https://www.connaughtbrass.com/connaughtbrass daily 1.0 2026-01-08 https://www.connaughtbrass.com/https/connaughtbrassabout daily 0.75 2026-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/2e72f63d-53b8-4dda-b909-b5f5cfb74674/IMG_4484.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/0cbe50a5-77fb-4dcc-bf34-d384265ba954/IMG_4647.jpg About - Aaron Akugbo Born in Edinburgh, Nigerian–Scottish trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo is developing a following as a leading exponent of his instrument. He brings a musical breadth to his artistry and while classically trained in both trumpet and singing, cites Louis Armstrong as his biggest musical inspiration. He is a charismatic performer with an abundance of natural humour, which translates into an effortless engagement with colleagues and audiences. This is reflected in his selection as one of the six 27-28 ECHO Rising Stars, nominated by the Palau de la Musica Catalana. Akugbo made his London concerto debut at the Royal Festival Hall in 2020 and his BBC Proms concerto debut in 2023, performing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto both times with Chineke!, Europe’s first black and minority ethnic orchestra. His concerto performances often feature standard works alongside lesser-known pieces, for example, by Eric Ewazen and Florence Price, and he has performed with Lucerne Festival Strings, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan and Brighton Philharmonic. In 2025, Akugbo performed Bernstein’s West Side Story with Manchester Camerata, in its first ever arrangement for solo trumpet, at Classical Pride, a festival celebrating LGBTQ+ voices in classical music. Recent highlights also include his debut with BBC Singers at Barbican Centre, curating a programme based on his own musical influences. He also performed Wynton Marsalis’ Trumpet Concerto, conducted by Joanna Macgregor, with the Fantasia Orchestra, and collaborated with Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Steven Osborne in Shostakovich’s Concerto no.1 for Piano and Trumpet. Recital appearances included recitals at St George’s, Bristol, and Royal Conservatoire, Glasgow, as well as visits to Bath International, Lichfield, Petworth, Ryedale, St Magnus and Lammermuir Festivals, Frankfurt Alte Oper Festival, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival. His appearance at the 2025 Dublin International Chamber Music Festival resulted in an immediate invitation in 2026. His 26-27 season sees Akugbo perform in the 300th anniversary concert of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, as well as perform as soloist and ensemble player as part of the Barbican Centre’s Always Already There Festival, curated by Elaine Mitchener, to include works by Ayanna Witter-Johnson and Regina Harris Baiocchi. He has performed at Lucerne Festival three times, including giving the world premiere of Joy Guidry’s They know what they’ve done to us for trumpet and electronics in 2022, commissioned for him by the I&I Foundation. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and ex-principal of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Akugbo is Principal Trumpet of the Aurora Orchestra. He has received lessons and masterclass tuition from many leading trumpet players, including Urban Agnas, Reinhold Friedrich, Jeroen Berwaerts, Gabor Tarkovi, Guillaume Jehl and Eric Aubier. Aaron plays on a Bach Stradivarius Bb & C, Bach Artisan Eb & Scherzer Piccolo Trumpets. @ Olivia Da Costa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/34a1de77-af11-48de-bd6c-deebc81b7cff/Harry.JPEG About - Harry Plant Harry Plant is a London-based trumpet and flugelhorn player whose career has been shaped by a love of collaboration, spanning chamber music, orchestral, commercial, recording and world music projects throughout the UK and internationally. Born and raised in Eastbourne, Harry was introduced to the trumpet by his father at a young age, who remained his teacher until he began his higher education. During this time, he progressed through the East Sussex Music Service (now Create Music) and local brass bands, laying the foundations for his professional career. Harry graduated with First Class Honours from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he also served as President of the Students' Union for two years, before completing a Master's degree with Distinction at the Royal Academy of Music. Alongside his work with Connaught Brass, Harry enjoys a varied freelance career performing at many of the world's leading concert halls, festivals and major international events. Career highlights include appearances at the BBC Proms, Classic FM Live and Wireless Festival with Stormzy, alongside performances at internationally renowned venues including Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, the Barbican Centre, Royal Festival Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, KKL Luzern and Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. He has a particular passion for world music and regularly performs on cross-cultural projects as principal trumpet of the London Bollywood Orchestra. Harry is also in demand as a commercial performer, regularly appearing with some of the UK's and Europe's leading function bands at corporate events, private engagements and international celebrations. Through this work, he has collaborated on events for internationally recognised brands including Apple, Meta, Lego, Shure and Sky, with performances regularly featured on television and radio broadcasts worldwide. An experienced recording musician, his recording highlights include Masters of the Air for Apple TV, in which he appeared both on screen and on the