Martin Smith was taught to play by his father and they both played in the local Salvation Army Band. At the age of eighteen Martin gave up playing to pursue sporting interests, his career and later on, his family. After a thirty-five year absence from playing, he returned to playing and is currently Principal Euphonium with one of the leading bands in the South East. As part of his comeback he passed his ATCL and LTCL, both with distinction in one year and recently passed his Fellowship at Trinity College London (FTCL). Having given up playing for so long he is keen to see how far he can take his musical career and he is very encouraged by the new music written for the solo euphonium for recitals and concertos with orchestras. He has an ever-growing number of public recitals and solo appearances in the UK and abroad (see www.martinsmitheuphonium.com). After a brilliant concert in 2021, we are excited to welcome back Martin and his euphonium. His recent CD, "The Lyrical Euphonium", received excellent feedback and critical acclaim from around the world. In November 2023, the album was featured on BBC Radio 3's Breakfast programme and earlier in the year on BBC Radio 4. The album was selected as a finalist for the 2023 ITEA Roger Bobo Awards for excellence in recording. His love for the euphonium is very apparent and he takes great encouragement from people telling him that he has inspired them to return to playing a musical instrument!