Paul Sawbridge

Paul studied the horn in Manchester with Robert Aspden, Sydney Coulston, and Ifor James and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He has played, recorded and broadcast on both horn and Wagner tuba with many of the country's leading orchestras; including the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, Welsh National Opera and many of the BBC Orchestras. His recordings have also included soundtracks for TV and film.

The freelance musical work has gradually broadened to include arranging, and work in the theatre including the RSC and Bristol Old Vic and particularly in opera. In recent years he has also performed on original instruments, the baroque horn, the classical hand horn and the Vienna Horn. In addition to his orchestral work he is particularly keen on chamber music and is a founder member of Harmonie Musik and the horn quartet Cornucopia.

He has always had an interest in music education and got great pleasure from returning to the National Youth Orchestra to coach Wagner Tuba on the occasions when these have been required. In the past five years he has also been on the Executive Committee of the British Horn Society.

Away from music his interests are mountaineering, rugby, gardening and cats. The mountaineering included an attempt to get in the Guinness Book of Records by playing hose pipe duets on the summit of a 22500 Ft peak in the Himalaya.