Growing up in Cheshire Ian quickly developed a passion for music, joining the brass band scene from an early age. He studied Trumpet at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where alongside his studies he worked with Birmingham Music Service as a peripatetic brass teacher and upper brass tutor with the Birmingham Schools Brass Band, as well as a freelance performer across a wide variety of orchestral and musical theatre groups.
After re-location back to Cheshire Ian continued his peripatetic work, in addition to returning to Lions Youth Brass (a band he had played with as a teenager) as their Junior Band conductor and as composer-in-residence for all three of their bands, with numerous compositions and arrangements for Youth, Junior and Beginner bands being performed and recorded each year.
In 2011 Ian joined the cornet section of the world famous Foden’s Band, enjoying 12 happy years of performing and competing, winning multiple national titles and representing England at the European Championships. In 2012, Ian founded the Foden’s Youth Band which he managed for the next 12 years. Attracting players from across the North West, Midlands, North Wales and occasionally further afield, the band instantly became an important part of the Foden’s family, inspiring hundreds of young musicians.
Ian moved into secondary school teaching around this time and since 2014 has worked at Sandbach School, helping to develop the school’s reputation for musical excellence in Cheshire East, which involves multiple award winning ensembles as well as the development of the Cheshire Specialist Music Course.
In January 2023 Ian was appointed as Musical Director of Lions Youth Brass, succeeding his former teacher and conductor Nigel Birch who sadly passed away. Determined to preserve and develop Nigel’s legacy, Ian has overseen Gold award National Youth Championships performances, a return to Youth Brass in Concert where he composed and arranged the ‘Wonka’ and ‘Hercules’ sets, annual concert tours and regular performances.
In 2026 Ian was announced as the recipient of the Mortimer Medal by the Worshipful Company of Musicians for outstanding contribution to the teaching of young people in the brass band movement.
Ian has been a conductor & tutor on both the Wessex Band Summer School and the Foden’s Armagh Summer School, delighted to be returning to Wessex after a 10 year break.
