Biography
Job Title: Senior Lecturer
Courses Taught: BA (Hons) Music (Classical)
Specialisms: Euphonium Performance and Direction
Instruments Taught: Euphonium & Baritone
Morgan was born in Batley, West Yorkshire, into a strong brass banding family. In his formative years, he was taught the cornet by his father, Edward Griffiths, himself a very successful brass band conductor.
After only a short period on cornet, Morgan switched to Euphonium and studied with the legendary Black Dyke euphonium player and conductor Geoffrey Whitham, who was to have a major influence on Morgan’s playing style.
In January 1990, after a brief spell with the Hammonds Sauce Works Band, Morgan was the youngest player ever to be appointed principal Euphonium of Black Dyke Mills Band, where he established an international reputation as one of the finest euphonium players in the world. During this time, Morgan first came under the influence of the brilliant Australian conductor and later mentor, Professor David King.
Whilst at Black Dyke Morgan Morgan won two European titles (1990 and 1991) and was a principal soloist in their very successful tour of Japan. In 1992 he was invited to join the newly named Yorkshire Building Society Band, again working with David King. During this period, Morgan became the most successful euphonium player of his generation, winning Five European championships, Three British Open titles, Three All England Masters Championships, and a single English Nationals win along with several Yorkshire area championships. He also won two best soloist awards at the Brass in Concert Championships.
In 1999 Morgan was awarded the much-coveted title of 'International Euphonium Player of the Year', and it was also the year that saw him record his debut solo CD titled 'The Voice of the Euphonium'. In 2002-3, Morgan gained Two National Championship titles with the Williams Fairey Band under Allan Withington and was voted the 4BarsRest outstanding instrumentalist and player of the year.
2004 saw Morgan return to YBS band where he gained another All England Masters Championship title as well as being a featured soloist on the bands 2005 'Kings of Brass' tour of Australia, where one of the many highlights was performing a solo in the world-famous Sydney Opera House. After this, Morgan turned his focus to conducting and musical direction.
In 2007 Morgan was appointed the musical director of the newly named Hammonds Saltaire Band. Since then, Morgan has guided the band through a gradual rebuilding process which now sees the band back in the top prizes at all the countries major competitions, including the British Open Championships from 2014, qualifying for the National Finals in 2011(First Section) and 2017 (Championship Section) with his proudest achievement leading the band to victory at the 2018 Grand Shield in Blackpool. As well as this the band now makes regular appearances at the Brass in Concert Championships in Gateshead and at the BrassPass TV' Band of the Year Competition'.
Under Morgan's leadership, the band have developed a very busy concert programme and have many recordings and cross-cultural projects to its name, this is establishing the band's reputation in the wider music world with projects like 'Just a Vibration' where Morgan collaborated with the Indian born artist and composer Shri Sriram. This has seen the band perform at many international music festivals and has been a featured album on BBC Radio 6 and British Airways international flights. In December 2016, the music won the BASCA British composers award in the Brass & Woodwind Music category.
Morgan works for the Bradford Music & Arts Service as a Specialist Brass Tutor where he aims to inspire the next generation of brass players. In 2011 he formed the Bradford Youth Brass Band, which has already competed at National level with critical acclaim.
In addition to conducting Hammonds Saltaire Band, Morgan is the Music Director of the Bradford Youth Orchestra (BYO). This is a new and exciting venture that is extremely rewarding as the orchestra grows in musical stature. During the summer of 2013, the BYO performed its first full Symphony Concert performing Mendelssohn's Symphony no. 4 "Italian", and in 2014 won Innovation award for a performance of 'Celtic Fusion' at the Music for Youth National Festival, at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. Morgan has conducted the orchestra on several very successful concert tours in Germany, Italy, and France.
In 2020 Morgan was appointed as a Senior Lecturer of Euphonium at the prestigious Leeds Conservatoire of Music. Here Morgan intends to inspire the next generation of Euphonium players to 'find their own voice'. The touchstone of this concept is to create a warm, rich traditional 'singing' Euphonium Sound and apply this with musicality and beauty of phrasing to the latest contemporary Euphonium repertoire.
