Members of the RWCMD Symphony Orchestra backstage at St David's Hall
Christian Lindberg with the RWCMD Wind Ensemble
Masterclass with Sergei Nakariakov
RWCMD Students with The Cory Band at the European Championships in Oslo, May 2013
Students on the Welsh National Opera Placement Scheme perform with the Orchestra's brass section during its regular residency at the College
The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is perfectly positioned to deliver an unparalleled training experience for those wishing to enter the music profession as brass players. Cardiff and its surrounding regions are steeped in brass history and offer a fantastic range of opportunities for brass musicians.
The Brass Department at RWCMD aims to challenge its students by broadening their view of the brass world. We can offer a superb variety of rehearsal and performance opportunities, with concerts ranging from renaissance dance music played on sackbuts and cornetts through to avant-garde compositions using contemporary techniques. The departmental staff includes many players drawn from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, with a busy programme of masterclasses by leading international performers and ensembles.
Euphonium virtuoso David Childs attracts students from around the world while his father, Dr Robert Childs co-ordinates all brass band activities. Within the BMus course, brass band players are able to follow a unique Brass Band Pathway in parallel with their wider studies by selecting from a range of specialist options. Students may also be selected, by audition, to play with the College’s Brass Band in Residence, the four-times European Champion Cory Band.
In preparation for rich and varied professional life, there are opportunities for brass players to gain experience in a whole range of areas including solo performance, chamber music, orchestral playing, historical performance, brass band, teaching, arranging, and performing in commercial idioms and jazz.
Brass players also have the opportunity to audition for a place on the placement programmes the College has developed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera. These privileged arrangements enable students to work closely with the principal players in two of the UK’s leading professional orchestras and to receive coaching on essential orchestral repertoire. In recent years, a number of RWCMD students have gained professional freelance work and orchestral trials while still at College as a direct result of this collaboration.
Croeso, RWCMD’s New Director of Music – Tim Rhys-Evans
Superbrass Weekend: A College Takeover with RWCMD Brass
‘On the Move:’ Taking Brass Out On the Road
Showcasing the College: ‘And The Sun Stood Still’ at St Davids Hall
Young Classical Artists Trust Residency at RWCMD
Masterclass: Horn Trios with Ben Goldscheider
Isaac Shieh in Final of International Horn Society Competition
Honouring RWCMD Fellow Catherine Zeta-Jones: In Pictures
Celebrating An Awfully Big Orchestradventure!
Year of the Dog in Netflix Hit Sex Education
Trumpeter Jason’s New Job at Royal Scottish National Orchestra
International Chair in Historical Performance: Jeremy West
A Celebration Fit for a Prince: RWCMD’s Royal Performance for His Royal Highness
John Fisher is Announced Artistic Director of David Seligman Opera School
Meet our First International Chair of Diversity
Students Perform for HRH The Prince of Wales: In Pictures
Meet our New RWCMD Honorary Music Associates
REPCo Summer Festival: A Week of Student-Led Performances
Woodwind Wins Stoutzker Prize
RWCMD Sisters Are Doing It…#Processions2018
Vladimir Ashkenazy Conducts RWCMD Students with Philharmonia Orchestra
Oscar Bohme Sextet Win Philip Jones Prize
Graduate Chris Wins Philip Jones Brass Prize
RWCMD’s Symphony Orchestra’s Big Orchestradventure!
Principal Trumpet at Scottish Opera
Head of Brass Performance Roger Argente PPRNCM
Brass Band Study Area Leader Dr. Robert Childs MMus (Dist) PGCE (Dist) FLCM (Hons) ARCM (Hons) FRWCMD
Brass Chamber Music & Arranging for Brass Christopher Mowat MA (Cantab) LRAM
Trumpet Andy Everton LRAM ARAM Philippe Schartz Dip RCM ARCM Dean Wright GMus RNCM (Hons) PPRNCM Ross Brown BMus (Hons) LRAM ARAM Robert Samuel BMus ARAM LRAM
Cornet Christopher Turner DipTCL Tom Hutchinson BMus
Tenor Horn Owen Farr BA PPRNCM
French Horn Ian Fisher GRNCM PPRNCM Tim Thorpe Angus West GRNCM PPRNCM James Mildred
Tenor Trombone Donal Bannister BA Hons (Trinity College, Dublin) MM (Eastman School of Music) Roger Cutts AGSM Emily White Philip Goodwin
Bass Trombone Alan Swain LGSM BMus (Hons) GSMD Darren Smith
Tuba Sean O'Neill ARCM Daniel Trodden Nigel Seaman ARMCM ARNCM
Euphonium and Baritone David Childs - International Visiting Tutor MMus (Dist) BMus (Hons) ARCM (Hons) PPRNCM (Dist) ARWCMD Dr. Robert Childs MMus (Dist) PGCE (Dist) FLCM (Hons) ARCM (Hons) FRWCMD
Natural Trumpet Ross Brown
Cornett/Historical Performance Jeremy West FRWCMD
Sackbut Emily White
Historic Horns Anneke Scott
Chamber Music and Brass arranging Christopher Mowat MA (Cantab) LRAM
Brass Band in Residence The Cory Band
Visiting Artists Septura Brass Onyx Brass David Pyatt (Horn) Tine Thing Helseth (Trumpet) Jason Evans (Trumpet) Ian Bousfield (Trombone) Katy Jones (Trombone) David Gordon-Shute (Tuba)
Visiting Artists
Andrew Crowley
Bones Apart
Sergei Nakariakov
Angela Barnes
Onyx Brass
Christian Lindberg
Cory Band
London Brass
Mariinsky Brass Ensemble
David Pyatt
Philip Cobb
Matthew Gee