Inventing Music Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ralf Dorrell
Ralf Dorrell (b.1959) is a trombone and bass player, music educator and award-winning composer based in the South West of England. He studied music at Sheffield University and completed his Masters and a PhD in jazz composition at Bath Spa University. His works have been performed at venues such as the Purcell Rooms, London and St Georges, Brandon Hill, Bristol as well as at Cheltenham Jazz Festival and live performances have been recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Find out more about Ralf here.
Jason Carr
After winning the Vivian Ellis Prize for Young Writers of Musicals in 1988, Jason was invited by Peter Hall to compose the musical Born Again starring Mandy Patinkin and José Ferrer at Chichester Festival Theatre, which subsequently also produced The Water Babies and Six Pictures of Lee Miller (British Composer Awards nomination). His musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol has played Chichester, Birmingham Rep and West Yorkshire Playhouse. Incidental music for over 50 plays includes 17 productions directed by the late Steven Pimlott. Orchestrations include the Menier Chocolate Factory’s Sunday in the Park with George, La Cage aux Folles and A Little Night Music (all also Broadway, winning ‘Best Orchestrations’ Drama Desk Award and two Tony nominations). Jason accompanies many singers including Maria Friedman and Felicity Lott. The CD Listen Up! features 20 of Jason’s songs. Find out more about Jason here.
Richard Hembree
Richard Ross Hembree was born in Victorville, California in 1986 and grew up in Visalia, CA where he began studying the french horn at the College of the Sequoias. He then transferred to California State University, Fresno and it was there that he began writing music for wind ensemble. In 2009, he was a finalist in the 2nd International Frank Ticheli Composition Contest for his grade 2 piece entitled Dreamcatcher. He has since written 17 works for band and orchestra as well as five woodwind quintets. In 2013, Richard graduated with a Master of Arts degree in horn performance. Alongside his composing career he also freelances in and around the Central Valley of California.