A symphony composed by an Exmouth musician will have its debut performance at a spring concert at Holy Trinity Church next month.

Colin Dance plays the tuba with the Exeter Symphony Orchestra, which will perform his composition on Saturday, March 18.

He is also a former police officer who served with Devon and Cornwall Constabulary for 28 years. He spent many years on the beat in Exmouth, before moving to a desk job at Middlemoor. 

He first fell in love with music when he was a young chorister at the Holy Trinity Church, and went on to achieve a first-class honours degree in conducting, composition and arrangement - completed while he was serving as a policeman.

Colin is well known in Exeter and East Devon, having previously played in the SW Comms Band in Lympstone. Although he moved from Honiton to Somerset in 2016, he remains principal tuba in the Exeter Symphony Orchestra and their spin-off brass ensemble Resonate Brass. He also plays the drums.

He said his 'Symphony of Somerset' is his first composition for a full orchestra: “I’ve been composing and arranging for brass bands and wind bands for many years but have only ever written a few string quartet and quintet pieces, and have always wanted to do a symphonic piece.

“To have my work performed by the ESO in a town and at a venue that means so much to me is quite overwhelming.”

The Exeter Symphony Orchestra's musical director and conductor Arturo Serna said: “I was immediately hooked the first time I listened to Colin’s 'Symphony of Somerset'. A wide variety of themes, colours and nuances convey Somerset and the south-west of England.

"I see it as a micro Mahler Symphony but with a strong English flavour – tea, scones, and the gorgeous landscape we have on our doorstep.”

The orchestra has a history of supporting local musicians and composers as they progress in their careers, such as former ESO violinist and composer Laura Rossi.

The Exeter Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert on March 18 will also feature work by Claude Debussy, Jean Sibelius, Mikhail Glinka and Camille Saint-Saens. Tickets are available via www.exetersymphonyorchestra.co.uk