ABOUT NAB
Brass Quintet
New Antonine Brass was formed in 2014 by musicians studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Lloyd Griffin, Juliette Murphy, Hayley Tonner, Lewis Bettles and Danielle Price make up the group which is the standard brass quintet format of two trumpets, french horn, trombone and tuba.
As a group they have enjoyed many highs, most recently performing at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh as part of the Emerging Artists concert series and giving recitals and workshops as part of the Loch Shiel Festival in the Highlands of Scotland. Other memorable moments include performing James Macmillan's ‘Exsultet’, with the composer in the audience at the AEC conference hosted in Glasgow and giving a highly commended performance in the David James Chamber Music Competition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Most recently, in the summer of 2023, New Antonine Brass were delighted to be awarded 3rd Prize at the Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition.
New Antonine Brass are proud to work alongside Live Music Now Scotland. This partnership allows the group to travel country performing recitals and workshops in schools, care homes and in areas that would not usually have access to music. Outside the quintet all the players regularly freelance with orchestras such as Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and The Hallé.
The diversity of the group's engagements stem from covering a broad range of genres such as classical, contemporary, jazz, Scottish traditional and pop, including many of their own arrangements.
LLOYD GRIFFIN
Trumpet
Lloyd was born and raised in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian and is now the 5th generation of brass players in his family, with his great uncles playing with the local Polton Mills Brass Band around 1880. Lloyd received his initial training under Andy Johnstone at the Bonnyrigg and Lasswade district Band before moving to the newly formed Loanhead Brass Roots Band in 2002. Attending St. Davids High School, Dalkeith, he received cornet and trumpet tuition from John Dickson before progressing on to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2013, receiving tuition from John Gracie, Peter Franks, Sandy McGrattan and Mark O’Keefe.
After graduating, Lloyd took up teaching posts with East Renfrewshire Council as a brass instructor and Hutchesons’ Grammar School where he was the trumpet instructor. Lloyd is also a project worker for The Living Memory Association, undertaking a reminiscence based project on a history of Brass Bands in West Lothian. In between his project and his teaching, Lloyd also freelances as a trumpet performer in Scotland, having worked with The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, The Scottish Concert Orchestra, The Orchestra of Scottish Opera and the Orchestra of Scottish Ballet. He also played in the 6 month run of Chicago at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre.
Lloyd was one of the original members of The New Antonine Brass Ensemble and has enjoyed many highlights with them, including performing James McMillans “Exultet” for him at the Conservatoires UK AEC conference. Under Live Music Now, Lloyd has enjoyed undertaking many workshops including Pitch, Pulse, Magic and a 12 week project at the Orchard Brae ASN School in Aberdeen.
Away from music, Lloyd is a season ticket holder with Hibernian FC and attends matches when he has the time!
JULIETTE MURPHY
Trumpet
Juliette started music at home in the south side of Glasgow where she began to learn piano at the age of 8 and later picked up trumpet lessons through her local council. In her school years Juliette participated in numerous youth ensembles including the West of Scotland Schools Wind Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland which she attributes to fanning the flame of her passion of music to this day.
Juliette went on to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under the tutelage of Nigel Boddice MBE, Mark O’Keeffe, Peter Franks, John Gracie and Sandy McGrattan. Throughout her time at RCS she was the successful candidate for both the BBCSSO and RSNO professional apprenticeship schemes and partook in the Red Note Ensemble Advanced Academy. In 2020 Juliette graduated with Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours as well as being the proud recipient of the Robert McCreath Memorial Prize for her contributions to the brass department and the Mary D Adams Memorial Prize for Chamber Music.
After a tumultuous couple of years after graduating into the height of the first Covid-19 lockdown, Juliette is now enjoying a flourishing freelance career as an extra with the major orchestras alongside tutoring piano and brass. Juliette has been thrilled to play with the BBCSSO, the Orchestra of Scottish Opera and the RSNO as well as other prestigious chamber groups including the Wallace Collection Brass Ensemble and has recently joined her fellow RCS brass department alumni in New Antonine Brass.
In her spare time Juliette loves to play with her dog, Brooksie, read manga and paint and draw when she can!
HAYLEY TONNER
Horn
Hayley began playing a brass instrument when her dad gave her a tenor horn aged 5. She grew up playing in brass bands before accepting a place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s junior department where she changed to the French Horn with the guidance of Maurice Temple. She continued with her studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to study her undergraduate degree and graduated with a first class honours degree in 2017.
While studying at the RCS, Hayley began freelancing with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Ulster Orchestra and Scottish ballet. After graduating she has become a regular extra with these orchestras and has started a Postgraduate in Aarhus, Denmark.
Outside of orchestral playing Hayley enjoys playing chamber music with her quintet, New Antonine Brass. They’ve enjoyed playing in many concerts across Scotland, including a recital in the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. This was through Live Music Now’s emerging artist series, an excellent organisation they joined in 2017, which has helped the quintet reach more audiences.
LEWIS BETTLES
Trombone
Lewis Bettles was born in England and hails from the village of Stannington,
near Sheffield. He first began playing the euphonium at the age of 8 and trombone at the age of 9.
In 2014, Lewis moved to Glasgow and began his studies at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. During his time at the RCS, Lewis was successful in winning the David James Chamber Music Competition three times. Once, with his
trombone quartet, ClydeSlide and twice with his brass quintet called Aura Brass. Lewis also placed 3rd in the Governors prize for brass in 2017. In June of 2018, Lewis graduated from the RCS with First Class Honours and was also awarded the ‘Head of Brass Prize’ and the ‘Mary D Adams Prize for Chamber Music’.
Lewis now works professionally as a freelance trombonist, musical director, brass teacher and arranger. He has had the pleasure of working with orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, The Hallé, Scottish Opera and The Royal Northern Sinfonia. Lewis also made his international debut performing with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie in March 2018. As well as orchestral playing, Lewis has a great love for Chamber music and enjoys spending his time playing with award winning groups New Antonine Brass, Aura Brass & Clydeslide.
DANIELLE PRICE
Tuba
Danielle studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, graduating with distinction from the Master of Music Course in 2013.
She has since enjoyed a versatile career playing in a range of projects and ensembles including Pure Brass Quintet, Blue Boar Brass, Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, New Antonine Brass, Ntshuks Bonga's Ubuntu Series, Red Note Ensemble, The Dandelion Jazz Orchestra, traditional jazz ensembles the Copper Cats and The Red Hot Rhythm Makers as well as performing in the bands of Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat, Ashley Paul, Bella Hardy, Oxbow and as an extra musician with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Danielle appeared in BBC Tectonics 2018 where she played in Mats Gustafsson’s PLUGS for mixed ensemble. She performed alongside Tom Poulson and Timothy Cooper as part of The Night With… programmed by Matthew Whiteside. The trio featured as part of Creative Scotland's "Made in Scotland" Showcase in the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
In April 2018, she was a featured artist in Loch Shiel Festival with tuba players Mark Reynolds and Antony Hook in a concert underneath Glenfinnan Viaduct. The trio played the music of Bill Wells in Counterflows Festival 2019 and made a recording of the works in December 2019.
Danielle is part of the tuba guitar duo, The Sensory Illusions with Bill Wells. They played at Alien Disko, curated by Notwist and Tenniscoats, in Munich and their debut album was released by Karaoke Kalk in January 2019.
Danielle was selected out of over 500 applicants as one of six successful musicians from around the world to participate in the Chilly Gonzales "Gonzervatory 2019." in Cologne.