Paul Goodchild has long been recognised as one of Australia’s leading trumpet players, having considerable orchestral, chamber and solo experience nationally and internationally. Paul began his studies with his father Cliff (former Principal Tuba of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra) in the early 1960’s, then with Norm Harris, Lew Campbell and Ernest Llewellyn and lists John Robertson and Gordon Webb as major influences on his playing. Paul also studied percussion and advanced rhythm training with Michael Askell and Richard Miller.

 

Paul first performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at a Prom Concert in 1974 and in his later teenage years performed as Principal Trumpet with the touring Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra, the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company (UK) and Australian Opera. At age eighteen, he was appointed as a full-time member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. 

 

At the invitation of leading UK conductor Elgar Howarth, Paul moved to Europe in 1984 to further his orchestral studies, specialising in the vibrant music of the Baroque period and receiving high praise for his solo and chamber music recitals.

 

Paul returned to Australia in 1985 and rejoined the SSO as the Associate Principal Trumpet, a position he still holds. As a member of the SSO, Paul has toured extensively throughout the USA, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Asia as well as Singapore, China and Korea with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

 

He is Principal Trumpet of many of Sydney’s freelance orchestras including the Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra, Sydney Opera House Orchestra, Sydney Scoring Orchestra and Sydney Bach Orchestra. He also frequently performs with the Chamber Soloists of Sydney, Collegium Musicum at UNSW, Australia Ensemble, and Australian Chamber Orchestra, with whom he was soloist in a program with Teddy Tahu Rhodes.

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Paul performed in the Sydney Festival with the London Sinfonietta in 2003, and in 2009 performed solo trumpet in Morphoses Ballet production of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. He also appeared at the 2009 Townsville Chamber Music Festival. In 2010, Paul performed at the International Trumpet Guild World Conference in Sydney. 

 

Paul’s remarkable talents as a soloist, chamber and band performer have been recognised in works specially written by many of Australia’s leading composers, including Carl Vine, Ross Edwards, Barry McKimm, David Stanhope, Matthew Hindson and Alan Holley. These works demonstrate Paul’s range of experience, including scoring for solo trumpet with brass band, organ, chamber orchestra, piano and also for brass quintet. In 2005 Paul gave the world premier of the trumpet concerto Doppler’s Web by Alan Holley with the SSO conducted by Simone Young, and again in 2006 with the Queensland Orchestra. 

Paul is also the Musical Director of the Waverley Bondi Beach Band, one of Sydney’s premier brass bands and is the Artistic Director of Sydney Brass, formed in 1958 by his father Cliff, and is one of Australia’s oldest and most respected brass chamber music ensembles. He is also extremely passionate about the education of our younger instrumentalists and works as a mentor with the SSO Educational programs, AYO, SYO, the Scots College as well as the Emerging Artists Program with Sydney Brass.

He is also a founding director of the School Band Festival, in 2015 the Festival attracted more than 300 school bands from around Sydney, rural areas and interstate.
In addition to his busy performing schedule Paul is highly regarded as a teacher, with numerous private students and experience as Lecturer in Trumpet at the Sydney Conservatorium from 1996-2006, Guest Lecturer at the Newcastle and Wollongong Conservatoriums and Music Camps with Pan Pacific and Youth Music Australia.

 

In 2008, Paul was invited as Artist in Residence with Sydney Brass at Hale School in Perth, and in 2001 was invited by the Shenyang Conservatorium in China to give master classes and recitals throughout the province. In 2014 he was appointed Head of Brass at The Scots College in Sydney.

 

Paul recorded his first CD of Trumpet and Piano music in 2010 entitled “Mixed Dozen” featuring works by prominent Australian and Overseas composer’s including Matthew Hindson, Alan Holley, Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Honnegar. In early 2011 he was a featured soloist with Sting and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra during the Symphonicity Tour and also performed as Principal Trumpet with the Australian World Symphony Orchestra.

 

Paul has recently returned from a highly successful tour of Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Albania where he performed recitals to great acclaim and engaged in masterclasses at the major Schools of Music.