soundtrack; Bobby Krlic's Golden Globe-nominated score for Beau Is Afraid; and recordings with artists including the Jonas Brothers and Samuel Jack, whose single Feels Like Summer has amassed more than 60 million streams worldwide. Away from the stage, Harry supports the Principal and Chief Operating Officer at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, working across institutional strategy, governance, international partnerships and major projects, while also working as a freelance social media manager across the arts sector. He enjoys the variety of a portfolio career, balancing life as a performer, recording musician, arts professional and social media manager, and remains driven by bringing people together through music. Harry plays on a Bach Stradivarius 37G Bb & C (239) & Flugelhorn @ Olivia Da Costa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/ffeec3ef-8de2-4773-a8e5-ccdf4b782410/IMG_4825.jpg About - Zoë Tweed Zoë grew up in Wells, Somerset and began playing Euphonium at age 6 before switching to the trombone, then settling on the French Horn at age 9. She was taught by Simon de Souza at Wells Cathedral School before moving to London in 2017 to study at the Royal Academy of Music for both her undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, where she was supported by the Elton John Scholarship. Zoë was awarded her first trial at 20 years old with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for their Principal Horn position, and won subsequent Principal trials with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. She continued to freelance with various orchestras throughout the UK during and after finishing her studies, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia of London, BBC Concert Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. She accepted the position of 3rd Horn with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra a year after finishing her studies, in December 2023, becoming the youngest member of the orchestra. As a soloist, Zoë has performed concertos with the Hereford Symphony Orchestra, Oxford Sinfonia and Surrey Philharmonic Orchestra, and as a Countess of Munster Recital Scheme Artist she performs solo recitals across the UK. Zoë has recorded music for film and TV, and performed instrumentals on albums by artists such as Alison Sudol and Cody Fry. She enjoys a wide variety of musical genres and this is reflected in the music she writes and arranges for solo horn and piano, wind quintet, brass quartet and quintet. In 2024, Zoë joined the brass faculty at the Royal College of Music as a Horn professor. Outside of the horn Zoë is an avid DIY-er from crocheting to haircutting, and is currently knitting herself a sweater vest. Zoë plays on a Paxman 20M. @ Olivia Da Costa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/1687db45-22cb-4d1c-a1bc-7f91996f9fa0/IMG_4730.jpg About - Chris Brewster Chris grew up in Woking and began his musical journey on the euphonium before transitioning to the trombone at the age of 12. His early musical education took place at the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied from ages 10 to 18. Chris then pursued both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying trombone under Matt Gee, Peter Moore, Dudley Bright, and Ian Bousfield, as well as euphonium and bass trumpet with James Maynard. During his studies, Chris served as a principal trombonist and member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the European Union Youth Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Chris frequently performs across the UK with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, Opera North, Welsh National Opera, and the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. His career has taken him to some of the world's most renowned concert halls including the Philharmonie Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, KKL Lucerne, Konzerthaus Dortmund and The Royal Albert Hall. He has played under the baton of conductors including Edward Gardner, John Wilson, Vasily Petrenko, Kristjan Järvi, Sir Mark Elder, François-Xavier Roth, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. In addition to his performance career, Chris is a dedicated teacher, with both individual students and as an artist with the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust. Outside of his professional life, Chris enjoys travelling, drinking coffee, learning German, and spending time with his family dog, Isla. Chris plays on a Getzen 4147IB. @ Olivia Da Costa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/293f1744-4722-444d-b648-8ead2210f1d4/IMG_4708.jpg About - Aled Meredith-Barrett Aled, originally from Pembrokeshire, is a tuba player and a member of Connaught Brass. He recently graduated with MA (Dist) and a DipRAM from the Royal Academy of Music and was an associate of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Foyle Future First Scheme. Aled started playing the tenor horn at the age of 7 and quickly joined the Goodwick Brass youth band. Aled progressed through the ranks and joined the senior band in 2009, winning the 1st section national title in 2015. Aled has also been a part of the Welsh national ensembles, joining the National Youth Brass Band of Wales in 2014 and the orchestra in 2018. Aled was also a member of the National Orchestra of Great Britain in 2016, as the orchestra's principal tuba, playing in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham. During his time at the Academy, Aled studied with Patrick Harrild, Lee Tsarmaklis and Rex Martin and was also a member of the Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Brass and Manson Ensemble. As a freelance musician, Aled has performed with the Orchestra of Opera North, BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Ballet Sinfonia and has been on trial for Principal Tuba for Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Away from the tuba, Aled enjoys supporting the Llanelli Scarlets, watching football and drinking coffee. Aled plays on a B&S 3100W @ Olivia Da Costa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/6076f25b-0d64-49fa-818f-0159c8c812b8/ybjW4A3Y_400x400.png About - Kirckman Concert Society Artists Connaught Brass are honoured to be Kirckman Society Artists. The Kirckman Concert Society was founded by Geraint Jones and Calton Younger in 1963 to promote young artists of exceptional talent, and has been funded since its inception by the Chase Charity (now part of the LankellyChase Foundation). