Friday June 20th 2025
Paul Thomas & Sean Sweeney
Paul Thomas (trumpet)
Sean Sweeney (organ)
Paul and Sean open with brilliant Italian sunshine with a concerto in D major by baroque composer Giuseppe Torelli. The premiere of a new suite by Paul Drayton will then evoke some vivid Cornish flavours: Toccata (St Agnes Beacon). Barcarolle (Drifting on Carrick Roads). Reverie (Sunset on Porthmeor Beach). Moto Perpetuo (A spin from St. Ives to St. Just).
The second movement of Clive Jenkins’ Concertino will provide a lush moment of reflection before the final movement of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. In addition, Sean Sweeney will play two lively organ pieces by Welsh composer William Mathias.
Paul Thomas took a degree in music and modern languages at what is now Oxford Brookes University, followed by postgraduate study at the Royal Academy of Music
He has performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, English Touring Opera, Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Milton Keynes Chamber Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Oxford Pro Musica, RTE National Symphony Orchestra (Dublin), Sadlers Wells Touring Opera, Wren Baroque Soloists and Wren Consort; travelling to Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Israel, Malta, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
He has lived in Italy for extended periods, appearing with the Orchestra Boccherini di Lucca, Baroque Ensemble of the Orchestra di Parma, Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, Orchestra Emilia Romagna Arturo Toscanini, Orchestra Regionale Toscana and Orchestra Tiepolo.
In a lighter vein he was first trumpet in the West End show “Pirates of Penzance” (Broadway version) at the London Palladium and also toured as first trumpet of the shows “Annie”, “Hair”, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat”
Paul has also developed a parallel career in management, organising many successful concerts and tours, eg: the Almeida Festival, Barbican Chamber Orchestra, English Theatre Orchestra and New London Singers. He was also Assistant Manager of Bournemouth Orchestras in 1999.
Paul initiated, organized and ran a series of master classes for different instruments in the Tuscan village of Sillico in the twenty year period from 1996 to 2015.
Dr Sean Sweeney has almost sixty years experience as a pianist, organist and harpsichordist. Much of his time has been spent directing choirs, most recently in Tavistock, Plymouth, Launceston and Britannia Royal Naval College.
He held his first organist’s post at the age of eleven in Swansea. He studied organ at Llandaff and Salisbury Cathedrals whilst pursuing music and music education degrees at the Universities of Cardiff (BMus), Reading (MA) and Bath (PhD).
His recital career continues to this day having performed in many churches, cathedrals and concert halls in the UK, USA, Germany and Italy and he holds several piano teaching and organ performance diplomas.
After almost twenty years as headteacher in five challenging secondary schools in the South West, South East and the Midlands Dr Sweeney now balances the demands of a large family with organ playing, choir directing and managing the Tavistock Festival. He remembers with fondness his time assisting at the organ here in Chagford, and is delighted to be back.
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