Our Music Director

Maidstone Wind Symphony has been performing under the baton of Roger Graham since 2019. 

Roger was born and brought up in Gravesend and started to learn the tuba at the age of 13. After two years of lessons, he gained a place at the Royal College of Music Junior Department and shortly after became the principal tuba player of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

He trained at the Guildhall School of Music under James Anderson and John Fletcher. After leaving the Guildhall he worked as a London-based freelance musician with some of the London orchestras, film orchestras and West End shows.

His interest in wind bands was kick-started when he began working for a music publisher specialising in concert band repertoire. When the conductor of his local band was taken ill, Roger stepped up and took the rehearsal; the reaction of the musicians was so positive that he decided to take up conducting. Since then he has been a guest conductor for a number of bands and ensembles in the South East, combining this with his playing commitments.

Roger is Maidstone Wind Symphony’s fourth music director, following in the footsteps of Brendon Le Page (1998-2004), Jeremy Cooper (2004-2010) and Jonathan Crowhurst (2010-2018).