Myself and fellow trumpeter, Will Russell travelled to Swansea in Wales on Friday night, ready for an afternoon rehearsal and evening performance of Handel's Messiah on Saturday. We stayed with very generous hosts and we had chance on Saturday morning to relax over a leisurely breakfast and enjoy a walk on the beach at Mumbles. For lunch we met our hosts John and Sarah at a local restaurant (The Sketty Bistro) where I was introduced to Halim, a traditional Indian dish, with meat and 9 varieties of lentils. It was fantastic and feel-good winter food. The owner kindly talked me through his recipe.

Greg Hallam conducted the Swansea Bach Choir and the Little Baroque Company, along with soloists: David Le Provost, Ben Thapa, Catherine Backhouse and Elin Manahan Thomas. The concert was in the impressive Brangwyn Hall and it appeared to be almost full, with an audience of around 900 to 1000 people.

I played the full version of The Trumpet Shall Sound with the Bass, David Le Provost, which had some great musical moments. After the concert I managed to get a lift back to London with some colleagues in the string section, eventually arriving home at around 3am. Fortunately the trumpets aren't needed until 4pm in tomorrow's Messiah rehearsal, with a different orchestra!