Students enjoy free concert by Steele-Perkins, the man behind the Antiques Roadshow music

On Friday 24 February, Crispian Steele-Perkins, described as "the world's leading player of the baroque trumpet" by Continuo Magazine, performed a free lunchtime concert at Anglia Ruskin University's Cambridge campus.

Perhaps best known to the wider public for performing on the opening credits to the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, Steele-Perkins took the audience on an instructive and entertaining journey from the early music of Handel and Purcell, right through to Gershwin in the twentieth century.

After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music, he spent his early career playing with the English National Opera and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As well as performing, Steele-Perkins is interested in collecting and restoring antique trumpets.

Alan Rochford, of Anglia Ruskin's Music Department, said: "Crispian Steele-Perkins is a quite remarkable musician who, through his detailed research and spell-binding performances particularly of the baroque music of Purcell and Handel, has reinstated the trumpet as the most majestic and commanding in the orchestra.

"His lecture recitals, in which he plays a variety of early versions of the modern trumpet, are hugely entertaining and informative. As a virtuoso of the high (clarino) trumpet he has played on numerous recordings with stars such as Kiri te Kanawa and Bryn Terfel - and he is heard weekly by millions as the credits roll for the Antiques Roadshow.

"Crispian is a larger-than-life character, widely respected and adored in classical music circles. His recitals are punctuated with humorous anecdotes from his lifelong career at the pinnacle of his profession and we were thrilled that he could be part of our successful series of Friday lunchtime concerts."

The free concert took place at the Mumford Theatre on Anglia Ruskin's Cambridge campus as part of the Department of Music and performing Arts' regular lunchtime concert series. Steele-Perkins was accompanied on the piano by former Royal College of Music and Anglia Ruskin lecturer Jillian Skerry.

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