“Men are like wine – some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age”.
-Pope John XXIII
Virgin Classics
"One of the most memorable sounds from the score of Greenaway’s film: The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover, is the trumpet of Graham Ashton".
The Gramophone
"Graham Ashton conveys an unswerving clarity of vision which should be admired beyond the confines of the brass world".
Vox In Camera
"This was indeed amazing and breath taking, a most enjoyable evening of virtuoso music in a beautiful setting".
Falla con misuras by Guglielmo Ebreo da Pesaro arr. Graham Ashton
Graham Ashton
Recognized throughout the world for his visionary performances and imaginative programming, Grammy-Nominated London-born trumpeter Graham Ashton, enjoyed a distinguished, peripatetic career, in Europe, Australia and the US, for over 40 years. Retiring from professional playing in 2018, he continues to serve as Professor of Music at Purchase College, State University of New York, where he lectures and teaches in academic studies, solo performance and chamber music.
As a soloist, he has appeared with numerous orchestras including the BBC Symphony, Australian Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, New York Virtuosi and Irish Chamber Orchestra, and premiered new commissions by George Fenton, Michael Nyman, Roger Steptoe, Colin Towns, and David Sawer.
As a composer and arranger, Mr. Ashton has written music for radio, television, theatre and the concert platform. His compositions and arrangements can be heard on Signum, RCA, Virgin Classics and Sony, and are published by Editions BIM in Switzerland and GABE Publications in New York.
As a keen supporter of the visual and performing arts, Graham is a member of MoMA, and the Whitney Museum in NYC, Dizzy’s (Jazz at Lincoln Center), and Smoke Jazz & Supper Club on Broadway. He is also a patron of The Picture House – a restored art-deco cinema in his hometown of Bronxville, NY.
A food and wine enthusiast, his favored cuisines are from Asia, the Middle-East, and Spain. Favorite wines are reds from Bordeaux, Barossa Valley, and Napa Valley, whites from Burgundy and Hunter Valley, and Rosés from Wölffer Estate and Provence.
Interests are eclectic and include reading, movies, theatre, ancient history, ufology, folk music, early music, alto recorder, baseball, photography, and paintings by Matisse, Hopper, Dalí, Kandinsky, and Klimpt.