ABBA

He is a trombonist, bass trumpeter, euphonium player and teacher born in Cornwall, England, who began playing the trombone when he was nine years old.

He took his early studies with the orchestral trombonist Denis Wick and went on to be taught by Eric Crees when he became a student at the Guildhall School of Music. During his time there he gave the premiere performance of Tales of Father Goose by Gyorgy Ranki in 1989. He has given other premiere performances of trombone concerti by Launy Grondahl and Gordon Jacob.

In 1991 he performed with the London Symphony Orchestra as a finalist at the Shell LSO Scholarship competition.

In the early 1990s he was Co-Principal Trombone of Spain’s Orquestra Sinfonica de Galicia and after leaving them and returning to the UK in 1993 he became a freelance musician.

His career as a professional musician has seen him perform often as Co-Principal or Principal Trombone with ensembles such as the BBC Symphony orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Peru’s Lima Symphony Orchestra, with whom he performed the premiere of “Concertino” by Ferdinand David.

He currently holds the position of Principal Trombone with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, who he joined in 2001, as well as giving performing with the London Sinfonietta and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He plays regularly as a member of the London Brass.

He has also been a guest musician in Helsinki and Birmingham in 2002 and 2006 respectively when he performed at the International Trombone Festival. He also performed with the RAF Central Band who accompanied him on Trombone Concerto by Derek Bourgeois in 2006.

Some of the recordings he has appeared on to date include Surprise by London Brass, Crossing the Border by Steve Martland and Mahler: Symphony No. 3 with Benjamin Zander and the Philharmonia Orchestra and the soundtracks of Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Gladiator and Lord of the Rings.

In the field of musical education he is on the faculty of the Royal College of Music and the Birmingham Conservatoire as Professor of Trombone. He has held masterclasses at Chetham’s School of Music and Trinity College of Music.

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