I came home from infant school and announced 'I've volunteered to play God Save the Queen for the Silver Jubilee on the trumpet'!
Up until then I'd only ever blown a few raspberries on my Dad's trumpet, so he quickly had to teach me. I was only six (in 1977) and have been playing the trumpet ever since. My Dad, Tony, taught both my brother Ian, and me. We were also very fortunate to have the occasional lesson from the legendary 'Jumbo' (John Wilbraham) who was at the Royal Academy of Music with Dad. My grandfather Terry also played the trumpet with the famous Geraldo Band, so it was definitely in the genes. I played in everything Welsh music had to offer, from my village brass band in Penclawdd (near Swansea), West Glamorgan Youth Music to the National Youth Brass Band and Orchestra of Wales.
I entered the Royal Academy of Music in 1989. College was a great time, and as well as many musical high points, there are probably more social ones, for example the annual 'Marylebone March', a lengthy pub crawl down Marylebone High Street near the Academy, made different from a normal pub crawl by the playing of a band march between each pub, or supermarket. This took place every year on my birthday, and is still done now, a good dozen years later!
I auditioned for the Hallé in November 1992 at the famous Abbey Road studios for Kent Nagano, who was there recording with the LSO. I remember the actual audition was in an adjoining studio that was in the middle of being painted. The decorators were delighted to get a bonus 20 minutes added to their lunch break whilst Kent put me through my paces. Despite the paint fumes, I was asked to come into the Orchestra, 'on trial'. My first programme with the Hallé was Brahms 1 in the Free Trade Hall. After several months I was invited to join the Orchestra. I finished my studies in London and started with the Hallé together with London flatmate Richard Bourn on Horn in September 1993.
There have been some memorable highlights for me with the Hallé, namely the tours to Hollywood, Japan, Salzburg and Vienna, and also a tour to New York and Washington with the Hallé Brass (playing on Capitol Hill with the US Army Band). In 1995 the Welsh composer Alun Hoddinot wrote a trumpet concerto for me that I premiered with the Hallé at the Welsh Proms in Cardiff with Owain Arwel Hughes. And I was lucky enough to play in the opening concerts in The Bridgewater Hall. By far the best concert hall in the country!
I am very fortunate to have a lot of varied work outside the Orchestra too, with most of the London orchestras, West End shows, film and session work including regular work for Karl Jenkins, the composer of the well known Adiemus albums. I'm also in a trumpet quartet, Orfeo, and play for Hallé Rock (www.hallerock.co.uk). More recently I have been invited to join London Brass, formerly the Philip Jones group. I've also joined that illustrious group of musicians who can say they've played for the Vienna Philharmonic! I organized a return football match (remember Salzburg '98 anyone?) between Vienna and a team of freelancers in London and was invited to er, 'play with the Vienna Phil'. Having scored two against them in the Hallé's famous 5-4 victory in Salzburg, I think they wanted to keep a close eye on me!
In between all of that, I follow the very successful Manchester United, the rather less successful Welsh Rugby team, play golf, 5-a-side football, go skiing and socialising. I love playing the trumpet and luckily for me I even get paid for it!
Gareth Small