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Alan Thomas - TRUMPET

Born in 1978 and playing the cornet by the age of 10, Alan was soon performing with the local Hangleton Band, after moving to Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex.

Two years at the East Sussex Academy of Music led to his undergraduate course at the Birmingham Conservatoire where he was taught by Jon Holland and Andy Culshaw. Whilst at the Conservatoire, Alan was awarded a place on the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra training scheme. He performed the Arutunian concerto with the Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, and in 1999 won the Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Scholarship, resulting in a solo tour to Indiana, USA.

After gaining his first class honours degree from Birmingham Conservatoire, Alan won a scholarship to study for a Postgraduate diploma at the Royal College of Music in London under Malcolm Smith, Andy Crowley and Paul Archibald.

Alan began his work as a freelance player in London with many of the country’s leading orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Philharmonia, the London Sinfonietta and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as ensembles such as London Brass, English Brass, Ensemble Modern and LSO Brass.

Alan returned to Birmingham when he was appointed joint section-leader trumpet of the CBSO in June 2004. He joined the staff of the Birmingham Conservatoire as a trumpet tutor and was awarded an Honorary Membership in July 2006.

In his spare time Alan enjoys running, playing football, visiting the theatre and eating out in nice restaurants. Alan is married to Becky and they have a one-year-old son, Jacob.

Andy Stone-Fewings - TRUMPET

Andrew’s musical career began in the local Salvation Army band in his home city, Hereford. He studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire with Alan Whitehead, Bernard Brown and David Haines, winning the Alfred Corfield Trumpet prize and reaching the finals in the Ludlow Concerto prize. Since leaving the Conservatoire he has studied with David James, Alan Stringer, and Mike Laird.

Andrew has worked with almost all the major orchestras in Britain including the BBC Symphony, The Philharmonia, CBSO, Hallé, BBC Concert and English National Opera. In 1996 he was offered a full-time trumpet position with the Royal Shakespeare Company where he has also recently worked as a Musical Director.

With Colin Druce, he formed the trumpet and organ duo, Tuba Magna in 1992. Andrew has performed with the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble and is a member of Brass Explosion, a group formed from the CBSO brass quintet. He has been a member of Cambrian Brass Quintet for 17 years. He made his soloist debut at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall in 1998 and is in great demand nationwide as a freelance orchestral player and soloist.

Andrew’s teaching experience includes running children’s workshops with Cambrian Brass and teaching for local education authorities. In 1994 Andy was offered the post of Head of Brass at Malvern College but reluctantly decided to give it up to continue his performing career. Andrew has also been a trumpet coach for the National Youth Wind Orchestra and is currently a trumpet tutor at the Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Andrew is married with two children and lives in Lapworth, Solihull.

Kevin Morgan - TUBA

Born in South Wales in 1960, Kevin Morgan began his musical career at the age of six, becoming principal euphonium of the Parc and Dare Band at the age of 12. Whilst still at school he became an Associate of the Royal College of Music, reaching the BBC Young Musician of the Year Brass Final in 1977. In 1978 Kevin gained a Foundation Scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music under John Jenkins. In his first year there Kevin became a Fellow of Trinity College London and a Silver Medalist in the Shell LSO Competition. Whilst at the Royal College he started working professionally, and has since become a successful freelance tuba player, performing regularly with the major London orchestras, opera and ballet companies.

Kevin’s work has taken him around the world and he also works regularly as a session musician, playing on film tracks and for radio and television. The highlight of his solo work to date is the release of his debut CD, Virtuoso Tuba on the ASV label in 1999.

Kevin teaches tuba at The Royal College of Music Junior Department, the Royal Air Force at Uxbridge as well as Brunel and Chichester Universities. He is married with two daughters and lives in London.

Kevin Pitt - TROMBONE

Kevin began trombone lessons at the age of 14 with the Horn player, David Ince in Nottinghamshire Schools’ peripatetic system. He later joined the local Brass Band,Teversal and became principal trombone of the West Notts. Concert Band and the Nottinghamshire County Wind Band.

He is one of the founder members of the Cambrian Brass Quintet and has performed internationally with the Quintet and as a freelance musician. He studied trombone with Reginald Reid and Kenneth Shifrin at the Birmingham School of Music where he gained a graduate diploma. In his third year he won first prize in the Birmingham and Midland Institute Brass Competition.

Kevin’s freelance career began in 1984 and he has played with numerous orchestras including the CBSO in the late 1980s. He has also played with the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble, the City of Birmingham Touring Opera, the London Festival Ballet, Orchestra da Camera and the English String Orchestra.

In 1990 Kevin joined the Royal Shakespeare Company as trombonist and has played with them ever since, touring to the US on several occasions. His recordings include: A Shakespeare Celebration with the RSC Ensemble for Chandos Records and Malcolm Arnold’s The Complete Brass Chamber Music with Fine Arts Brass Ensemble for Nimbus Records.

Kevin’s extensive teaching experience includes appointments as brass tutor to the National Wind Orchestra of Great Britain and trombone teacher over a period of several years at Rugby School and Malvern College. He has also been a tutor on Cambrian Brass’ many educational workshops.

Kevin is also a founder member of the Heart of England Brass Ensemble. He coached brass players of the Singapore Police too, which is fitting, as for two years, Kevin was a PC for Warwickshire Police and is now a Special Constable in the same force. His hobbies include restoring vintage cars and jogging.

Duncan Fuller - FRENCH HORN

Born in the Midlands, Duncan learnt the French Horn in the Cumbrian and Nottinghamshire Music Services, where he received an advanced tuition place, before going on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Jeff Bryant, Richard Bissill and Anthony Halstead.

Since 1997 he has freelanced in many roles: from miming in pop videos to playing with the Orchestra of the English National Ballet and from performing with wind and brass quintets to playing in London’s West End on shows such as Phantom of the Opera and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. He has also performed with the RSC and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Duncan has played on live radio broadcasts with the BBC Concert Orchestra and made numerous recordings with them. He has also recorded the music of composer Paul Carr and appears on the recent East Winds CD of Sir Malcolm Arnold’s Wind Chamber Music for Naxos.

Now living near Brighton, Duncan teaches the French Horn at several schools including Roedean, Brighton College and Worth Abbey School.

When he’s not working, Duncan can often be seen chasing around the Sussex countryside on his bike or clinging to some rock face pretending to be unfazed and cool in the face of some climbing challenge. Passionate about the outdoors, he has ski-mountaineered in Arctic Norway, led an expedition to Greenland and climbed major peaks in Canada and the European Alps.