Denis Wright, OBE (22 February 1895 – 20 April 1967) was an English composer and conductor of brass band music. Wright was born in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and moved to

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

with his family at the age of five and attended

St George's School, Harpenden (Aim Higher) , established = 1907 , type = AcademyDay and boarding school , religious_affiliation = Christian , head_label = Headteacher , head = Helen Barton , r_head_label = , r_head = Stephen Warner ...

. He began musical studies at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

, but interrupted his studies to serve in the British Army in Macedonia during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.Dr Denis Wright
, National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. Wright began working as a schoolteacher of modern languages in East Grinstead, and in 1925, he entered and won a competition to compose a brass band piece for use in the National Brass Band Championships. He continued to write occasional test pieces for the championships, and began teaching music at his old school, St George's. He was offered a job as an editor at the music publishers Chappell & Co. in 1930. In 1933, the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

asked him to form a band section in the Music Department. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the BBC transferred Wright to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, during which time he undertook doctorate study in music at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. In 1942, he returned to London to join the BBC Overseas Service. By the late 1940s, his conducting engagements were irregular however he still appeared on BBC programmes and at massed band concerts organised with

Harry Mortimer Harry Mortimer (10 April 1902 – 23 January 1992) was an English composer and conductor who specialised in brass band music, one of the foremost cornet players of his era. Harry Mortimer was born in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, his father bein ...

. He wrote a book on brass band conducting, and travelled through Europe, Australia and New Zealand where he was in much demand to adjudicate brass band contests. He left the BBC in 1955, aged 60, and although officially retired, worked frequently with the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, which had been formed on his suggestion. In 1959, Wright was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours. In 1965 and 1966, he received Honours from the Royal Academy of Music, which made him an Honorary Member of the Academy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Denis 1895 births 1967 deaths 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century English composers Brass band composers British male conductors (music) British Army personnel of World War I English conductors (music) Alumni of the University of Edinburgh BBC people Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at St George's School, Harpenden