"It could sound more cultured... think more Worcester Cathedral and less Essex" #ThingsConductorsSay

"We're aiming for sinister and cold... like Donald Trump if he ever gets to Greenland" #ThingsConductorsSay

"You know I'm always telling you not to sound like emergency vehicles? Here... you need to sound like emergency vehicles" #ThingsConductorsSay

"Sometimes, listening to a wind band without the percussion is like watching TV with the sound off" #ThingsConductorsSay

I'm sometimes out late enough to hear the Shipping Forecast on my way home. Tonight is the first time I've heard Force 11 (violent storm) mentioned 😬💨⛵

I've just watched a woman in a bath robe and slippers, with wet hair, walk into Tesco and buy towels. I have Questions 🤷🏻‍♂️

New music... excuse me while I dig out my lilting cowbells and playful motor horn 🙄

Merry Christmas, all. Praying that you find time for connection, time for peace, and time to reflect on the meaning behind this season - whatever that means to you 🎄

Shout out to everyone else back home with (grand)parents for the holidays, trying to sleep in a single bed in the spare room 😁

Castell Coch sits in the hills above Radyr, just outside Cardiff. My gran used to tell me that if I ate enough Welsh cakes, I'd be able to pronounce it's name properly

Live recording of the Firebird (1945 Suite) on @bbcradio3bot.bsky.social - that's a pretty decent birthday present 🔥 🕊️

Achievement unblocked: uploaded my first files to IMSLP (corrected parts for Edward German's 'The Seasons' with missing pages copied out from the score) 🎼

The out of office reply is on and I'm free! The birthday/Christmas holiday starts now 😃

I'm not remotely surprised to see X so low. What DOES surprise me is WhatsApp, which has replaced texting to become pretty ubiquitous for communication here in the UK. Or am I just out of touch with the kids these days...?

I had so many things to do this evening. Instead, I spent four hours in the workshop, fabricating a pair of wheelchair side guards from sheet aluminium - as you do 😃

Does anyone in my network have academic access to the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy?

Well that was my last concert of 2025, and what a way to go out. The kids smashed it this evening, and really enjoyed themselves in the process. Good to be reminded that we are all sharers in the promise of God

It's been a fun day for carols and other church music. I accompanied our carol service this morning and this evening I'm in Bury St Edmunds to perform a new cantata with adult and children's choirs, actors, and even a rapper!

Looking good for a Christmas concert 🎅🏻

Once more into the breach, dear friends - and this time with added sleigh bells and tubular bells #Christmas 🎄

I do not care what how much propaganda Silicon Valley tries to spread saying otherwise, a machine vomiting up slop is never ever going to be art to me the way an human being sitting and making something with their soul, knowledge and skill set is.

Well I certainly had my work cut out for me this evening, but that was a fun concert/workout 🥁

Words no percussionist wants to hear: "We're raffling off the chance to play the sleigh bells to a member of the audience" #GiveMeStrength 🤦🏻‍♂️

It's now 20 minutes after I was asked to arrive at the venue, there's nobody about, and there are bollards across the car park. Sigh

The car is full once again, and I'm on the road to London for today's wind band gig 🥁 🎄

Can I fit four timpani in my car at the same time? With a lot of pushing and shoving, yes I can. Do I want to do this ever again? No, I do not

I have done the admin that was in the inbox And which I had definitely been putting off Inevitably It was so easy so quick and is gone

I'm a day late, but the decorations are up 🎄

Last week, I decided to switch my (20-year old) current account to take advantage of a new account bonus. As of midday today, the money had gone from one account but not arrived in the other, so I couldn't buy any lunch. Thankfully, all resolved now

When change can happen this quickly and smoothly, it shows it was the right time for it to happen. The technology and the economic situation are right; we can make this happen more widely

The calm before the storm... looking forward to conducting Glazunov, Rachmaninov, and German in about 10 minutes!

"Harps, if you arpeggiate that, we won't notice that the violas are doing the same" #ThingsConductorsSay

I hate this graph not just because of what it shows but how it shows it - humans are still writing things on the Internet! It’s just the sheer volume of AI articles has already equalled the 33 years worth of human work online

Hey all, do I have any UK based concept artists following me (or who knows anyone) who would be up for a long term 22 month contract working on Dragonwilds at Jagex? Remote with a very occasional day in office in Cambridge. Development experience and fantasy genre work is a must. Mid level role.

Moving timpani ahead of Sunday's concert wasn't really what I wanted to spend my lunchtime doing, but never mind; at least it's done now

I'm old. If you're not, listen to this. Get a guitar or some drums, or a trumpet. Pick up a brush, a pencil, some clay or a welder. Just make shit. It doesn't have to be good (eventually it will be) just make music, art or write or whatever. It's literally never been more important.

THE MAN IN THE RIVER Once there was a wise man, who travelled to strange lands, and as he travelled, he came to the bank of a winding river. Edging the bank were houses, set at distances from one another. The wise man walked upstream, watching the slow current carry leaves and twigs past him.

A friend asked for an opinion on this car she's thinking of buying. It looked great, but I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I hadn't pointed out the number plate could be... misinterpreted... 🤭

After an insanely busy weekend, I could have done without having to call out an ambulance 🚑 for a friend at gone midnight. Thankfully, they're doing better now and should be home tomorrow. Night all...! 😴

Conducted four hours of an orchestra rehearsal this afternoon. Very tired by now, but it was all worth it. It's going to be a phenomenal concert next weekend

Today is the feast day of St Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. I celebrated with a concert of English music, in Sir Henry Wood's church 🎶

We don't set students exercises and homework because there's a shortage of essays in the world...

Working from home today - with the heating very much on. Am I allowed to be a little bit jealous of those who have snow while I just look out on rain and general drear? 🌧️

This really is a fabulous place for an orchestra rehearsal

Once in a while, it's fun to actually LISTEN to a gig I'm not playing in. Yesterday, Flook at the Junction in Cambridge

How do you instantly terrify any musician? Spot them walking into a concert and ask if they'd mind page turning for the accompanist! 😬 I think I just about got away with it...

I finally made it to my destination at 0030, after trying a further three chargers. One of these refused my car as it wasn't a Tesla, one was a slow charger which took half an hour to charge me enough to get to the next stop, and the final one eventually worked flawlessly. What a night!

I normally love my electric car but it's currently 10 miles short of range, the first two charging stations I found were out of service, and the third has just caused my card to be blocked as suspected fraud. So right now, I'm having a bit of a sense of humour failure!

In Birmingham today, for the Lab Innovations trade fair