CULTURE INTERVIEW
I t’s perhaps unsurprising that who encouraged her in the art, and was fortunate enough to attend a state primary school that valued music – and was well resourced for it. The defining moment came early, at age five. “My parents took me to a concert on the South Bank, where I had a chance to ‘meet the instruments’. I gravitated towards the trumpet and could immediately make a good sound,” Imogen recalls. Despite asking Father Christmas for ‘a real trumpet’ that same year, lessons were to begin two years later. She had an early grounding in piano too, but it quickly became evident which instrument would win her heart. “I’m an identical twin, and my sister was keen to learn many different instruments growing up. I, on the music would take a pivotal role in Imogen Whitehead’s life. She had talented amateur-musician parents other hand, was only ever interested in playing the trumpet,” Imogen explains. “I particularly love its vocal quality – I imagine that I’m singing through my instrument when I play – and I feel it’s my particular sound that sets me apart. “The trumpet is also wonderfully versatile, both in terms of the genres that it covers, and the many types of trumpet that one plays as a professional – I now own 12 different instruments!” Growing up, Imogen became a member of various ensembles through the Kingston Music Service before joining the Thames Youth Orchestra, which she remembers fondly as being a real highlight of her musical upbringing. Lessons with a local jazz trumpeter, Andy Bush, at age 11 also laid groundwork for the future. “He greatly expanded my musical horizons and always encouraged me to be the most well- rounded musician I could be,” she smiles. Going pro And so that future arrived, and Imogen’s childhood talent turned into a prestigious professional career. It has seen her perform with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and English National Opera, as well as touring East Asia, Europe and, last year, Colombia
with leading brass ensemble Septura. She’s performed in the West End and was in Netflix’s 2023 biopic Maestro, about Leonard Bernstein. “As a soloist, I’ve also premiered numerous pieces by composers such as Stephen Dodgson and Sally Beamish, commissioned for me by the Park Lane Group,” she adds. “I’ve always tried to maintain an equal balance of orchestral and solo playing.” This year, however, has surely ushered in some of her biggest achievements yet, being conferred with Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) and now welcomed as principal trumpet into the ranks of renowned Cambridge chamber orchestra, Britten Sinfonia. It’s a highly esteemed position, with added resonance for Imogen as a woman musician. “It feels so very special to have been appointed principal trumpet of Britten Sinfonia, particularly as it’s been many years since a woman has been offered a trumpet job in any orchestra in the UK,” she recognises. “With such a large pool of brilliant female freelancers, it felt as though we were on the edge of change and, since this tipping point, there have been numerous female appointments to other trumpet sections across the UK. I hope seeing me in this prominent position will encourage younger players, and I hope to be a positive role model for them.” One of the family Having long admired Britten Sinfonia’s ethos, this internationally renowned orchestra is the perfect new home for Imogen. “It’s continually pushing the boundaries of what a chamber orchestra can do, with imaginative programming and brilliant collaborations that make for an exciting schedule. Recent highlights for me include working with Suzie and Jacob Collier and performing in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge,” she says. “Britten Sinfonia also has an exceptional outreach department, which brings music to under-resourced areas in the east of England,” she continues. “I particularly enjoy playing for patients
I hope seeing me in this prominent position will encourage younger players, and I hope to be a positive role model
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK MAY 2025 19
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