In Conversation with Ollie Weston, co-leader of Junior Guildhall's Jazz Department

On 23 November Junior Guildhall Big Band & Jazz Choir take to the stage of Milton Court Concert Hall to perform as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival.

We caught up with Ollie Weston, leader of Junior Guildhall's Jazz Big Band, to find out more about what to expect from the upcoming concert.

Tell us who you are in one sentence

I'm a freelance Jazz Saxophonist/session musician and co-lead of the Junior Guildhall Jazz Department.

What is your favourite thing about working at Junior Guildhall?

Working with talented and enthusiastic musicians from across the country and helping them on their journey in music. I also hugely enjoy following the careers of my ex-students after they leave us.

You have arranged the album Radio Music Society by Esperanza Spalding for the upcoming EFG Jazz Festival concert. What made you want to arrange this music, and what was your vision for the arrangement?

I was looking for a suitable large-scale project for our Big Band and Jazz Choir following on from our performance of Donald Fagen's Nightfly album in 2023. I wanted something that hadn't been done in this format before as I wanted to write the arrangements for our students and create a unique suite of music for us to work on across the department over the year. 

I've always loved Radio Music Society (and all of Esperanza Spalding's music) and I felt that the songs had a perfect blend of jazzy complexity coupled with brilliant and accessible songwriting that would appeal to all our students and audience. As an arranger, the harmony, grooves and melodies of the music were for me deserving of a Big Band/Choir arrangement and it was a huge pleasure and challenge to take on this task.

What are you most looking forward to about the performance?

I'm looking forward to reuniting our ensembles from the last academic year to reprise our concert from last May. The opportunity to perform as part of the London Jazz Festival is hugely exciting for our students and for Jazz at Junior Guildhall.
 

Taking place on Saturdays, Junior Guildhall offers advanced music and drama training to children and young people aged 4 to 18. Applications open in January for entry to Junior Guildhall in September 2025. Sign up to the Junior Guildhall mailing list for the latest news and updates.