Kensington Brass

Formed in December 2011 by 10 students at the Royal College of Music, Kensington Brass is a versatile brass dectet covering repertoire of all genres. The ensemble plans original and exciting programmes, expertly penned by the members’ writing and arranging team. They push the boundaries of the versatility of brass instruments and showcase the talents of the individual exceptional players.

The Dectet and Quintet of Kensington Brass enjoy giving recitals, having performed at venues including Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Southwark Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral and the Royal Albert Hall Elgar Room.

Members of KB can be seen regularly playing with a wide range of professional outfits and currently hold jobs in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Band of the Royal Air Force College and New European Ensemble Den Haag.

KB consists of a team of the finest Brass educators in the UK holding teaching roles at Bradfield College, Charterhouse School, Winchester College and The National Children’s Orchestra of GB to name a few. With a strong enthusiasm for outreach work, the group have performed numerous workshops and education concerts.

KB won the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble Competition in both 2012 and 2013, awarded by Nigel Black and Alistair Mackie of the Philharmonia Orchestra. The ensemble also reached the final of the Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Competition in 2013, to be the only brass group advancing to the final stage.

About the musicians…

Tom Griffiths

Tom Griffiths began his musical career at the age of nine playing the cornet in his local brass band and the West Sussex County ensembles. Following four years of attending the Junior Guildhall School of Music, Tom was awarded a place at the Royal College of Music to study a Bachelor’s Degree.

As a scholar at the RCM, Tom also went on to complete a Master’s degree obtaining a distinction. Tom is also an alumnus of the European Union Youth Orchestra, having played with the orchestra on their marathon 2016 summer tour under the direction of Vasily Petrenko and Bernard Haitink. Able to turn his hands to a variety of styles, Tom is fortunate enough to have performed with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Zone One Brass, and English Touring Opera, as well as the UK’s busiest brass quintet, Oompah Brass. Alongside performing, Tom is an enthusiastic and committed educator. He currently holds teaching posts at two of the country’s leading independent schools; Bradfield College and St George’s Windsor Castle. Leading ensembles and coaching, have increasingly become central aspects of his portfolio of work. In 2020, Tom was appointed as Conductor of the Kew Wind Orchestra, one of the UK’s foremost amateur concert bands.

 

Adam Stockbridge

Adam is from Skipton, North Yorkshire and was a pupil at Chetham’s School of Music before studying in London at the Royal College of Music, graduating with a First-Class Honours Degree before completing his Master’s in Performance. During his time at the RCM Adam was a two-time winner of the RCM Trumpet Prize and also performed Copland’s Quiet City with the RCM Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John Wilson. After leaving the College Adam participated on the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Foyle Future First programme and has performed with orchestras including the Philharmonia and LPO. Adam has also played and recorded with a variety of groups including the Gabrieli Consort, European Brass Ensemble and Multi Story Orchestra. As soloist, Adam has performed with the St Cecilia Orchestra, Settle Orchestral Society and Blackpool Symphony Orchestra. Adam is brass teacher at Hurlingham School, Putney and is the principal trumpet of the Orpheus Sinfonia.

 

Jack Wilson

Jack first picked up a cornet at the age of eight after listening to his parents play and quickly progressed through various youth groups into both regional youth bands and senior ensembles. In 2013 Jack began his studies at the Royal College of Music, now on Trumpet, under the tutelage of Jason Evans, Mark Calder and Alistair Mackie. Jack joined the Royal Air Force in 2018, as a musician, where he toured the UK and Europe, and was appointed as Principal Trumpet of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force in 2021. Jack featured as a soloist across his career in the RAF and in 2022 won the RAF Solo Competition. Jack has been on trial or is currently on trial with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra for vacant Principal and Co-Principal Trumpet positions. He has also played with the BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonia, London Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra.

