Follow in the footsteps of recent alumni, who perform in top ensembles and hold principal orchestral positions around the world

The Academy’s Brass Department is widely considered to be one of the leading conservatoire departments in the world.

'Working with such talented and motivated students makes my role at the Academy an exciting, challenging and fulfilling one. Seeing them achieve the success they deserve is a rewarding experience'
Mark David, Head of Brass

We offer individual lessons with our team of distinguished professors and visiting professors, who are active at the highest professional level, an unparalleled range of masterclasses with the many internationally renowned artists who visit regularly, and a rich orchestral and chamber music programme.

As well as receiving the essential musical and technical grounding in the core repertoire, our undergraduate and postgraduate students take advantage of a wide range of performance opportunities.

Collaborations with prestigious venues across London, partnerships with orchestras, and competitions – both internal and external – will help you make the most of your time at the Academy and prepare you for a fulfilling career in music.

Discovery events

Discovery Events are the perfect way to find out more about the Academy and whether it’s the right place for you.

Read more >

A bassist chats with a passer-by in a corridor
Aaron Akugbo Headshot
Aaron Akugbo Headshot

Aaron Akugbo

Aaron Akugbo Headshot

Aaron Akugbo

Graduated 2020
Trumpet

Aaron Akugbo

Graduated 2020

Trumpet

Meet
our alunni

Matilda Lloyd holding a trumpet
Matilda Lloyd holding a trumpet

Matilda Lloyd

Matilda Lloyd holding a trumpet

Matilda Lloyd

Graduated 2019

Matilda Lloyd

Graduated 2019

Matthew Knight Headshot
Matthew Knight Headshot

Matthew Knight

Matthew Knight Headshot

Matthew Knight

Graduated 2008
Trombone Tenor

Matthew Knight

Graduated 2008

Trombone Tenor

Matthew Knight is Co-Principal Trombone of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, where he also serves as Vice-Chairman, having been a member of the orchestra’s Board since 2015. He has performed with almost all of the UK orchestras, often as a Guest Principal with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Knight graduated with a starred first in music from Cambridge University, where he was Senior Choral Scholar at Gonville & Caius College. From 2005 to 2008, he was a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music as a postgraduate, receiving a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital and the 2008 Principal’s Prize. In 2016, he was appointed an Associate of the Academy and now teaches the trombone at the Royal College of Music.

Along with fellow Academy graduate Simon Cox, Knight is Artistic Director of the brass septet Septura, described by trumpet virtuoso Alison Balsom as setting a standard ‘absolutely higher than brass playing has ever been before’. Currently Ensemble in Residence at the Academy, the group is recording a series of 10 discs for Naxos Records, each focused on a particular period, genre and set of composers. Septura has performed around the world, including tours to New Zealand, Japan and the USA, and has recently made its debut in the Chamber Music Season at Wigmore Hall.

An active composer, arranger and orchestrator, Knight has arranged music for nine of Septura’s releases so far, as well as arranging and orchestrating for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Classic FM.

Lucy Humphris Headshot
Lucy Humphris Headshot

Lucy Humphris

Lucy Humphris Headshot

Lucy Humphris

Graduated 2019

Lucy Humphris

Graduated 2019

Photo of Huw Morgan
Photo of Huw Morgan

Huw Morgan

Photo of Huw Morgan

Huw Morgan

Graduated 2010
Trumpet

Huw Morgan

Graduated 2010

Trumpet

Huw Morgan is Principal Trumpet of the Sinfonieorchester Basel in Switzerland, a founder member of the acclaimed brass ensemble Septura and Assistant Lecturer at the Musikhochschule Luzern. He has won a number of international trumpet competitions including the Prague Spring, Ellsworth Smith, Girolamo Fantini, Only Brass and Lieksa.

Recent solo highlights include concerto appearances with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Hamburg Camerata, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Helsinki Philharmonic, and Irish Chamber Orchestra. He has also featured at numerous international festivals including Cheltenham, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ticino, International Trumpet Guild and Kaposvár. A passionate exponent of contemporary music, Morgan has premiered works by Leif Segerstam, Paul Max Edlin, Karl Jenkins and Jonathan Harvey.

Morgan has been featured on over thirty commercially available recordings (EMI, Decca, Chandos) and can be heard as the solo trumpeter on the soundtrack to the BAFTA-nominated film, Me and Orson Welles. The first album in his ground-breaking series for Naxos Records, The Art of the Modern Trumpet, has garnered international acclaim since its release in 2019, described variously as a “sensational debut”, “exquisitely interpreted”, and “played with great elegance”. The second and third volumes will be released in 2021.

Alongside his solo activities, Morgan appears regularly as guest principal with many leading ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and Nash Ensemble. A frequent guest professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, he has presented masterclasses throughout Europe, North America, and Asia.

Born in South Wales, Morgan studied at Chetham’s School of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. His principal teachers included John Dickinson, Murray Greig, James Watson, Mark David, Robert Farley, and Frits Damrow.

Huw Morgan is a Yamaha Artist.

Kira Doherty stands at the bottom of a staircase, facing camera
Kira Doherty stands at the bottom of a staircase, facing camera

Kira Doherty

Kira Doherty stands at the bottom of a staircase, facing camera

Kira Doherty

Graduated 2006
Horn (French)

Kira Doherty

Graduated 2006

Horn (French)

Kira Doherty moved to London from Quebec in 2004 to complete her studies at the Royal Academy of Music at postgraduate level. After graduating in 2006, she enjoyed a varied freelance career before accepting the post of Second Horn in the Philharmonia Orchestra in 2013. She has appeared as a guest orchestral player with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2014, Doherty joined the board of the Philharmonia and held the post of chairman for two years before stepping down in 2018 to focus on her part-time studies in history. She has recently completed a Master’s degree at Oxford University, focusing on the social history of unlawful hunting in the 17th century. Doherty also teaches at the Royal College of Music.

