Tom began learning the cornet at the age
of nine and joined his local brass band, Stannington. As an early
teenager he joined Barnsley Building Society Band and quickly
ascended to the position of principal cornet. Tom’s first taste of
playing ‘top man’ in a championship section band happened a few
years later, aged fifteen, when he joined the Rothwell Temperance
Band.
During these formative years Tom also played
solo cornet with the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain
including two courses as Leader. It was the Band’s Associate
Conductor, Dr Nicholas Childs, who noticed his talent and later
invited him to join the world famous Black Dyke Band.
Tom played for ‘Dyke’ on repiano cornet and,
at the age of eighteen, was promoted to tutti solo cornet. He
played with Black Dyke for four years, contributing to many contest
successes, including the British Open, English National and
National Championship of Great Britain titles. During his time with
‘Dyke’ he also toured extensively across Europe and Australia.
After his graduation from the Royal Northern
College of Music in 2009, studying under Richard Marshall, Tom was
invited to join the mighty Cory Band as principal cornet. After
leading the band in his first year to its hat-trick winning
European title in 2010, he has since lead Cory to British Open
titles in 2011 and 2016, Welsh regional titles in 2011, 2012, 2014,
2015 and 2017, Brass in Concert Championship wins in 2012, 2013,
2015 and 2016, the European title once again in 2013 and 2016, and
three National Final wins in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
A few highlights of his time so far at Cory
have been receiving the bands player of the year award twice in
2012 and 2015, releasing his debut solo CD ‘In Principal’, and
leading Cory to its historic Grand Slam achievement in 2016, with
the band finishing off the year as the world’s No.1 ranked brass
band for a consecutive and unprecedented ten years.
As well as playing principal cornet with the
Cory band, he is a Professor of Cornet at Royal Welsh College of
Music & Drama, Brass specialist with Ev-entz Music, Cornet
tutor for the National Youth Brass Band of Wales and Cornet tutor
for the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain.
As a Besson artist Tom represents the Buffet
Group across the world and over the past few years has performed as
a soloist in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and the USA.