01/04/2020
Introducing one our our adjudicators, Dr Brett Baker ARCM:
Brett Baker, is viewed internationally as a leading brass performer and educator. He is passionate about encouraging composers to write pioneering new repertoire and is one of the most recorded brass soloists in his genre. He is the longest serving Principal Trombone in the history of the band and the longest serving soloist in the current band.
Brett is General Manager for the Geneva Group, he continues to be an ambassador for Michael Rath Brass Instruments. He was Festival Director of both the Singapore and Thailand Low Brass Festivals (2013-2017) and is a Past-President of the British Trombone Society (2010-2012). Brett has performed with singers such as Alison Goldfrapp and Hayley Westenra, trumpet soloist Alison Balsom and other world class trombone soloists including; Ian Bousfield, Wycliffe Gordon, Christian Lindberg and Joseph Alessi.
Originally from the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, Brett studied at the University of Salford, simultaneously joining the Fairey Band, conducted by Major Peter Parkes in 1992. He had many contest successes including an historic treble in 1993/4. At Salford he was taught by Professor David King, whilst also studying for a degree in Business Economics. In 2000 he was invited to join the Black D**e Band by Professor Nicholas Childs, achieving enviable contest successes. Now as well as a performance schedule of 60 concerts a year, Brett enjoys presenting workshops, specialising in solo performance and band training. His research includes trombone solo repertoire, trombone instrument design through modular assembly and the psychology of performance. He was Programme leader at the University of Salford Musical Arts degree from 2013-2019.
Brett has produced over 30 solo albums, 8 under his own label of White River Evocations, which produces and distributes CDs. He has performed as guest soloist on a further 46 CDs. He has produced four sheet music trombone solo albums and many arrangements for trombone and piano. He regularly tours in the USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand as a soloist, teacher, conductor and adjudicator. As a consultant, Brett, has worked with Michael Rath Musical Instruments for over 10 years on instrument design and has assisted in production of a signature mouthpiece as well as the R6 Rath Trombone. As a conductor, Brett has many associations with bands in the North of England, and has achieved contest successes with Northop, Ratby and Longridge bands.
He has been guest conductor of the University of Salford Brass Band, the brass band at the Royal Northern College of Music, Thoresby Colliery, Carlton Main Frickley Colliery and the Leyland Band. In 2014 Brett conducted Tongwynlais Temperance at the National Finals of Great Britain in the Royal Albert Hall, London. Brett was conductor of the University of Salford Symphonic Wind Band from 2014-2019. He now conducts both the Yorkshire Youth Band and North East Midlands Youth Brass Band.
As an adjudicator, Brett, has judged the International Trombone Association in the USA, the National Solo Championships in Switzerland, many Association contests, the National Finals in the Netherlands and Lithuania, New Zealand and Australia, and the majority of the Area Qualifiers for the National Championships of Great Britain. He is trombone tutor of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland, and the International Brass Band Summer School in Swansea as well as low brass tutor of the International Summer School in Dartington, Devon.
