Paramount Brass

About Us

Paramount Brass was formed in 2023 at the Royal Northern College of Music. They are an up-and-coming brass quintet comprising some of the highest standard musicians of their age.

Formed in 2023 at the Royal Northern College of Music, Paramount Brass are an up-and-coming brass quintet comprising Lewis Barton and Honor Farley on trumpet, Sam Froggatt on horn, Nathan Joseph on trombone, and Ben Russon on tuba. Based in Manchester, the group have enjoyed a busy first year together; performing across the North at venues like Leeds Royal Armouries, Leeds Cathedral, and Lancashire County Hall, and leading educational workshops in Cumbria as part of the RNCM’s Brass Engage programme. In May 2024, they were finalists in the Philip Jones Brass Chamber Prize, after a ‘glorious and dramatic performance’. The group look forward to continuing to perform together throughout the rest of their studies.

What We Offer…

Lewis Barton - Trumpet

Lewis is an 20 year old trumpet undergraduate in his third year of studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Growing up in Wigan, Lewis started off playing piano and drums before picking up the cornet at the age of 7 and starting brass lessons through his local music service. In 2019, Lewis accepted a place at the Junior RNCM and was awarded an ABRSM scholarship for outstanding potential, where he studied under Tim Barber for 4 years and made his concerto debut performing the Aritunian Trumpet Concerto with the JRNCM Chamber Orchestra in 2022. The same year he was also appointed principal trumpet of the Halle Youth Orchestra and was later appointed the same role in the Opera North Youth Orchestra in 2024. Lewis thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, since he joined in 2018, and over the years, worked his way up to being appointed principal cornet of the of the band in 2023 and 2024. As part of the organisation, he was also selected to be a member of their “ambassador ensemble” which have participated in many outreach projects to primary schools in the North West Area, as well as collaborating with the National Youth Orchestra in 2024. Lewis was also the winner of the Harry Mortimer Solo Competiton as part of the NYBBGB organisation in 2020 and 2024. Continuing his studies at the RNCM, Lewis performs solo recitals across the country and has recently recorded his first solo recital documentary which has been produced by NXTOD Studios.

Honor Farley - Trumpet

Honor Farley is a trumpet player based in Manchester, studying at the Royal Northern College of Music with Tracey Redfern and Murray Greig. Honor took up the trumpet in 2019 and was soon offered a place at the Junior Royal Academy of Music, where she studied for 2 years and was a finalist in the JRAM Brass Prize. During this time, she played with the Hampshire County Youth Jazz Orchestra, Guildford Youth Symphony Orchestra, and National Youth Concert Band. While studying, Honor has enjoyed a variety of performances, including the Royal Albert Hall with the RNCM Session Orchestra, and the Bridgewater Hall with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra. Having been a member of the National Youth Music Theatre, Honor’s musical theatre experience has been furthered with the London Musical Theatre Orchestra where she has been mentored by Pablo Mendelssohn. In Manchester, Honor has performed several amateur shows including Evita, Annie, and Guys & Dolls.

Sam Froggatt - Horn

Sam is a 21 year old undergraduate French Horn player in his 4th year at the Royal Northern College of Music. He started playing the horn at the age of 7 through his school at the time, and he attended youth orchestras from both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Sam is also an alumnus of Chetham’s School of Music where he studied under the tutelage of Julian Plummer. Whilst at Chetham’s Sam had the privilege to attend and play in many masterclasses and workshops, including ones ran by Ben Goldschieder, Ben Hulme and Mike Lovatt In 2022 Sam accepted a scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music, to continue studying under the tutelage of Julian Plummer. Since being at the RNCM, Sam has earned the ‘highly commended’ award in the RNCM concerto competition and has been a Phillip Jones finalist. Throughout his studies Sam has thrown himself into life at the RNCM with some highlights being, Playing Mahler’s second symphony at The Bridgwater hall and having had the chance to play in a masterclass for Froydis Ree Werke. Sam also enjoys the RNCM engage projects, which help local music centers to thrive and gives everyone a chance at musical education. Throughout his time playing the horn, Sam has had the opportunity to play in world class venues such as The Bridgwater Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, The Cadogan Hall and the Bristol Beacon. These opportunities were mostly through several national level youth ensembles and orchestras

Nathan Joseph – Trombone

Nathan Joseph is a tenor trombone player currently in his third year at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying under Katy Jones and Roger Cutts. He also plays the alto and bass trombones, and enjoys performing early music on the sackbut. Nathan comes from North London, and has been playing the trombone since he was 8 years old. He studied at Junior Guildhall for 2 years with Rob Burgess and, prior to this, learnt under David Whitehouse for 5 years. Nathan enjoyed playing with a variety of youth ensembles during this time, including the Odyssey Festival Orchestra, London Schools Symphony Orchestra, and London Youth Wind Band. Most recently, Nathan held the principal trombone seat at the Opera North Youth Orchestra in 2024. In February 2024, Nathan won the brass open solo and solo open competitions at the Mrs Sunderland Festival. Nathan enjoys playing across a variety of styles and genres, particularly musical theatre and opera. He played with National Youth Music Theatre in their productions of Ragtime (2022) and Kiss Me Kate (2023), and spent a summer in Germany performing the operas Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, and Hansel und Gretel with the Berlin Opera Academy in 2024. Throughout his time at the RNCM, Nathan has played in masterclasses for trombone players including Peter Moore and Louise Pollock, and has performed at venues including the Bridgewater Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and a solo recital at Bury Parish Church in 2024.

Ben Russon - Tuba

Our tuba player Ben has performed with winning bands at the European Youth Championships and Whit Friday Band section. He was principal tuba of the National Youth Brass Band for 3 years and currently plays for the KNDS Fairey Band. He has performed at some of the most prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall, Symphony Hall, the Sage at Gateshead, Kneller Hall and the Auditorium Stravinsky Hall in Switzerland. His talents have earned him a range of prizes, including the Tom Atkinson memorial trophy for Tuba. Ben comes from Rochale, Manchester, and studied at the Junior RNCM under Les Neish before starting his undergrad.