Tim Stidwill - Horn
Tim started playing the horn at the age of 11 and was initially taught by Richard Duckett. Tim decided to take up the horn whilst he was at junior school,when the local senior school brass band came in to perform a concert and demonstrate their instruments Having been given a chance to try the tenor horn as part of the demonstration he decided to take up the tenor horn ... however his grandfather, who was also a keen musician, persuaded him that the French Horn was a far more versatile instrument to play! Hence he took up the Horn when he started at senior school.
Within his first year of playing the instrument, Tim had already joined the school orchestra and the Birmingham Schools Training Wind Orchestra. Through his years at secondary school Tim progressed through the Birmingham Schools Concert Orchestra through to the Birmingham Schools Symphony Orchestra with whom he performed Richard Strauss’ 1st Horn Concerto. Tim was also a regular soloist with his School Orchestra and featured in many school concerts. Tim was also a member of the Academy of St Philips.
It was at school that Tim started performing within brass ensembles, initially setting up a Brass Quartet with other students and members of staff and progressing through to become a member of the Birmingham Schools Brass Ensemble.
Tim’s time at University should have been spent learning all about Civil Engineering, but he seemed to spend more time doing music than studying! Tim was a music Scholar at the University of Warwick and at the end of his first year, he performed Robert Schumann’s Konzertstück for 4 horns (not on his own!) – he performed the work again a year later with the Birmingham Schools Symphony Orchestra. Tim took a leading role in setting up the University of Warwick Brass Society in order to enable students to maximise their opportunities to play challenging Brass Ensemble and Brass Band Repertoire – the culmination Tim’s three year with the Brass Society was a concert at the end of his third year which included Richard’s Strauss’ Festmusik der Stadt Wien (for 10 trumpets, 7 trombones, 2 tubas and timpani – conducted by Tim), a set for Brass Band and a performance of Elgar Howarth’s arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition for Large Brass Ensemble.
After University Tim moved to the South East of England playing for such groups as the Kensington Philharmonic, the Salomon Orchestra, the Hertfordshire Philharmonic and the English Brass Group. Since his return to the Midlands Tim has been a regular performer the Sinfonia of Birmingham, the Chandos Orchestra and the Midland Sinfonia and is the Principal Horn of the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2003, Tim joined Holborne Brass.
Away from music, Tim is a chartered Civil and Structural Engineer.