About Bret

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Bret Newton is a composer, orchestrator, and performer who focus on writing for winds, particularly the wind band. He is the author of Band Orchestration (2 volumes), the first modern text on scoring for the wind band. He has composed 3 major symphonies, 5 concerti, and numerous other works for the wind band. His music has been played all over his home state of Texas, sold all around the world, and been warmly welcomed at the Eastman School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and Rutgers University. As an orchestrator, his arrangements have been played at Carnegie Hall, been featured in major video games, and have accompanied pop stars.  As a performer, he has performed on Bassoon and Contrabassoon as a freelance musician with many of the local orchestras in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as well as Baritone Saxophonist with the Gainesville Swing Orchestra. He also hosts the band related podcast Band Nerd Cast.

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About Band Orchestration

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I set out some years ago to create the first modern textbook on how to write for the wind band, as I felt that everything out there wasn't meeting the needs of the modern composer. Two volumes of the textbook are now available, with the third (on brass) scheduled for completion by the beginning of the new year.