Craig ANDERSON

Craig Anderson is an award-winning tuba soloist and freelance player with a wealth of experience that has seen him play with numerous leading orchestras and ensembles.

Craig began playing at the age of 11 with Monklands Youth Concert Brass under the tutorage of James Smith. At the age of 15 he was awarded a full scholarship to study at the junior school of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama studying with Philip Hore (Royal Scottish National Orchestra). On leaving the junior school he was awarded the Gilbert Innes prize for brass.

After being accepted to the RSAMD, Craig began to freelance almost immediately, working with the BBC SSO and Scottish Opera in his first year. Studying under Anthony Swainson, Craig was a finalist in the Radio 2 Young Musician of the Year and won the prestigious Governor’s recital prize for brass.

Craig graduated from the RSAMD in 1995 with a DRSAMD and a CPGS. He freelances regularly with the BBC SSO, RSNO, Scottish Opera, Northern Synfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and many more. A highlight of his playing career was winning the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference at the Royal Northern College of Music in January 2000. Craig began conducting when he took his first teaching post in 1998.

He was offered his first Musical Directors position with the Newmilns and Galston Band in 2001. Under his direction the band went from the second section to the championship section within the next three years. In this same period Craig was also musical director of the Dunaskin Doon Band and Resident Conductor with the Kirkintiloch band. In 2005 Craig was part of the RSNO Brass Quintet who visited Campbeltown Brass in the Mull of Kintyre.

This trip proved to be an eventful one as shortly afterwards he was offered the musical directors post. Since then he has worked with the predominantly youth based group of musicians with great success. The band has gone from the third section to the first section in three years winning many other prizes and plaudits along the way.

In 2006 Craig was appointed Musical Director of one of Scotland’s top brass bands, Kingdom Brass. In his time there the band has achieved their best ever results at the Scottish Championships, the Scottish open and the spring festival contests. The highlights being: winning the senior trophy competition in 2006 and qualifying for the Grand Shield in 2009. As well as brass band conducting Craig has also been heavily involved in wind bands and big bands.

In 2009 Craig was appointed as musical director of the Wind Farm course by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.