Joseph Cook
Joseph was born in Durham in 1980 and began playing the Tuba at the age of
12 with the Bouldon Colliery Brass Band, moving to the Ever Ready Brass Band
(now Reg Vardy Band) at the age of 15. He was a member of the National Youth
Brass Band of Great Britain for 4 years, being the
bands principal tuba for
the final 2 years, working with such conductors as Micheal Tilson-Thomas, Elgar
Howarth, Major Peter Parkes, James Gourlay, James Watson and David King. During
this time he received many accolades, including National Semi-Finalists in the
BBC Young Musician of the Year 1998 and 2000, National Finalist and highest
placed tuba in the London Symphony Orchestra Shell Scholarship competition in
2000 and British Open Tuba Champion in 2000.
In 1999 Joseph moved to study at the University of Leeds and joined the Black
Dyke Brass Band in the May of that year. With the band he has toured
extensively throughout the UK, USA, Bermuda, Switzerland, Holland, France,
Ireland, Belgium, Holland and Canada. Joseph is currently the bands
Principal Tuba and was recently featured as a soloist playing the Edward
Gregson Tuba Concerto on the bands award winning anthology of music of
Edward Gregson, entitled „An Age of Kings‰. He also guests with other
ensembles and orchestras, including the Northern Sinfonia, Manchester
Cameratta, Fine Arts Brass Ensemble, White River Brass and Northern Jazz
Action, and was invited in 2000 to play with the Dalewool Brass Band in
Auckland, New Zealand. Joseph has also been featured as a soloist on CD, DVD and BBC Radio.
Joseph graduated from Leeds in 2002 with a BA (hons) in Music and Electrical
Engineering and the graduated from Sunderland University in 2004 with a PGCE
in Mathematics Education. He is currently teacher of Mathematics at the
Venerable Bede School in Sunderland as well as being busy with the Black
Dyke Band and as a freelance tuba player and soloist.
