Clinicians
Tom Davoren
Composer and Conductor
-
Tom Davoren (b1986) is a conductor and composer with an international reputation in wind music.
As a conductor of brass bands Tom began his career with the BTM Band in Wales, later holding positions with the famous Desford Colliery and Fairey Bands. With his own band, Filton, he won titles including the first section National Brass Band Championship of Great Britain in 2014, British Open Senior Trophy in 2016, and British Open Senior Cup in 2017. He served as conductor of the National Youth Brass Band of Wales in 2016 and taught conducting and directed bands at the University of Salford from 2015 - 2019. Tom is currently Professional Conductor to Tokyo City Concert Brass in Japan.
In the wind band world Tom currently serves as Director of Bands / Assistant Professor of Music at Benedictine College, Kansas, USA. He has presented at conferences including the Kansas Music Educators and Bandmasters associations, International Society for the Research and Promotion of Wind Music, and World Association of Symphonic Bands and Wind Ensembles (WASBE) International Conference. As a guest conductor he has appeared with collegiate and honor bands across the USA, as well as bands in Austria, Canada, Japan, Lithuania, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, and South Korea.
Tom is a respected adjudicator in the band world having presided over the elite level national band championships of Great Britain, Switzerland, and New Zealand, the U.S. Open Championship, Whit Friday marches, as well as the Yorkshire and Scotland Regional Championships.
As a composer Tom’s music is commissioned and played wherever bands are in the world by artists including the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, ‘The President’s Own’ United States Marine Band, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and soloists Jens Lindemann, Hiram Diaz, and Glenn Van Looy. Highlights include performances at the American Bandmasters Association Convention, Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, CBDNA National and Regional Conferences, WASBE, World Music Contest Kerkrade, Royal Northern College of Music Festival of Brass, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the national band championships of many nations. In 2019 Tom, a proud Welshman, was delighted to become composer in residence with the Band of the Welsh Guards, of the Household Division of the Royal Corps of Army Music.
Away from traditional band repertoire Tom composed a fanfare for the Royal opening of the fifth National Assembly for Wales in 2016. 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 House of the British Parliament. His first work for orchestra, 'Tourbillon', was premiered by Denmark's Aalborg Symfoniorkester in 2017.
Tom studied tuba with Nigel Seaman at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and holds Bachelors and Postgraduate degrees in composition from Cardiff University School of Music. He completed a Doctoral degree in wind conducting at the University of Kansas, studying with Paul W. Popiel. In 2009 he was awarded a research scholarship from the British Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Welsh Livery Guild Composition Award. He was a BASCA British Composer Awards finalist in 2011, a prizewinner at the EBBA European Composers Competition in 2012, winner of the ITEA Harvey Phillips Award for Excellence in Composition in 2012, and winner of the National Band Association Merrill Jones Composition Prize in 2020 for his work, ‘A Midwestern Suite’.
Michael J. Garasi
Brass Band of Battle Creek
-
Moving from South Florida to Central Texas in 2020 to accept a position at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, Michael J. Garasi is currently the Associate Professor of Instrumental Music.
In the world of brass bands, Mr. Garasi has been the Principal Conductor of the internationally acclaimed Brass Band of Battle Creek since 2013. Having conducted the Brass Band of Battle Creek at the Midwest Clinic in 2017, Mr. Garasi and the band returned to perform for the 75 h Midwest Clinic in 2021. Under the direction of Mr. Garasi, the BBBC has produced recordings, performed numerous concerts, conducted youth programs, children’s concerts and clinics throughout the state of Michigan. Because of his outstanding leadership in progressive and creative conducting and teaching techniques and methods during the year of the pandemic, and due to his passion in continuing Brass Banding throughout the world, Mr. Garasi was nominated for the honor of “Conductor of the Year,” in 2020, by 4Barsrest.com.
Mr. Garasi was the Musical Director of the innovative, and award-winning, Brass Band of Central Florida for nine years. He became the first American brass band conductor ever to be nominated by 4barsrest.com for the “Newcomer of the Year” Award in 2004 and the “Conductor of the Year” award in 2006. Mr. Garasi also won the “Best New Arrangement” Award in the U.S. Open Brass Band Championships in 2004 and 2005.
In 2007, Mr. Garasi became the first American conductor to adjudicate at the Brass in Concert Contest at the Sage in Gateshead, England. Because of this international success, Mr. Garasi was invited to England twice to conduct the world famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band at numerous concerts and at the Brass in Concert Contest in 2008. In 2018, Mr. Garasi was invited to adjudicate the SIDDIS Brass Band Contest in Bergen, Norway.
Orchestral conducting experience includes the position of Music Director and Principal Conductor of the professional, Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra for eight successful seasons. In 2016, Mr. Garasi conducted the American Philharmonic Orchestra in a new video recording project called “Virtual Symphony” for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Anthem of the Seas. The American Philharmonic Orchestra was comprised of musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Military Bands in Washington DC. This video project was created for the exclusive performance experience offered only on the Anthem of the Seas in their 270 Degree state-of-the-art performance venue. During seven consecutive holiday seasons, Mr. Garasi conducted the Epcot Candlelight Processional orchestra and 200 voice choir at Walt Disney World.