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/c646171b-4b92-4e53-bdfe-fe4ce2eb988c/Ferrandou_logo.jpeg About - Ferrandou Foundation Artists Connaught Brass are proud to be long-standing artists at the Ferrandou Musique Festival in France. The group made their first trip over to Ferrandou in the early summer of 2018 and have since been regular visitors performing in a host of local venues, churches and halls to packed crowds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/a5425ad6-8e09-4c0f-a031-ae9b4627dd5e/Copy-of-CAVATINA-2.png About - Former | Cavatina Chamber Music Trust Artists Connaught Brass are delighted to be part of the amazing, Cavatina Chamber Music Trust. Founded in 1998 with the aim of developing the next generation of chamber music lovers and players, the charity CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust exists to bring chamber music to young people, and young people to chamber music. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/ddcfea37-1c51-49ac-b86a-867eb905348f/11F6C598-4AFB-4DBA-BC31-6C9A6F8B21EA_4_5005_c.jpeg About - Former | Tillett Trust Connaught Brass were supported by the Tillett Trust between 2019-2023. For more than 30 years, the Tillett Trust has been financially supporting young classical musicians when they need it most at the very start of their professional solo careers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/4c030316-3551-4b3d-a297-e78165bcbd95/citymusicfoundation.png About - Former | City Music Foundation Artists Connaught Brass were supported by the City Music Foundation between 2021-2023. CMF’s mission is ‘turning talent into success’. We select exceptional professional musicians at the start of their careers when managing ‘the business of music’ can be a challenge, and support them with a comprehensive career development programme. Agency and management are fundamental to CMF’s role, but only a part of what we do. We also arrange mentoring, run workshops, make CDs, videos and websites, commission new music, secure airtime on BBC Radio 3 and promotion though online, print and social media, and put on our own recitals and concerts. https://www.connaughtbrass.com/connaughtbrassdiary daily 0.75 2026-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/e8ee4365-e68c-45c7-aff2-8992548e49b2/IMG_4427.jpg Diary https://www.connaughtbrass.com/https/connaughtbrasslisten daily 0.75 2026-05-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/ff9d6ecb-b5dc-4ae0-b919-a470f69ea295/Website+Homepage.jpg Listen https://www.connaughtbrass.com/https/connaughtbrasscontact daily 0.75 2026-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/1726179092845-5JVLTHXTTHUFQEEX80KS/IMG_4836.jpg Contact https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/1724406961831-HMDTBIWCCFQE7O7HOI3X/IMG_4271.jpg Contact - for Promoters Welcome to our promotional pack! Here, you will find everything you need to promote Connaught Brass, including: Long Group Biography Short Group Biography Individual Member Biographies Group Photographs Individual Member Photographs If you need any video content for promotional use, please feel free to email us at connaughtbrass@gmail.com, and we will provide you with a download link. https://www.connaughtbrass.com/https/connaughtbrasseducation daily 0.75 2026-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/1726179329052-PXAWD7YS5Z2J802C8DZT/IMG_4874.jpg Education https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/07f1edf6-2e31-4b56-930e-f82580a0f58c/3821f99d-b9ca-4462-b2f4-da173d1f3d8f.JPG Education - OUR ETHOS Here at Connaught Brass, we are incredibly passionate about music education and inspiring the next generation of musicians. Bringing a vast range of collective teaching and performing experience, we provide engaging and exciting school concerts and workshops for all age groups, from Primary School through to Higher Education. We pride ourselves on creating dynamic, tailor-made experiences for each institution and its students. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/62b84ac3-efec-4a35-867c-d0b15fdae96f/IMG_E0178.jpg Education - WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT? We are in a unique position as an international award-winning chamber ensemble and a close group of friends who, not that long ago, were navigating the same space and challenges that students are today. Alongside high-quality music making, our energy, relatability, and approachability provide an environment in which students can learn effectively and have fun. We strive to be fresh and modern in our approach on stage and in the classroom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5d69077cc9014d0001af8193/4db42187-8b07-4d2f-ba53-597b3fcef046/52708348924_8bf0aecd8a_o.jpg Education - WHAT WE OFFER School Concerts Ensemble Tuition (from beginner to adults) Masterclasses 1-1 Tuition Q/A Sessions