osh Is currently a second-year undergraduate tuba player studying at the Royal Northern College of Music. After a brief stint on the French Horn, Josh was given the option to move to the tuba – an opportunity he Is thankful for to this day! Almost immediately after developing the necessary strength to pick up the tuba, Josh began attending Newcastle Performing Arts Centre in Stoke-on-Trent, where he got to play in a range of ensembles and experience different repertoire.
In 2016, Josh was delighted to accept an offer to begin studying at the RNCM, which not only meant achieving a long-term goal of his, following in his teacher’s footsteps, but also meant moving from home and becoming independent! Since starting at the RNCM, Josh has been studying with internationally renowned tuba soloist and chamber musician Les Neish, who’s passion and innate musical expression has and continues to be a strong driving force behind Josh’s playing and approach to music.
Eager to get involved, Josh has been very fortunate to be involved in numerous RNCM ensembles, ranging from regularly playing with the RNCM Brass Band and RNCM Wind Orchestra to most recently performing Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’ as part of the RNCM Symphony Orchestra. Josh has also discovered a passion for chamber music, competing in competitions such as the Phillip Jones Brass Prize and performing in recitals around Manchester with All Saints Brass Quintet. This quintet also saw the rise of the Student-led Brass Dectet ‘Factory Brass’, which allows access to a greater range on repertoire from more classical pieces to Jazz and Swing.
2017 saw Josh be selected to take in the European Youth Brass Band, flying out to Belgium to play at the European Brass Band Championships under the leadership of Cornet player Raf Van Looren, an incredible opportunity Josh will never forget!
When Josh isn’t playing the tuba, he loves nothing more than walking his dog Seth with his family, or skateboarding with his friends.
