Brass Competition Delights Audience and Adjudicator

Many of the performers were accompanied on the piano by Head of Instrumental Studies Mr Paul Smith who congratulated the participants, “Well done to everyone who took part in this event – the level of preparation and standard of performance made for a lovely recital for the audience”.

The winners in each category were Tyler (Year 8) on trumpet, Alice (Year 7) on trombone and Caelan (Year 11) on trombone. Well done to the winners, runners up and all those who took part.

The Malcolm Smith Brass Prize was set up in memory of Malcolm Smith, one of our trumpet teachers, who died suddenly in June 2001. Malcolm was a consummate musician and a good friend to many of us here. That he found time to teach at Alleyn’s is something for which we, and his pupils in particular, are enormously grateful. He was highly regarded in the music profession as a player (having played in many London Orchestras and, latterly, principal Trumpet in the Royal Opera House Orchestra), teacher (Professor of Trumpet at both the Royal College and the Royal Academy of Music) and negotiator. During the troubled times at the Royal Opera House in 2000/2001 Malcolm was an essential link between musicians and management – he had the wonderful knack of presenting various angles of a discussion in a direct, yet unthreatening way. In addition to all this, Malcolm had a great zest for life and was always getting people involved and enthusiastic for everything life throws at us. He remains greatly missed.