I performed Handel’s Messiah at The Anvil in Basingstoke with the Basingstoke Choral Society on Sunday 28th November 2022. I played first trumpet in the orchestra, which was led by Ellen Bundy (violin) and conducted by David Gibson. Will Russell and Ben Fullbrook played second trumpet, and timpani respectively. I last performed Messiah with this choral society on Sunday 15th November 2015.Believe

As part of their 30th anniversary season Les Talens Lyriques performed an all-Bach programme in three cities in the week beginning 21st November 2022. The first performance took place at Salle Gaveau in Paris (21st), the second at the Théâtre d'Orléans (23rd), and the third at the Casino de Montbenon as part of the Bach Festival in Lausanne (25th). The programme featured Bach’s Orchestral Suite

I played first trumpet in a performance of Handel's Messiah which took place at the Apex in Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk on Saturday 12th November 2022. The sold-out performance featured Suffolk Baroque Players and the Bury Bach Choir under guest conductor Tom Appleton. The Apex is a gorgeous hall to play in. The Bury Bach Choir is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. I had the pleasure of

I was extremely lucky, on Sunday 30th October 2022, to be able to fill in for an indisposed trumpet player in a B minor mass at the Victoria Theatre in Halifax. At 5pm I finished another all-Bach performance in Leeds, and by 5:40pm I was in Halifax, ready for a 6:30pm B minor mass. As a period instrument specialist, this basically never happens—what luck! The performance featured the Halifax Choral

I performed with Leeds Baroque under the direction of Peter Holman on Sunday 30th October 2022 at the  Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall, part of the School of Music of the University of Leeds. The programme featured three works with kettledrums, as the concert celebrated the recent purchase of Leeds Baroque's own timpani. The programme also featured a contrasting cantata (without trumpets and

I performed the Inspiring Bach programme with Spiritato and the vocal ensemble, The Marian Consort, at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford-on-Avon on Saturday 29th October 2022. I led the section of four natural trumpet players (Russell Gilmour, Katie Hodges, Gareth Hoddinott and William Russell). We played natural trumpets without finger holes, with Keith Price on timpani. Once again

Just before the pandemic, I performed with the English Chamber Choir in a performance to celebrate the 75th birthday of the trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins.On this occasion, Monday 24th October 2022, the English Chamber Choir was celebrating its own anniversary—its fiftieth—at Cadogan Hall in Sloane Square. A spokesperson from the choir explained that this choir had performed in the second concert

Spiritato and the Marian Consort collaborated once again to perform the inventive programme entitled Inspiring Bach on Saturday 22nd October 2022. We performed at St Martin’s Church in Brighton to a large and very receptive audience. Great cheers followed the rousing final work of the programme, Johann Christoph Bach’s Es erhub sich ein Streit. Will Russell, the organiser of the Inspiring Bach

I had an enjoyable morning on Monday 17th October 2022 working with the Academy of Ancient Music, Laurence Cummings, and students of the Royal Academy of Music.Maggie Faultless introduced the morning class. She called it a laboratory—a chance for everyone to experiment and ask questions. Representatives from the Academy of Ancient Music explained several interesting concepts that arose as we studied

Aurora. What an orchestra, what energy, and what a privilege it has been to perform with them again. I recently wrote an article, in which I listed some of the most incredible things I have ever seen with my own eyes, among them: the Basilica di San Marco in Venice, the Vasa museum in Stockholm, Shakespeare’s Globe in London, Roger W Smith’s mechanical watchmaking, and the Aurora Orchestra's

It was a great pleasure to revisit Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique after the thrilling performances, including at the BBC Proms, in 2019. Our first performance in 2022—again, memorised— took place at 18:00 on Saturday 17th September 2022 at the Telekom Forum in Bonn. The performance was live-streamed to YouTube.We also played Beethoven's Triple Concerto (Op. 56) in the first half of the

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 at a wedding at St Peter and Holy Cross Church in Wherwell in rural Hampshire on Saturday 3rd September 2022. I played Handel’s Eternal Source of Light Divine, with the organist Anthony Burns-Cox, who played the vocal solo part, as well as the accompaniment, on the organ. I also played descants in the hymns Cwm Rhondda and Jerusalem. Finally, we played Stanley’s Trumpet Voluntary and

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

The last time I performed at the BBC Proms with the Aurora Orchestra was in 2020—in the midst of the pandemic. Back then, we played Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 to a remote audience. This year was thankfully a stark contrast: it was great to experience the electrifying ambiance of a packed Royal Albert Hall once again, and it was a privilege to perform in the Proms in the BBC’s centenary year. Full

Since I first performed at Shakespeare’s Globe (Othello in 2018), I have noticed the building more and more. I look at it every time I cross Blackfriars bridge on the train, and it is surprising how often it appears on television: it was a much sought-after venue during the pandemic as it is, of course, predominantly outdoors (where Covid infection was deemed less likely).And so it was, in a heatwave,

I performed in an education project on Wednesday 6th July 2022 with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment which took place at the Lee Valley VeloPark—the velodrome built for the 2012 Olympics. This event entitled 'Passing the Baton' marked 10 years since London hosted the Olympic Games. Incidentally, it was exactly 10 years ago today that my Royal College of Music graduation ceremony took

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.

Exactly one week ago, also at 15:00, I was standing right here in Boughton Aluph playing in the Stour Music Festival. I was glad to be back on Sunday 26th June 2022: it has been a busy intervening week. I’ve been doing a lot of work on my book (www.justnaturaltrumpet.com) but also trying to make time to enjoy nature and the good weather; I've been memorising Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 ready for