I performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Oxford Bach Soloists at SJE Arts in Oxford on Friday 3 January 2025 and at St James Piccadilly in London on Saturday 4 January 2025. The performance, featuring parts I, IV, and VI of the Christmas Oratorio, was directed by Steven Grahl and featured the soloists Nick Pritchard (Evangelist), Emilia Bertolini (soprano), Stephanie Franklin (alto), Thomas

La Scala, Milan | Alte Oper, Frankfurt | Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg | St. Martin-in-the-Fields, LondonThe final concert of our tour, which featured Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe de minuit pour Noël, [H 9], Johann Sebastian Bach’s Schwingt freudig euch empor [BWV 36c], and Bach’s Unser Mund sei voll Lachens [BWV 110] took place at St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London on Tuesday 17 December

I played first trumpet in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio [BWV 248] at Brompton Oratory in London on Monday 16 December 2024. This remarkable performance, directed by Charles Cole, featured only one professional singer (Peter Davoren, tenor) as the Evangelist, the rest of the soloists came from within the ranks of this incredible choir. The students and teachers of this fine choral school should be extremely

I played first trumpet with the Istante Collective at St Thomas the Apostle church in Finsbury Park, London, on 18 May 2024. The performance featured the three trumpets and timpani in Handel’s coronation anthem, ‘The King Shall Rejoice’ and in Bach’s cantata, O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe [BWV 34]. I played first trumpet with Will Russell on second, Rebecca Toal on third and Ben Fullbrook

I performed with the Brandenburg Baroque Soloists at the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich on Tuesday 30th April 2024. The performance featured two choirs, the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir (directed by Ralph Allwood) and the Chapel Choir of the Royal Hospital Chelsea (directed by William Vann). The concert was a choral celebration

The Hampstead Collective formed in 2020 and managed to present a season of 17 weekly performances amid the Covid-19 pandemic; it is fantastic that they have continued to give (now monthly) concerts in Hampstead Parish Church. They began the year in style with a performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (cantatas 1, 3, 5 and 6), conducted by Aidan Coburn, on Monday 8th January 2024. I had the pleasure

I performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio [BWV 248] with Vox Luminis four times in December 2023, with performances at: deSingel in Antwerp, Lyon’s Chapelle de la Trinité, Malonne Abbaye, and the Concertgebouw in Bruges. I played first trumpet with Will Russell on second, Krešimir Fabijanić on third, and Koen Plaetinck on timpani—a fantastic section. It was an excellent project, and such

My final Messiah of the year (and last performance in the UK before Christmas) took place in Exeter Cathedral on Sunday 10 December 2023. However, the 'D major marathon' is far from over, and I’m looking forward to four performances of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, in Belgium and France with Vox Luminis, and a recording of music by Cimarosa with Les Talens Lyriques, in Paris, before Christmas itself. I

I played first trumpet in a sold-out concert of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at St. Dunstan’s Church in Mayfield in East Sussex. I performed this festive work with the Mayfield Festival Choir, directed by Jeremy Summerly, on Sunday 19 November 2023. The orchestra was led by George Clifford (violin) and the trumpet section featured Russell Gilmour, William Russell, and Imogen Whitehead, with Laura

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

Five years ago, I performed Delalande’s Te Deum with Vox Luminis in the Utrecht Early Music Festival. We performed the Te Deum four times, and four audiences walked between four different venues in Utrecht to hear four different programmes. We also used four trumpets, although only two parts were notated by the composer: I wrote trumpet parts for the occasion to ensure a good realisation

It was a great pleasure to play with the Festspiel Orchester Göttingen (FOG) as part of the Göttingen Handel Festival 2023, under their new artistic director, George Petrou. I played first trumpet, with Gareth Hoddinott on second, Maarten van der Valk on timpani, and the horn players Stephan Katte and Claudia Pallaver.This year I arrived in Göttingen on 14th May 2023 and departed on 29th May 2023. The

I played first trumpet in Bach’s B minor mass at St. James’ Piccadilly in London on Saturday 1st April 2023. The Petros Singers and Garter Ensemble, conducted by Richard Bannan, performed Bach’s most celebrated mass in this historic London church.Russell Gilmour, William Russell and Adam Wood played the trumpet parts; unfortunately the timpanist collapsed at the beginning of the performance

It has already been an extraordinary week, both in British life and also in my own experience. A great amount has already been written about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s incredible life and astonishing service. I cannot meaningfully add anything to these fitting tributes, other than to mention my own admiration for her exceptional service and great humility. Coincidentally, I have been tantalisingly

I performed Bach’s B Minor Mass in a concert organised by Catherine and Geoffrey Bass for Blackdowns Early Music Projects. The concert was the fifth in the ‘Grand Baroque’ series. I have had the pleasure of performing in four out of five of these concerts which usually take place every two years. I performed in Grand Baroque V (2022), Grand Baroque IV (2019), Grand Baroque III (2017) and Grand

I performed Bach’s Missa Brevis (essentially the Kyrie and Gloria of the B Minor Mass), as well as the Magnificat in two performances with Vox Luminis. We also played the final chorus of the B Minor Mass, Dona Nobis Pacem, as an encore. The first performance took place in Pontaumur in France in the Bach en Combrailles festival on 13th August 2022, and the other concert took place two days later

I performed Handel’s Water Music [HWV 348–350] in Hall One at Kings Place with the Aurora Orchestra, under the direction of Nicholas Collon, on Sunday 3rd July 2022. The performance should have taken place last New Years Eve, but it was postponed to avoid the worst of the winter Covid spikes. The programme began with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 [K. 595], which was performed by Javier Perianes.

I performed music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds on Saturday 21st May 2022. I played first trumpet, with William Russell and Gareth Hoddinott in the trumpet section.The performance, which featured the Bury Bach Choir—in their 90th year—and the Suffolk Baroque Players, began with Bach’s O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht [BWV 118] and

I played first trumpet with Oxford Bach Soloists for their performance of Bach’s cantata Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten [BWV 207] at New College, Oxford, on Sunday 23rd January 2022. BWV 207 was the final piece in the concert, which also included Bach’s first Brandenburg Concerto [BWV 1046] and the cantata Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht! [BWV 52]. Each cantata featured recognisable

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