Anne McAneney

Biography

Anne McAneney was born and grew up in Belfast. She played the cornet in Agnes Street Brass Band and trumpet in her local orchestra.

From 1979-182 she followed a degree course at Goldsmiths College, London where she gained a BMus. She then took a post-graduate study course with Maurice Murphy and Ray Simmonds at the Guildhall School where she was awarded the Principal’s Prize. She immediately embarked on a flourishing freelance career. In 1985 she was appointed Principal Trumpet in the Royal Ballet Orchestra making her the first woman to hold a Principal Trumpet position in the UK. In 1986, she was invited to join London Brass, the successor group to the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, where she replaced Philip as the specialist flugel horn player.

In 1989 she left the Royal Ballet and spent the next 10 years as a busy freelance player working with all the major symphony orchestras and chamber music groups as well as regularly performing as a soloist. She has given several first performances of solo pieces for trumpet and flugel horn.

In 1994 she completed a Master of Music degree in Performance Studies at Reading University.

Since 1995 she has been a Professor of Trumpet at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

She is a Director of London Brass and for several years ran the regular London Brass course for amateur brass players Benslow Music Trust. She has also acted as trumpet tutor for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

In 2000 she was appointed Sub-Principal Trumpet with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.