User:SteveTitchener

Steve Titchener started playing the trumpet at age 7. His first experience of playing in an ensemble was with the Sundon Park Brass Band in Luton, directed by George Crossland (Former cornet player with The Black Dyke Mills Band) He then joined the Luton Youth Jazz Orchestra and shortly after that became a member of The Bedfordshire Youth Dance Orchestra or BYDO as it was known then, directed by Dave Jones. By the age of 15, Steve was a member of The National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO Directed by Bill Ashton) where he was a member till the age of 25. During this time he not only performed, but composed and arranged for the band and later became an assistant musical director which he is to the present day. He studied trumpet at Leeds College of Music with Don Bateman & Dickie Hawdon and composition with Tony Faulkner and John Harrison He then went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama under the leadership of Scott Stroman. Steve then worked as a professional musician until he moved to New York (US) in 1989. He stayed there for a number of years and studied for a Masters Degree at Manhattan School of Music which he gained in 1992. He returned to England and worked for P&O cruises for a number of years as a trumpet player on board MV Oriana and arranged a substantial amount of music for various shows and cabaret artists. During this time he also played in The Shirley Bassey Orchestra and Syd Lawrence. He left P&O in 2002 and persued and career in education. He spent a brief time teaching music at the Arts Educational School in Tring and Ashcroft High School in Luton before becoming Head of Brass and Music Technology in January 2004 at Christ’s Hospital School in Sussex, where he has remained to the present day.