Jamie Smith is a performer, educator and conductor held in high regard. With chamber music at the heart of his career, Jamie has performed at some of the world’s greatest venues and currently holds the Principal Cornet seat in the acclaimed Grimethorpe Colliery Band, as well as being a founding member of the award-winning A4 Brass Quartet. 

Hailing from Yorkshire, Jamie began playing the cornet at the young age of 8. His early talents led him to become the first player to hold the principal cornet role of both the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain and the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. During this time, he was a winner of the prestigious Katie Ogden Solo Competition and the Phillip McCann cornet award. After receiving his First Class Honours degree in Trumpet Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music, Jamie was subsequently awarded the International Artists Diploma as a John Fewkes Scholar, one of the highest awards the college has to offer.

Since his graduation, Jamie has maintained hios connections with the RNCM.  Now an Honorary Associate Artist in residence, Jamie was also awarded an Associate
Membership of the college in 2021.

Jamie’s talents in performance have taken him across the globe, and he has played in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.  Jamie has taken to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Sage, and the Bridgewater Hall.  Performances further afield have led him to countries including Australia, France, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Uganda, and Japan, in association with Besson Musical Instruments.

Jamie’s creativity through chamber music performance has flourished over the years as a founding member of the award winning A4 Brass Quartet. The ensemble have been the recipients of many national and international awards, including becoming City Music Foundation Artists and Royal Overseas League Ensemble Winners. Their recent tour to Japan led the quartet to the finals of the Osaka International Festa. A continuation of one of Jamie’s core values, musical education, Jamie and the quartet have used their platform to work in the line of music therapy to provide access to live music concerts in schools and hospitals. The quartet have recorded two studio albums, have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and are currently celebrating their 10th anniversary year with performances and tours across the UK, Japan and Lithuania.

In 2015, Jamie was invited to join the acclaimed Grimethorpe Colliery Brass Band as co-principal cornet, working alongside Prof. Roger Webster. Following a successful period, with highlights including a sold out ‘Brassed Off Live’ concert at the Royal Albert Hall and a tour to Australia, Jamie was appointed principal cornet of the band in 2022, a position he proudly holds to this day. Jamie is also passionate about nurturing and championing local talent, and takes great pride in his work developing the Grimethorpe Youth Band programme which aims to provide high quality musical experiences in a community setting.

Jamie maintains a core belief in providing high quality and accessible music education to young people and has spent time developing brass musicians across the world. He has led and delivered workshops and training days to students in a number of countries, including Japan and Antigua and Barbuda. Closer to home, Jamie has worked extensively for the Bradford Music Education Hub, during which time he has collaborated with the Symphonic Big Band London to develop a new method of teaching called ‘Band on the Run’. His commitment to supporting youth brass education has extended into higher education settings where he has worked with youth bands at Birmingham Conservatoire, Leeds University, and Huddersfield University.

Jamie’s work within the spectrum of musical disciplines has led him to venture into the world of conducting, and in 2019 took up the baton with the Hade Edge Band. During his time with the band, they successfully gained promotion to the Yorkshire Area 1st section, and achieved 2nd place at the Butlins Mineworkers Championship.

More recently, Jamie has partnered with Mercer and Barker as a Performing Artiste to explore the avenue of mouthpiece design. Jamie has worked alongside expert engineers in the field to develop bespoke cornet mouthpieces of the highest quality with the aim to provide an improved core sound and secure intonation across all registers. Jamie currently plays exclusively on a Mercer & Barker MB4-JS mouthpiece. varius.

In 2023, we were delighted to appoint Jamie as Musical Director of BD1 Brass - we look forward to a successful period with him at the helm!