Regent Brass are pleased to announce the signing of the young trumpet and cornet star William Thomas on Principal Cornet. 
A pupil at Orleans Park School, William began playing at the age of 8 and soon joined the Richmond Music Trust Brass Band under the band’s Flugel Horn player, Victoria Curran. Within 6 months Will took his first grade exams and gained his grade 8 with distinction at the age of 12. He currently studies at the Junior Guildhall School of Music & Drama and is also the youngest member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, where he has played Repiano and Solo Cornet.
Despite being only 13 years of age, he has already won several accolades as a soloist winning classes at the Foden’s Solo Contest, best solo performance at the English Brass Academy under the direction of Paul Archibald and Philip Schwartz, solo classes at the Richmond Performing Arts Festival and best overall performer in a wind and brass festival adjudicated by Rex Richardson. He is currently taking part in the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2014 and will be performing in the second round in December.
MD Alan Duguid said:
“We are all very excited to welcome William to the band. I have heard him perform many times and he is a very gifted player who has a very bright future ahead of him. I am certain he will be a huge asset to the band and hope he performs with us for many years to come”.
William’s first performance with the band will be at their Christmas Concert on Friday 6th December, where he will be performing as the soloist for Alexander Goedicke’s “Concert Etude”.
Also joining the band on the back-row are Gillian Park, Connie Chadwick and Stuart Black from Regent Community Brass. All three of them have played with the band several times over the last 12 months and we are delighted to welcome them to the band on a permanent basis.
The band would also like to express their sincerest thanks for outgoing Principal Cornet player Barbara King, who has decided to step down due to other commitments. Sadly, the band also says goodbye to long-standing cornet player and band secretary Darryl D’Costa and former Principal Cornet Andy Lenton, who we would like to wish all the best for the future.
