Anthony Swainson
Tony Swainson is a senior brass lecturer and Former Principal Tuba for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He has seen many of his students go on to prestigious professional positions around the world. He is a graduate of the Royal Manchester College of Music, now the RNCM, where he studied tuba with the renowned tuba player, Stuart Roebuck, as well as piano and composition.
GRSM, ARMCM (performance), ARMCM (teaching)
Tony Swainson is a senior brass lecturer with responsibilities for low brass. He has seen many of his students go on to prestigious professional positions around the world. He is a graduate of the Royal Manchester College of Music, now the RNCM, where he studied tuba with the renowned tuba player, Stuart Roebuck, as well as piano and composition.
He made his professional debut with the Halle Orchestra under Barbirolli in 1968. Having freelanced with various orchestras and ensembles in NW England he moved to Glasgow as principal Tuba with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 3 years later. Shortly afterwards in 1972 he begun his long association with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama), becoming the Conservatoire’s first specialist tuba teacher. As well as his BBC commitments he also played with all the other professional orchestras in Scotland.
In December 1997 he decided to relinquish his BBCSSO position to spend more time teaching, conducting and composing/arranging. As a conductor Tony currently enjoys directing and training the Junior Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra. He has also enjoyed considerable success with Scotland’s elite brass bands as well as several in England and Norway. He has appeared at all of the major competitions throughout Great Britain and Scandinavia both as a conductor and as an adjudicator, enjoying prize winning performances with the Whitburn Band at the prestigious European Brass Band Championships.
Tony has also directed professional string and wind ensembles for the BBC and has numerous TV, radio and commercial recordings to his credit. A number of his compositions and arrangements have been performed and recorded by leading figures of the brass world.