Tuba

Stephen Irvine

Biography

Stephen has been Principal Tuba of the Ulster Orchestra since 2006. Born in Enniskillen he was offered a foundation scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music, London in 1996. His prizes at College included the Senior Brass prize and also a Concerto trial which enabled him to perform the John William’s Tuba Concerto with the RCM Sinfonietta at the Thaxted music festival in 2000. Outside of College, Stephen won the prestigious Royal Overseas League Brass prize and was a Brass finalist in the Millennium RTE Young Musician of the Future. He also won the Guinness Brass Bursary, was a finalist in the Haverhill international Soloists Competition and was also awarded the Ireland fund award and a BBC recording contract at the West Belfast Classical Music Competition. Upon leaving College he was appointed Principal Tuba of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife where he remained for a number of years. He was also Principal Tuba of the World Youth Orchestra. His solo recitals have included performances at St. Martin in the Fields and St. James Piccadilly, London and also the National Concert Hall, Dublin.

He has performed extensively on TV/radio for the BBC and RTE as well as commercially for Naxos and Hyperion records.

November 2020