 

Cameron Johnson

As a fifth-generation trumpeter, Cameron began playing the cornet in his local Salvation Army brass band aged six, under the tutelage of his grandfather, Ray Todd. A music scholar of Norwich School, Cameron left in 2012 to pursue his music studies at King’s College London, where he graduated with First-Class Honours. During this period, he gained the Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music and received scholarships to attend the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Royal College of Music for postgraduate study, taking up his place at the Academy in September 2015. Whilst at university, Cameron studied with Paul Beniston and John Hutchins and has also received tuition from Mark David, Ray Simmons and James Watson. Highlights have included touring with the European Youth Orchestra, Triorca, holding the principal trumpet position in the University of London Symphony Orchestra, and directing the KCL Big Band from the lead trumpet chair. Equally at home as a soloist, Cameron has performed several solo recitals in and around London as well as concerto performances of works by Haydn, Hummel, Neruda and Arutunian. Cameron enjoys a busy performance schedule across all genres, and is extremely grateful for the support given to him by Help Musicians UK and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.

 

Fabian van de Geest

Fabian van de Geest is a graduate of the Purcell School where he studied the Horn with Sue Dent before continuing his studies with a scholarship at the Royal College of Music under Simon Rayner and Tim Jones. Fabian plays with many of the leading orchestras of Great Britain both in the UK and on tour throughout Europe. He has played extensively with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, under such distinguished conductors as Bernard Haitink, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Herbert Blomstedt, both as a section player and principal. Playing in smaller ensembles is a particular focus, and he is sought after as a chamber music partner, recently appearing at the Highgate International Chamber Festival, at Klosters Music Festival, in Switzerland with his brass quintet, Skyline Brass, as well as with other ensembles at venues such as Marsac, France, and Southwell Music Festival.

 

Elliot Launn

Born in Bournemouth, Elliot is a freelance Accompanist and Tuba player. Graduating with a Joint Honours degree from the Royal College of Music in 2014, Elliot has spent his time flitting between the two instruments, and has performed with a number of Britain’s leading orchestras. He is currently on trial for the position of Principal Tuba with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Recently, Elliot has been seen covering keys in the West End and is Assistant MD at the Thursford Christmas Spectacular.

 

Jim Alexander

Jim started playing the trombone in 2002 and studied with the East Sussex Music Service through to 2009 under the tutelage of Jon Penton. Jim started on tenor trombone, but after his grade 8 in 2006, made the switch to bass trombone and started to look towards the possibility of a career in music. Jim commenced his studies with Dave Stewart at the RCM in 2009 as a foundation scholar and in his third year, became a founding member of Kensington Brass. He completed his undergraduate degree in 2013 and his Master’s in Performance degree in 2015. Since graduating, Jim has enjoyed a busy and varied career, combining teaching for Wandsworth Music and Bolingbroke Academy with performing across London. Jim has played with the National Symphony Orchestra and Southbank Sinfonia but has moved towards theatre work, deputising in a number of West End shows, including Wicked and Les Misérables.

 

Tom Barton

Tom began playing the trombone aged 14 when one was bought for him as a birthday present and quickly fell in love with the instrument, playing with youth groups in his native Hampshire. Deciding to pursue music as a career, he accepted a place at the Royal College of Music as a Michael Quinn Scholar studying with Lindsay Shilling, Byron Fulcher, Amos Miller and jazz with Richard Edwards. After graduating from the RCM with First-Class Honours and gaining a Master’s Degree with Distinction, he has combined varied professional playing commitments with arranging work and teaching at Winchester College, Bryanston and Bedales Schools and on the Hampshire Specialist Music Course at Peter Symonds College as part of a busy portfolio career. When not doing something musical he can be found running, cycling very slowly up any given hill or playing cricket for the RCM Alumni team, the Prince Consort XI.

 

Robert Moseley

Robert Studied at the Royal College of Music from 2013 to 2019. During his time at the RCM, Robert had the opportunity to perform with world-famous conductors, such as Vladimir Ashkenazy and Bernard Haitink, as well as being accepted on the Chamber Orchestra of Europe’s Academy, and the Philharmonia’s MMSF Scheme. As a freelance musician, Robert has performed all around the UK with orchestras such as the BBC Concert and Scottish Symphony Orchestras, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Opera House Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Opera North and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to name a few. In his free time Robert is a keen golfer and coffee enthusiast.

 

Ross Johnson

Ross Johnson enjoys a freelance trombone career based in London. Working with many of the country’s leading orchestras and ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House, Philharmonia and the BBC Orchestras along with West End touring shows. Ross grew up in Shropshire, where he began learning the trombone with Porthywaen Silver Band, so this is a special return to his roots. He has recently enjoyed performing at Glastonbury Festival and on tour in Saudi Arabia.

Kensington Brass has a Website