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Brass

At UC performance study in brass, you join a creative community that offers an important stepping stone for your future career. We provide you with a diverse range of skills in your journey to becoming a pragmatic, creative and compelling artist. These are crucial qualities to building a career in music today, whatever your chosen path.

Brass teaching staff

Our brass faculty are all prominent performers and teachers. Barrett Hocking, trumpet, enjoys an extensive career in orchestral playing, and has a national teaching profile. Karl Margevka is principal trombone of the CSO, and frequently performs also as a chamber musician. Member of  the CSO horn section, Antonio Dimitrov brings extensive pedagogical experience across winds and brass in Christchurch. UC is particularly excited to welcome Emma Eden, recently appointed principal horn with the CSO, and a performer with an international performing and teaching profile.

UC music also offers studies in tuba, and other brass. Please contact Mark Menzies, head of performance, to find out more about these offerings.

Learning and performing

The brass performance class is designed to support your instrumental studies as well as provide professional-level advice on everything from preparing for auditions, to details of instrumental maintenance, from career strategies in a competitive world to nuanced understanding of brass and wind repertoire.

We also offer courses in chamber music and orchestral music, and plenty of opportunities to further your performance interests. You can audition for the UC’s Christchurch Youth Orchestra, join our Balinese gamelan, the Consortia chamber choir, or participate in Contemporary Jam: an open workshop for those pursuing contemporary forms of expression from jazz to rock, folk to experimental pop. 

Our community of UC performance students comes together weekly for a combined performance workshop. This forum offers career advice, exploration of challenging new and experimental ensemble projects, guest artists’ presentations on their pathway in music and a platform for peer-to-peer playing.