Joining us in October 2009, our "tuba" player Tom first took an interest in music from the age of 9, and is currently in his second year at the local university of Canterbury Christ Church, studying Music with Business. Originally from Bearsted, in Maidstone, Tom is a welcomed addition to the bass section and is already fitting in well with Kent's finest band.

Originally having learnt trumpet for four years, Tom moved to tuba in his second year at secondary school, at the age of 13. Tom holds positions in many of the ensembles and musical groups at university, ranging from euphonium player in wind orchestra, through to bass guitarist in a jazz trio.

Currently studying performance in tuba, Tom is also a skilled performer on the trombone, euphonium and bass guitar, and also expresses an interest in studying Cowbell and Bass Drum. (Ha, only kidding, had you there!)  In addition to this, Tom is actively involved
outside of studies, and has from 2008 been the principal tuba player of the Kent Country Youth Orchestra. 

With his solid foundations in tuba playing, it is even more a delight for Tom to be reading his "brass band" scores in his favourite clef, bass clef, not treble (the normal clef of the brass band tuba), after some minor 'tweaking' of scores by  MD John Goold.
 
Approaching the end of the second year, Tom performed Gordon Jacob's 'Tuba Suite', a popular choice in the tuba repertoire, consisting of 7 challenging Baroque-style 'dances' for the instrument. Since his time here at Cantium Brass Band, Tom has already cottoned onto the concept of RST and the "non-curly horns" one may find in such an ensemble. 

It is a pleasure to have Tom playing for us in Cantium Brass and we hope to have him here whilst he is undertaking his studies in the area. 
Submitted by Joe Hillyer (EEb Bass).

The above article was very kindly submitted by Tom's Partner In Crime "Joe Hillyer". J
Joe prides himself as being the only member of Cantium Brass to submit his biography within 24 hours of it being requested and becomes somewhat agitated when his fellow bandsman do not follow suit.