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 and Men of Canterbury Cathedral Choir and soloists Susan Gilmour Bailey (soprano), Nicholas Todd (tenor) and Simon Thorpe (bass). The choir sounded magnificent in this stunning venue; congratulations to these choristers for achieving such a high standard of performance.

The orchestra was also excellent, with particularly fantastic solos from the woodwind principals: Eva Caballero (1st flute), Nicola Barbagli (1st oboe), Jane Booth (1st clarinet), Sally Holman (1st bassoon), and of course the notable interjections of the contrabassoon, played by David Chatterton.


Myself and Will Russell (2nd trumpet) played natural trumpets (without holes) with Ben Fullbrook on timpani.

I was last in Canterbury, actually in the nearby village of Bishopsbourne, in July 2018 to record a CD of music by Gottfried Finger and I was delighted to receive my copy of the finished CD today. It looks (and sounds) excellent!