Photo by Marina Vidor Philharmonia Orchestra

Find out more about the career paths of some of our former students

Meet our alumni
Aaron Akugbo Headshot
Aaron Akugbo Headshot

Aaron Akugbo

Aaron Akugbo Headshot

Aaron Akugbo

Graduated 2020
Trumpet

Aaron Akugbo

Graduated 2020

Trumpet

Matilda Lloyd holding a trumpet
Matilda Lloyd holding a trumpet

Matilda Lloyd

Matilda Lloyd holding a trumpet

Matilda Lloyd

Graduated 2019

Matilda Lloyd

Graduated 2019

Matthew Knight Headshot
Matthew Knight Headshot

Matthew Knight

Matthew Knight Headshot

Matthew Knight

Graduated 2008
Trombone Tenor

Matthew Knight

Graduated 2008

Trombone Tenor

Matthew Knight is Co-Principal Trombone of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, where he also serves as Vice-Chairman, having been a member of the orchestra’s Board since 2015. He has performed with almost all of the UK orchestras, often as a Guest Principal with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Knight graduated with a starred first in music from Cambridge University, where he was Senior Choral Scholar at Gonville & Caius College. From 2005 to 2008, he was a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music as a postgraduate, receiving a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital and the 2008 Principal’s Prize. In 2016, he was appointed an Associate of the Academy and now teaches the trombone at the Royal College of Music.

Along with fellow Academy graduate Simon Cox, Knight is Artistic Director of the brass septet Septura, described by trumpet virtuoso Alison Balsom as setting a standard ‘absolutely higher than brass playing has ever been before’. Currently Ensemble in Residence at the Academy, the group is recording a series of 10 discs for Naxos Records, each focused on a particular period, genre and set of composers. Septura has performed around the world, including tours to New Zealand, Japan and the USA, and has recently made its debut in the Chamber Music Season at Wigmore Hall.

An active composer, arranger and orchestrator, Knight has arranged music for nine of Septura’s releases so far, as well as arranging and orchestrating for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Classic FM.

Lucy Humphris Headshot
Lucy Humphris Headshot

Lucy Humphris

Lucy Humphris Headshot

Lucy Humphris

Graduated 2019

Lucy Humphris

Graduated 2019

Photo of Huw Morgan
Photo of Huw Morgan

Huw Morgan

Photo of Huw Morgan

Huw Morgan

Graduated 2010
Trumpet

Huw Morgan

Graduated 2010

Trumpet

Huw Morgan is Principal Trumpet of the Sinfonieorchester Basel in Switzerland, a founder member of the acclaimed brass ensemble Septura and Assistant Lecturer at the Musikhochschule Luzern. He has won a number of international trumpet competitions including the Prague Spring, Ellsworth Smith, Girolamo Fantini, Only Brass and Lieksa.

Recent solo highlights include concerto appearances with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Hamburg Camerata, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Helsinki Philharmonic, and Irish Chamber Orchestra. He has also featured at numerous international festivals including Cheltenham, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ticino, International Trumpet Guild and Kaposvár. A passionate exponent of contemporary music, Morgan has premiered works by Leif Segerstam, Paul Max Edlin, Karl Jenkins and Jonathan Harvey.

Morgan has been featured on over thirty commercially available recordings (EMI, Decca, Chandos) and can be heard as the solo trumpeter on the soundtrack to the BAFTA-nominated film, Me and Orson Welles. The first album in his ground-breaking series for Naxos Records, The Art of the Modern Trumpet, has garnered international acclaim since its release in 2019, described variously as a “sensational debut”, “exquisitely interpreted”, and “played with great elegance”. The second and third volumes will be released in 2021.

Alongside his solo activities, Morgan appears regularly as guest principal with many leading ensembles, including the London Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields and Nash Ensemble. A frequent guest professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, he has presented masterclasses throughout Europe, North America, and Asia.

Born in South Wales, Morgan studied at Chetham’s School of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. His principal teachers included John Dickinson, Murray Greig, James Watson, Mark David, Robert Farley, and Frits Damrow.

Huw Morgan is a Yamaha Artist.

Kira Doherty stands at the bottom of a staircase, facing camera
Kira Doherty stands at the bottom of a staircase, facing camera

Kira Doherty

Kira Doherty stands at the bottom of a staircase, facing camera

Kira Doherty

Graduated 2006
Horn (French)

Kira Doherty

Graduated 2006

Horn (French)

Kira Doherty moved to London from Quebec in 2004 to complete her studies at the Royal Academy of Music at postgraduate level. After graduating in 2006, she enjoyed a varied freelance career before accepting the post of Second Horn in the Philharmonia Orchestra in 2013. She has appeared as a guest orchestral player with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2014, Doherty joined the board of the Philharmonia and held the post of chairman for two years before stepping down in 2018 to focus on her part-time studies in history. She has recently completed a Master’s degree at Oxford University, focusing on the social history of unlawful hunting in the 17th century. Doherty also teaches at the Royal College of Music.

Photo by Marina Vidor Philharmonia Orchestra