On Thursday 13th of December 2018 I deputised at Hampton Court Palace, playing festive music (some music had direct links to the palace) on 19th Century instruments as part of the palace’s ‘Christmas at Court’ events. A duo of brass players accompanied several of the grace-and-favour residents of 1906 and members of the public as they sang carols around the Christmas tree in Clock Court at 11:15

I performed Haydn’s ‘Nelson Mass’ and Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ at St Mary’s Collegiate Church in the Old Square in Warwick on Saturday 11th of March 2017. Thomas Corns directed the Choirs of St Mary’s Collegiate Church and the period instrument orchestra, led by Lucy Russell.Imogen Russell (soprano)Judy Brown (mezzo-soprano)Matthew Sandy (tenor)Edmund Saddington (bass)For Mozarts Requiem’

As a young lad, if I showed any reluctance to attend a rehearsal I was given the choice of: 'band, ballet or bed'. I ruled out ballet immediately and always chose band eventually. To a six-year-old, the prospect of going to bed early seemed like a punishment - how times change! Being allowed to stay up late was a privilege reserved for very special occasions - one such occasion being the Last Night

On Wednesday 1st July 2015, I finished teaching for the day and I noticed a missed call on my iPhone. It was from my former teacher Michael Laird. I called him back as I walked to the railway station and he told me, now that he had turned 75, he would be retiring from trumpet playing entirely. He explained that he had played since he was 15 years old and now, 60 years on, it was time to stop playing

The Hand Engravers Association of Great Britain hosted an exhibition at Craft Central in Clerkenwell, London. I had become aware of this organisation after finding and watching their videos on YouTube, and subsequently had been browsing their website. I had been impressed with the videos and the organisation in general and what they are doing to help to spread interest in preserving this craft.33-35

Last summer, on my way to various concerts in Germany, I needed a few overnight stays in Holland. I was fortunate to be able to stay with Graham Nicholson in The Hague. While I was there he showed me two horns he had been making in his workshop; detailed replicas of instruments by Leichamschneider. We practiced duets for several hours using these instruments and they worked brilliantly.Over the summer

This vintage Selmer "Manhattan" trumpet from the early 1920s has a remarkable history. It belonged to my great-uncle, Jim Vickers. Uncle Jim played this trumpet all over the world and even in a performance for the King of Iraq - with the Royal Signals.The instrument is what we would now call a 'small bore' trumpet. I used to think that it was the early 1920s recording techniques that were responsible