James Watson coaching a student at Lieksa BrassWeek in Finland in 2007

Born in Leicestershire, young James quickly distinguished himself as one of the leading young cornet players in the United Kingdom. He became principal cornet of the Desford Collery Band at eleven-years-old and became something of a sensation in the brass band field by winning both the Junior and Senior Champion Soloist Awards of Great Britain before his fifteenth birthday. After study at the Royal Academy of Music he was appointed principal trumpet with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and went on to become one of the most respected players in the professional ranks.

During his stellar career, James Watson performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras and musicians as well as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. He was also extremely busy in the recording studio with a wealth of film scores to his credit. Since 2001, Watson served as Head of Brass at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was one of the most sought after judges of international solo competitions for trumpet over the last decade.

James Watson is survived by his wife Julie and two sons, William and Thomas.

The International Trumpet Guild plans an appropriate tribute to the life and career of James Watson in a future issue of the ITG Journal.