Neil Shewan

Neil Shewan is presently Principal/3rd Horn of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and has been a member since joining over ten years ago. He studied for his BMus at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, during his final year there he won the prestigious International Paxman Horn Competition, the first British player to do so.

Neil has performed with many of the countries finest orchestras and chamber groups. These include the LSO, Philharmonia, LPO, RPO, ENO, CBSO, Royal Opera House, Halle, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, ECO. He has also been a member of the UK’s premier brass quintet, Fine Arts Brass Ensemble.

You can hear Neil playing on many film and tv soundtracks including the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jason Bourne Trilogy, Dr Who, Blue Planet, Human Planet and many others.

Neil has been an invited guest teacher at the Royal College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and in 1997 Neil was presented the Bulgin Medal by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, for his services to youth music.

Neil is a Horn tutor for the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain and player mentor for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. In 2018 Neil qualified as an examiner for Trinity College London, a role that takes him far and wide in his travels around the world and gives him a platform to keep encouraging people to learn their chosen instruments.

Neil has been an invited guest teacher at the Royal College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and in 1997 Neil was presented the Bulgin Medal by the Worshipful Company of Musicians, for his services to youth music.