Mr. Garasi studied at the Eastman School of Music and holds degrees from the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music.
Tom Hutchinson
Black Dyke Band
-
Tom Hutchinson is the principal cornet player of The World Famous Black Dyke Band and is an Oldroyd Artist.
Tom Hutchinson is one of the most distinguished cornet players of his generation- renowned for his technical mastery, musical sensitivity, and leadership of brass bands at the highest level.
Tom first picked up the cornet aged nine, beginning in his local band Stannington, and by his teens he was already making his mark. He went on to become principal cornet of the Barnsley Building Society Band, then at 15 joined the Rothwell Temperance Band in the same position. Early in his career he was a soloist and leader with the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain – a formative time during which his talent was first recognised by Dr Nicholas Childs.
Invited by Dr Childs to join the Black Dyke Band, Tom spent four years at Queensbury, initially on repiano cornet and later on solo cornet. During that time, he contributed to major contest successes, toured across Europe and Australia, and featured on multiple CD, radio and TV appearances.
After graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2009 (studying under Richard Marshall), Tom was appointed Principal Cornet of the Cory Band by Dr Robert Childs – a move that launched one of the most successful eras in Cory’s history. Under Tom’s leadership, Cory won four British Opens, four National Finals, five European Championships and nine Brass in Concert titles. Cory also achieved the historic ‘grand slam’ in 2016 and 2019 under the band’s current musical director Philip Harper. Tom earned the band’s “Player of the Year” award on five occasions and released two acclaimed solo albums (‘In Principal’ and ‘This Way’) during his sixteen-year tenure.
In November 2025, Tom was appointed Principal Cornet of the Black Dyke Band, succeeding Richard Marshall after his distinguished twenty-year tenure. His return to Queensbury signalled a major professional milestone, placing him once again at the forefront of one of the world’s most celebrated brass bands.
Describing the role as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity”, Tom approaches the position with a commitment to both artistic excellence and the development of emerging talent. His outstanding musicianship, breadth of international experience, and dedication to education continue to establish him as a respected performer, mentor, and advocate for brass banding on the global stage.
Sheona White
Tenor Horn Soloist
-
Internationally acclaimed as "The Voice of the Tenor Horn," Sheona White is a celebrated soloist whose extraordinary talent has made her a prominent figure in the brass music world. Over the course of her career, she has performed and toured as a soloist throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia, and the USA, earning a reputation for her technical mastery and emotional depth.
Her remarkable journey began early when she was named the BBC Radio 2 Young Musician of the Year, a title she won with a performance at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. This prestigious award not only marked the beginning of her solo career but also brought the Tenor Horn into the limelight of mainstream music. Following this success, she went on to perform as a guest soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra, with a highlight being her own “Soloist Showcase” featured on BBC Radio 2 and Friday Night is Music Night. A career-defining moment came when she was chosen to perform in Westminster Abbey for the Commonwealth Day Observance Concert, a special event broadcast live in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
Sheona’s individual accolades include becoming the first female winner of the British Open Solo Championships and receiving the Harry Mortimer Performance Prize. She was also awarded the Stanley Wainright Memorial Trophy for Best Soloist at the British Open Brass Band Championships, and was selected as a finalist in the Cosmopolitan Women of Achievement Awards.
Her career has also seen her perform with some of the world's most prestigious brass bands. As Principal Horn for the Yorkshire Building Society Brass Band (YBS), she helped lead the band to international success, contributing to their victory in major competitions. Under her tenure, YBS triumphed at the All England Masters three times, the British Open four times, and they represented England in the European ‘EBBA’ festival on 10 occasions, winning the European Championships an unprecedented eight times. Sheona's career with YBS culminated in a performance at the Sydney Opera House as part of the band’s "Kings of Europe" tour.
In addition to her competitive and performance success, Sheona is a highly respected recording artist. Her award winning album The Beauty Within, recorded with the Fodens Band, garnered critical acclaim, and her earlier projects, including Timeless and Voice of the Tenor Horn, have continued to solidify her status as one of the finest tenor horn performers in the world. She has also contributed to innovative recordings, including her appearance on BBC’s Children in Need single "Perfect Day" and a collaborative CD with String Orchestra titled New Music for Eb Tenor Horn and String Orchestra.
A passionate advocate for expanding the repertoire for the Tenor Horn, Sheona has been instrumental in the commissioning of new works by notable composers such as Philip Sparke, Joseph Turrin, Philip Harper, and Derek Bourgeois. Her efforts to elevate the instrument have ensured that the tenor horn remains an integral part of contemporary brass music.
In addition to her professional performing career, Sheona is deeply committed to education. As Head of Academic Music at Bolton School Girls' Division, she combines her love for teaching with her extensive experience in performance, inspiring the next generation of musicians.
As an accomplished adjudicator, Sheona has been invited to judge some of the top brass band contests around the world.
As a Besson Artist, Sheona plays the Besson Sovereign Tenor Horn, a Denis Wick Artist using a Denis Wick Classic 3 mouthpiece, and is an endorsee for the Shhhmute practice mute range.
Through her ground breaking performances, educational work, and adjudications, Sheona White has cemented her legacy as one of the foremost champions of the Tenor Horn and as a key figure in the brass music world.
