Resident Conductor - Tom Davoren
Tom Davoren (b.1986) is a conductor and composer with a growing international reputation.
He began his conducting career with the BTM Band from South Wales, in the United Kingdom, and has since held positions with Britain's famous Desford Colliery and Fairey Bands, as well as Bristol’s Filton Concert Brass, with whom he won a National Championship title in 2014. In 2015 he directed Maidstone Wind Symphony to British National Concert Band Championship honors, served as conductor to the National Youth Brass Band of Wales in 2016, and has appeared as a guest conductor in Austria, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. He led conducting students and directed bands at the University of Salford from 2015 - 2019.
Tom's music for band has been premiered, recorded and commissioned by artists including ‘The President’s Own’ United States Marine Band, Central Band of the Royal Air Force, Brass Band of Battle Creek, Cory Band, Jens Lindemann, Steven Mead, and Glenn Van Looy.
Memorable performances include New York's Carnegie Hall, the College Band Directors National Association National Conference, BASBWE London Festival, Royal Northern College of Music Festival of Brass, World Music Contest (Kerkrade), Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival (South Korea), International Tuba Euphonium Association Conferences, International Trumpet Guild Conferences, and the solo and band sections of the National Championships of New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain. He has a special relationship with the Belgian ensemble Brassband Buizingen, acting as their Associate Composer through 2015/16 and became Composer in Residence with the Band of the Welsh Guards, of the Household Division of the British Army, in 2019.
Tom studied tuba with Nigel Seaman at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and holds bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in composition from Cardiff University School of Music, where in 2009/10 he was awarded a research scholarship from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Welsh Livery Guild Composition Award. He was also a BASCA British Composer Award nominee in 2011, a prizewinner at the EBBA European Composers Competition 2012, the recipient of a Harvey Phillips Award for excellence in composition, presented by the International Tuba Euphonium Association, in 2014, and winner of the American National Band Association 'Merrill Jones' Composition Contest in 2020.
Away from traditional band repertoire Tom composed a fanfare for the Royal opening of the fifth National Assembly for Wales in 2016 whilst his work 'Legacy', commissioned by Tredegar Town Band and the Aneurin Bevan Society, celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the British National Health Service through a performance at Westminster Palace, the Houses of British Parliament. His first work for orchestra, Tourbillon, was premiered by Denmark's Aalborg Symfoniorkester in 2017.
Tom is currently on the faculty of Benedictine College in Kansas, as well as a Doctoral Teaching Assistant in Wind Conducting at the University of Kansas, USA, working with Dr. Paul Popiel.
Conductor Emeritus – SCOTT WATSON
Scott Watson is Professor of Tuba-Euphonium at the School of Music of the University of Kansas, an association that dates back to 1979.
His solo efforts can be heard on his “Thoughts of a Cow“ Solo CD and the educational recordings “Stepping Stones for Tuba, Volume I & II”, on Potenza Records. He was elected and served as President of the International Tuba Euphonium Association from 1999-2001 and currently serves on the Association’s Advisory Board.
Scott is Principal Eb tuba of the acclaimed Fountain City Brass Band of Kansas City which is the most successful brass band in American history, having won eight North American titles, seven U.S. Open titles, and their historic Scottish Open win in 2009. He is also the inaugural Music and Artistic Director of the Free State Brass Band since 2014. In 2018 he served as Principal Tuba of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia as part of its MSO Ambassador Program. While there, he taught at the Conservatorium of Music, the University of Melbourne, Victoria School of the Arts, as well as being Principal Eb tuba of the Glenferrie (Kew) Brass Band. Scott is a member of the Infinity Brass Quintet of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Festival and the Kansas City Brassworks.
Along with friend Winston Morris, he founded the tuba-euphonium chamber orchestra Symphonia that recorded three groundbreaking albums on Mark Records. He has been tubist in his career with such ensembles as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the Crested Butte Music Festival Orchestra, along with regular performances with the Kansas City Symphony. He has concertized all over the world including Russia, China, Poland, Germany, France, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
As a conductor he has worked with such groups as the Capital City Brass Band, the Glenferrie (Kew) Brass Band, the Mansfield University Brass Band, the KU Brass Ensemble, the International All-Star College Tuba Ensemble, The International All-Star High School Tuba Ensemble, and the Thunder All-Star Tuba Euphonium Ensemble, all on prestigious conferences and/or concert series.
As a teacher, his legions of former students can be found throughout orchestras, major military service bands, in college-university positions, and acclaimed public school music programs across the United States. Scott is on the faculty each summer at the North American Brass Band Summer School in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada).
Scott Watson is a proud Artist-Clinician for Besson Tubas through Buffet Crampon.