The Herald Duo – trumpet & organ.

A regal Trumpet and Organ duo, specialising in performing Baroque favourites and beautiful lyrical music for recitals, weddings, and ceremonies.

Joel Cooper is a professional trumpeter. He graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2007 and since then has built up an impressive portfolio career.

He has performed trumpet with top International orchestras, including the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Halle, Manchester Camerata and Opera North. Outside of Britain, he has worked with the Australian National Ballet, the Australian Urban Circus, Lyon Opera Orchestra and he has toured with numerous show companies.

As a soloist, Joel Cooper is very comfortable with performing on a selection of instruments, including the Piccolo Trumpet, D Trumpet, Bb Trumpet, Cornet and Flugel-horn. This allows for a very varied and interesting Trumpet and Organ recital. He has given recitals in many Cathedrals and Churches nationwide, as well as in Concert Halls and at Arts Centres.

Highlights of Joel Cooper’s solo career include:-

• Playing a fanfare for the arrival of her Majesty the Queen at Whitworth Hall, (a Manchester University event) in 2008
• Appearing as a soloist in ‘King Cotton’ (a musical commissioned by the Southbank Centre in 2007).
• A performance of ‘The Trumpet Shall Sound’ (from Handel’s ‘Messiah’), at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral (Dec 2013) and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (Dec 2014)
• Recording Charpentier’s ‘Te Deum’, (piccolo trumpet and organ), for ‘The Christmas Service’ on BBC Radio 4 (broadcast live on Christmas morning 2013).
• Performing with the Inspired Brass Quintet as part of a live broadcast from Chester Cathedral for the Easter Service 2015, BBC Radio 4.

William Saunders is one of Britain’s leading young concert organists, with an extensive schedule that includes many distinguished venues across Europe. He tours Germany annually and has performed recitals in including Hamburg and Cologne Cathedrals and the St Marien Church in Lübeck. His musical activities in the United Kingdom have included performances at the Cambridge Summer Music and Oundle International Festivals, and he has also accompanied the Kings Voices, the mixed-voice chapel choir of King’s College, Cambridge and Aldeburgh Voices, a choir established by Benjamin Britten.

William’s organ repertoire is varied, but he particularly enjoys performing Romantic and modern English music, which has led to the production of a number of critically acclaimed CDs in recent years. The Gramophone commends his technique for its “rhythmic vitality” and his “athletically inclined” playing.

More information can be found at, www.william-saunders.info