I performed Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 589) and Handel’s ‘Eternal Source of Light Divine’ from the Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne (HWV 74) at Snape Maltings on Saturday 11 November 2023. The performance featured the wonderful Aldeburgh Music Club (choir) and was directed by Tom Appleton. The all-Vivaldi first half began with Ostro picta, armata spina (RV 642) and continued with his most famous

Although I have visited Belgium on a number of occasions, I have never had the luxury of a free day in Brussels (except on a Monday, when the museum was closed). So, I took the opportunity to use up some British Airways and Eurostar vouchers, and visit Brussels especially to see the famous musical instrument museum. I arrived in Belgium on Tuesday 12th April 2022. I had arranged to meet up with the

I arrived at the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (CMBV) around three hours early for the afternoon rehearsal on Sunday 12th December 2021. I had intended to leave my trumpet in the rehearsal room and have a walk around the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. However, when I arrived at the CMBV, I cupped my hands to look through the tinted window in the door and I was spotted by the musical

‘Snape Maltings, Snape Maltings, Thank Benjamin Britten for Snape Maltings’ was the specially-written encore of Vox Luminis’ King Arthur performance at Snape Maltings in 2017. That memorable performance, exactly two years ago, was my first appearance with the group and there have been many exceptional projects in the interim, including performances at Versailles, the Utrecht Early Music Festival,

Snape Maltings was the venue for Aldeburgh Music Club’s performance of a programme entitled ‘The Amazing Mr. Handel’ on Saturday 16th March 2019. The performance featured the Coronation Anthems [HWV 258], Water Music Suite in G [HWV 350], Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.9 [HWV 327], Chandos Anthem No.7 'My song shall be alway' [HWV 252] and the Chandos Anthem No.4 'O worship the Lord in the beauty of

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

I performed a programme of music by Zelenka in Chelmsford on Saturday 14th March 2015. The trumpet section consisted of David Staff, Richard Thomas, Katie Hodges and Russell Gilmour. As there had been engineering work scheduled on the main line between London and Chelmsford, I had asked David Staff whether I could start my journey from his his home near Coddenham in Suffolk by departing a few

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

I collected my Tomes Trumpet from Frank’s house in Wimbledon. It works fantastically and is truly beautiful. Frank is such a craftsman. Bill Tuck has contacted me asking me to do a concert with Katie Hodges in London also with the possibility of doing a workshop or lecture about the Natural Trumpet. I am very much looking forward to doing this. Frank Tomes in his workshop in Wimbledon - pictured

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” I currently have a natural trumpet which belongs to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). I love the instrument (despite its characteristic scratches and dents) and will have to give it back in a year. I had been contemplating offering to buy

The project is the result of a collaboration between the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the University of Edinburgh. The project has involved a great deal of research into this forgotten early brass instrument. Traditional methods and the use of specialised software to model the bore profile have been used to build a pair of Lituui, which were brought to Edinburgh by Mike Diprose from the Schola in