In the week that Labour won a landslide election in the UK and Mark Cavendish (fellow Manxman and childhood friend) cemented his 35th stage win to become the greatest Tour de France cyclist of all time, I was working in Paris with Les Talens Lyriques. This was just 20 days before the opening of the Paris Olympics. Having finally finished my book, ‘Just’ Natural Trumpet (www.justnaturaltrumpet.com),

I performed the programme ‘Mozart and Friends’ with Les Talens Lyriques and the bass soloist Benjamin Appl. Rehearsals took place at La Seine Musicale in Paris, with the first concert at ‘Le Majestic’ in Montereau (around an hour south of Paris) on Wednesday 22 May 2024, and two subsequent performances in the Würzburg Mozartfest (Friday 24 and Saturday 25 May). It was great to revisit

There have been times in my career when I have performed in the so-called ‘modern premiere’ of a work, but I think performing in an actual premiere of a work that was written in the eighteenth century but never performed at the time is a first for me. ‘Composed in 1788, Salieri’s opera Cublai, Gran Kan De’ Tartari was a satire on the autocracy and court intrigues at the court of the

I performed Domenico Cimarosa’s L’Olimpiade (1784) with Christophe Rousset’s Les Talens Lyriques in Halle E of the Theater an der Wien in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier on Sunday 31 March 2024. This concert performance of the opera took place just a few days before our staged opera production began—we will be giving six performances of Salieri’s opera Cublai gran kan de' Tartari (1788) in Halle

I joined Les Talens Lyriques for a recording of Domenico Cimarosa’s L’Olimpiade, a drama by Pietro Metastasio. The recording was directed by Christophe Rousset and we used a new edition by Korneel Bernolet produced specially for the occasion. I joined Les Talens Lyriques on the last day of their rehearsals in Paris, at the Mairie of the 9th Arrondissement, on 17 December 2023. The following day

If you were to ask me to describe my ideal day it would start with a leisurely morning and a nice breakfast, it would also involve exploring, a good walk, a mid-afternoon chill, (Face)time with family, and it would include some lovely music and fine company. This was exactly my day in Kraków on Easter Sunday: I performed at the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic as part of the Misteria Paschalia festival:

I played principal trumpet with Les Talens Lyriques under the direction of Christophe Rousset for three all-Schubert performances at the Théâtre du Châtelet. The project took place between 18th January and 31st January 2023. Our first performance took place on Friday 27th January 2023 and it featured Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 6 in C major (D 589), Symphony No. 2 in B-flat minor (D 125),

On Sunday 3rd April 2022 I performed Mozart’s Requiem at St Philip’s Church in Norbury, London, with the St. Philip’s Choir and the orchestra Libera. Sam Coates directed the orchestra and this young and excellent choir. The performance began with a hymn—My Song Is Love Unknown—sung by the choir and the congregation, accompanied by church organ and (a special arrangement had been produced

It all began with doubt as I boarded the train towards London St. Pancras. In light of the coronavirus situation French entry requirements had changed just 10 hours before I travelled, which left some doubt as to whether I would be permitted to get even as far as the Eurostar lounge. Luckily, entry was permitted. I travelled to Puteaux, to the west of Paris where I would be in quarantine. Other Parisians

I performed at an experiential concert at St John’s Waterloo on Saturday 29th February 2020 - the bonus day of the leap year. The conductor, David Pearl, had dreamt up this event which would combine his birthday celebration with a fundraiser for the non-profit organisation Street Wisdom. It would also feature his friend and colleague Miha Pogačnik. The performance began with a rendition of the Overture

I played first trumpet with the Harmonious Society of Tickle Fiddle Gentlemen (a group that takes its name from Ned Ward's (1667 - 1731) description of the musicians who played at one of the world's first series of public concerts in London) for a performance of Haydn's Creation in Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday 16th November 2019. The orchestra was directed by David Newsholme and featured the Girls

I arrived in Paris during a heatwave, the day after France's warmest temperature of 45.9°C was recorded in Gallargues-le-Montueux on 28th June 2019. Our Eurostar had been slightly delayed, but we managed to make it to Colline d'Asie before it closed to enjoy nem and pho in an authentically humid climate! After dinner I had arranged for Will and I to meet a friend who had been with us on the tour

Following on from our project in January in Salzburg’s Mozartwoche, Les Talens Lyriques revisited Mozart's Betulia Liberata [K.118/74c], under the direction of Christophe Rousset, for a performance in Paris on Saturday 22nd June 2019. The performance took place at La Seine Musicale, an impressive new venue - completed in 2017 - which is situated on an island on the River Seine between

I performed with the orchestra Musicians of London and the Goldsmiths Choral Union, under their conductor Brian Wright on Monday 15th April 2019. The ensemble performed Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis [Op. 123] in the Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre. I played first natural trumpet in the section with Nick Wright on second trumpet. Nick had taken on the daunting task of fixing this

This week continued with more Mozart, this time at St. John’s Smith Square on Wednesday 3rd April 2019. Will Russell (2nd trumpet) and I (1st trumpet) played natural trumpets with Musica Poetica and the English Baroque Choir under the direction of former King’s Singer, Jeremy Jackman. The programme consisted of Biber’s Requiem in F Minor [IHB 17] and Mozart’s Mass in C Minor [K. 427], both

Les Talens Lyriques performed Mozart’s azione sacra (literally ‘sacred action’) Betulia Liberata [K.118/74c] under the direction of Christophe Rousset in Salzburg’s Mozartwoche 2019. The concert took place in Salzburg’s Haus für Mozart on Sunday 27th January 2019, exactly 263 years after Mozart's birthday on the 27th January 1756. La Betulia Liberata is based on the biblical character of

Over the summer I had the pleasure of deputising with the Aurora Orchestra, playing first trumpet in a Mozart Symphony prior to their performances at Kings Place in London and at La Seine Musicale in Paris. I had been unable to play in the whole project on that occasion as it was around the time of my wedding so I agreed to deputise for just one rehearsal, which was most enjoyable. A few months later

I performed in an Orchestral Mass at Trinity College Cambridge at 6:15pm on Sunday 11th of March 2018 (The Fourth Sunday of Lent). The mass setting by Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828) was performed by The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge and a small orchestral ensemble (comprising a string quintet, chamber organ, two natural trumpets and timpani). The performance was conducted by the brilliant Stephen

Capital of the Occitanie region and the fourth largest city in France, Toulouse is situated on the River Garonne and known as la Ville Rose. Between Saturday 17th and Sunday 25th of February 2018 the Pink City was home to the musicians of Les Talens Lyriques, who rehearsed and gave performances of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s 1774 Paris version of Orphée et Eurydice at the Théâtre du Capitole. Christophe

London’s Cadogan Hall was the venue for a concert given by the choir of Goldsmiths Choral Union and the period instrument orchestra Musicians of London. The concert took place on Tuesday 31st of October 2017 and it featured Haydn’s Te Deum, Mozart’s Vespers [K.339] and Beethoven’s Mass in C. The large forces of Goldsmiths Choral Union did an excellent job with these pieces, ably led by their