Biography

Dominic Longhurst is a 22 year old musician from Sydney, Australia. In 2015, Dominic moved to England to study trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music, and subsequently joined the Brighouse and Rastrick band where he previously held the position of soprano, and principal cornet. Before moving to the U.K, Dominic was a member of the Sydney youth orchestras and the Australian youth orchestra. Dominic grew up loving to perform, and is one of the most successful musicians of all time in Australian solo competitions, winning over 100 first prizes at metropolitan, state and national level. In 2011, as a 13 year old, Dominic won both the Australian, and New Zealand National under 19 Brass ‘Champion of Champions’ – In over 100 years of the contests, this has still never been achieved by anyone else. Following this, Dominic won the junior and open cornet sections at the National Brass Championships of Australia, and went on to win both Junior and Open brass finals in 2013, at the age of 15, becoming the only person in the competitions history to hold both crowns in the same year. Subsequently, Dominic was awarded Yamaha Australia’s inaugural Young Brass Artist of the Year Award, where he received performance opportunities, tuition and collaboration with leading brass players and instrument developers around Australia.

At the RNCM, Dominic has seen his personal trumpet career prospects sky rocket and his performances and recitals have received critical acclaim since his arrival. In 2016, Dominic’s second year, he played principal trumpet at the Bridgewater hall end of year Symphony Orchestra concert, won by audition. The following year, Dominic represented the RNCM’s trumpet faculty in the combined orchestras of RNCM and Paris Conservatoire, travelling to London and Paris to perform alongside some of the most promising, young orchestral players in Europe. The 2017/18 academic year also saw Dominic perform as featured soloist at the RNCM festival of brass. There, he gave a world premier of a soprano cornet solo by Ray Steadman-Allen, entitled Psalm and Dance for the Creator. The work was discovered and restored by Paul Hindmarsh, who asked for Dominic to perform as soloist with the Brighouse and Rastrick Band. Not long after this performance, Dominic was asked to feature as a soloist in the RNCM Wind, Brass and Percussion festival playing a transcription of György Ligeti’s ‘Mysteries of the Macabre’ for trumpet, piano and percussion – one of the most challenging works in the trumpet repertoire. Dominic was recently awarded the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Silver award for most distinguished student at the RNCM for 2018. Funnily enough, the prize was first awarded to the late composer, Herbert Howells,  whose Trust were involved in commissioning Dominic to arrange a movement from his Requiem, to be recorded by brass band on a dedication CD to the music of Howells and Sir Arthur Bliss – a credit to Dominic’s fine compositional and arranging skills and all round musicianship. Currently, Dominic is taking part in the RNCM’s Professional Experience Scheme with the Halle orchestra and will be performing in a concert with them in February 2019 alongside his tutor, Gareth Small.

Now, Dominic has his sights set on an international trumpet career, with hopes of performing more regularly with the worlds leading orchestras and expressing himself musically as a soloist around the world for years to come.

Musicians’ Company Award: RNCM Silver Medal 2018

Updated: July 2019