Musical director

Our Director of Music is Gordon T. Davies, AVCM hons., Dip.BM hons.

Gordon has conducted the band since February 2003.

He began his musical career at the age of 14, playing the trombone in the Liskeard School Band, Cornwall County Youth Orchestra, Liskeard Silver Band and St Pinnock Silver Band, before enlisting in the Band of HM Coldstream Guards as a junior musician.

He attended the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall, where he studied the french horn under Professor Alfred Cursue, and instrumentation under Lt. Col. Trevor Sharpe.

After a twelve-month course at Kneller Hall, he joined the french horn section of the Coldstream Guards, based in London. During his time with the band, in addition to taking part in Changing of the Guard, Trooping the Colour and many other state occasions, he toured the USA, Australia and New Zealand. He played in many radio broadcasts, concerts with the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic and Wren orchestras, and on more than 20 recordings.

In 1980 he was appointed Band Copyist, a position once held by Tony Hatch, composer of the Emmerdale theme, and Laurie Johnson MBE, composer of the Professionals and Avengers themes. While in this role, he produced many arrangements for concert band, which were played on official military engagements, recordings and concerts. In 1985 he was offered a place on the three-year Military Bandmasters course at Kneller Hall, but had already decided to leave the army.

Back in civilian life, Gordon played the trombone in several brass bands before being appointed principal trombone with the Hillingdon Band, under the direction of Philip Sparke, in 1992.

He is currently principal horn with the Open University Orchestra in Milton Keynes, and also Director of Music for the Bedfordshire Band of the Royal British Legion and for the Open University Concert Band.

In March 2021, Gordon was awarded a Gold Medal with Honour in Bandmastership by the Victoria College of Music and Drama, London.