In a career spanning over 32 years, Adrian enjoys a broad spectrum of bass trombone playing from all aspects of historical performance practice from the Baroque, Classical & Romantic periods through to Chamber music (incl. solo performing) to the modern orchestral bass trombone.
He tours extensively with many of the World’s finest period instrument ensembles - The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (incl.Glyndebourne) The Hanover Band, The Gabrieli Consort, The King’s Consort, The English Concert (incl.Garsington Opera) Academy of Ancient Music, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra, Collegium Vocale Gent, Concerto Palatino, L’Orfeo Baroque Orchester (Linz), Ensemble La Fenice, Musica Antiqua Salzburg and Cappella Mediterranea. 2019 saw his debut with renowned Budapest Festival Orchestra (dir.Ivan Fischer) in a production of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo.
He also continues to play the modern bass trombone and has worked with the likes of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, City of London Sinfonia (CLS & Opera Holland Park), The Ulster Orchestra, Orquesta Filhamónic de Gran Canaria, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, (Abbado/Harding).
As a teacher – Adrian is Professor of bass sackbut at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama and guest Professor of sackbut at the Academy of Music, Ljubljana. He’s adjudicated for The Royal College of Music, The BBC Young Musician of the Year and The International Brass & Woodwind Competition, Varaždin, Croatia (2019) and the bi-annual British Trombone Societies Sackbut Competition (in conjunction with ECSE & Egger sackbuts). Adrian also previously held the positions of Head of Brass & trombone tutor, Newcastle University (2011-2021) where he remains a visiting specialist.
Chamber music is a prominent part of Adrian’s work. He is co-director and bass sackbut with the celebrated historical ensemble, The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble. In 2019, he joined the period instrument ensemble, Musica Antiqua, Salzburg. 2018 saw Adrian launch a long-term project of his founding (and reforming) The Concert Trombone Quartette - taken from a quartet of the same name in London (1892-1896). Under his direction - CTQ specialises in historically informed performance practice on original trombones from the last 400 years offering a unique insight into the sound-world that the composers would have been familiar with. CTQ is currently working on multiple historical performance-based projects in collaborations with some of the UK’s leading choirs - incl. Ex Cathedra (Jeffrey Skidmore, Symphony Hall Birmingham) Newcastle Bach Choir, Leicestershire Chorale and with The choir of Leicester Cathedral. They have also appeared in recitals for The Purbeck Arts Festival (PAW) & Islington Festival of Music and Art.
One of Adrian’s long-term pastimes is music research - specifically that of unearthing forgotten works, originally written for trombone ensembles. Bringing these works back into the forefront offers a deeper contextual understanding to the history of the trombone, its repertoire and performance practice thereof.
In 2009, Adrian was awarded an (ARAM) Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of his significant contribution to the trombone and in 2015, he was accepted as a member of The Royal Society of Musicians.