Following on from our performance at the Theater an der Wien earlier this month, we revisited Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba (K. 111) for two further performances and a recording with Les Talens Lyriques under the direction of Christophe Rousset.Our recording took place at La Seine Musicale in Paris, and it was flanked by performances at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris on 25

It was while I was studying at the Royal Northern College of Music that I first became interested in playing the natural trumpet. I seem to be attracted to learning new (often difficult) skills, and my approach with the trumpet was to pick the most difficult music I could possibly find, namely J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major (BWV 1047), and gradually learn to play it. I was ready

L’Opera Seria, an opera by the Bohemian-born composer Florian Leopold Gassmann (1729–1774), was the main focus of Les Talens Lyriques’ three-week residency at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien (the newly refurbished theatre where several of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies were once premiered). Our fully staged production of L’Opera Seria, directed by Christophe Rousset, was performed on 26

While we were in Vienna performing Florian Leopold Gassmann’s L’Opera Seria, Les Talens Lyriques also gave a concert (i.e. un-staged) performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba (K. 111), a work written for the wedding of the son of Empress Maria Theresa in 1771. We performed the opera on stage at the Theater an der Wien, where we have been in residence for a few weeks already. The

I performed Purcell’s King Arthur with Vox Luminis at the Palau de la Música in València on Tuesday 17 February 2026. This is a programme that we have performed several times, and it was great to revisit it—this time with a narration in Spanish by Àngel Figols. After a welcome quiet start to the year (predominantly spent in the UK and in my trumpet-making workshop) it was great to get back

On Thursday 22 January 2026, I played the trumpet and took part in an on-location recording for BBC Radio 3’s The Early Music Show at St Paul’s Cathedral. The programme, presented by Dr Hannah French and produced by Ben Collingwood, will be broadcast in March. Listen to the programme by clicking this link.This episode of The Early Music Show explored music by John Blow, William Croft, and

I played third trumpet in Bach’s B minor mass (BWV 232) at Winchester Cathedral on Wednesday 21 January 2026. The performance brought together the combined forces of five choirs from Oxford and Winchester: the Winchester Philharmonic Choir, the Winchester College Choral Society, the Winchester College Chapel Choir, the Winchester Cathedral Chamber Choir, and the Oxford Bach Soloists Choral Scholars. The

I played third trumpet in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford, on Saturday 3 January 2026. The performance, featuring cantatas I, II, and VI of the Christmas Oratorio, was given by Oxford Bach Soloists and conducted by Steven Grahl. The soloists were Mariana Rodrigues (soprano), Stephanie Franklin (alto), Nicholas Mulroy (tenor),

An extensive Vox Luminis project of festive music by Johann Sebastian Bach and other Baroque composers began with rehearsals in Malonne, near Namur in Belgium on Saturday 6 December 2025. The first concert took place on Tuesday 9 December at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. The programme featured Telemann’s Uns ist ein Kind geboren (TWV 1:1451), J. S. Bach’s Christen äztet diesen Tag (BWV 63) and

I met the organist, harpsichordist, and director of Il Gusto Barocco, Jörg Halubek when I recorded Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, as a last-minute stand-in, in 2019.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Il Gusto Barocco (@ilgustobarocco) Fast forward to 2025, and I was delighted to be invited to perform a trumpet and organ recital with him at the Hospitalkirche

Exactly one week after performing Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 (from memory) with the Aurora Orchestra at Snape Maltings, I returned to this magnificent venue to perform Handel’s Messiah (HWV 56) with the Aldeburgh Music Club and Suffolk Baroque Players, under the direction of Tom Appleton. Aldeburgh Music Club, founded by Benjamin Britten in 1952, brought this festive work back to Snape Saturday

It was wonderful to perform at Wiltshire Music Centre (21 November 2025), Snape Maltings (22 November), Saffron Hall (23 November), Highgate Wood School (24 November), and the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham (25 November) with the Aurora Orchestra; we performed Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Chloë Hanslip and Mendelssohn’s 4th Symphony from memory under the baton of Nicholas Collon. It

An extensive Vox Luminis project of festive music by Johann Sebastian Bach and other Baroque composers began with rehearsals in Malonne, near Namur in Belgium on Saturday 6 December 2025. The first concert took place on Tuesday 9 December at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. The programme featured Telemann’s Uns ist ein Kind geboren (TWV 1:1451), J. S. Bach’s Christen äztet diesen Tag (BWV 63) and

It was a pleasure to perform Purcell’s The Fairy Queen (Z. 692) with Vox Luminis at De Bijloke in Ghent on Thursday 13 November 2025 and at the Teatro Real in Madrid on Saturday 15 November 2025. We began rehearsing in Belgium on Armistice Day—Namur was particularly quiet on this poignant day. It was great to explore the historic old town in Ghent and fantastic to revisit Madrid. My last performance

It was a pleasure to give two performances with Spiritato this week: firstly at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford on Avon on 5 November 2025 and then again as part of the London Festival of Baroque Music at Smith Square Hall (formerly St. John’s Smith Square) on 7 November 2025. The orchestra, directed from the violin by Kinga Ujszászi, presented a thrilling programme that explored the music

I played first trumpet with the period instrument orchestra Spiritato; we performed Handel’s Jubilate (HWV 279), as well as Bach’s Orchestral Suite No 3 in D major (BWV 1068) and Bach’s Magnificat in D (BWV 243) with Hertford Choral Society on Saturday 25 October 2025. The performance was directed by Manvinder Rattan and the orchestra was led by violinist George Clifford. For me (and Sam

It was a pleasure to perform with Vox Luminis at DeSingel in Antwerp on Friday 24 October 2025, in a programme featuring Jan Dismas Zelenka’s Missa Paschalis (ZWV 7). The concert also featured Georg Frideric Handel’s Dixit Dominus (HWV 232). The programme reprised the Missa Paschalis by Zelenka that Vox Luminis had included (paired with Bach’s Easter Oratorio) in their 20th anniversary concert,

I played first trumpet with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAEducation) for an education outreach project on Tuesday 21 October 2025 at the Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn. The project featured music from The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell with additional music composed by James Redwood, who was also an engaging animateur and leader. The project brought together the Orchestra of the Age

It can sometimes be difficult to find an inventive way to start writing an article—I believe writers refer to their initial angle as an ‘in’. Writer’s block seems particularly strong, in my experience, when I am attempting to document something that has been particularly enjoyable, impressive, or formative. In such cases I hope to illustrate my enjoyment through a well-written account in order

Dartington Hall is a very special place to me; it is where I attended summer school (2007–12), met Jo (2012), proposed (2017), and got married (2018)! So, it was a pleasure to return to Dartington to play in Devon Baroque’s 25th anniversary concert, which took place in the Great Hall on Sunday 28 September 2025.I was one of the soloists in the concert and I performed ‘Mr Handel’s Water