Jonathan Camps
Jonathan Camps was born in Cornwall into a musical family; his mother known as a fine
mezzo-soprano singer,
whilst his father was an enthusiastic player and conductor of brass bands in the mid-Cornwall region.
After early cornet lessons from his father he joined the St. Dennis Youth Band, at that time the National
Champion youth band of Great Britain, and played in his first contest just after his twelfth birthday,
defending the title in the Royal Albert Hall. He was to play there on another three occasions, twice with the
youth band and once in the Championship section, before leaving school.
He joined the Royal Marines School of Music at Deal, Kent in 1979, passing out in March 1982 just in time to
miss involvement in the Falklands campaign. He was to remain in the Royal Marines Band Service for
twenty-three years, serving in many places around the world, including a period as lead violinist
on board HMY BRITANNIA.
He was selected for Bandmaster training in 1992, and distinguished himself by winning the
Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians for being the top student,
the Chappell conducting prize for conducting, and by gaining the LRSM diploma.
Throughout his service career, Jonathan maintained a passionate interest in brass bands,
and has conducted and played for many bands across the west of England region. He has also performed
with the Fodens Band and Black Dyke bands; he numbers these as among the most thrilling musical occasions
in which he has ever been involved.
He lives in Barton-on-Sea with his partner Katy, where he concentrates on his hobbies of armchair
railway modelling (he has been designing a layout for nearly thirty years; he reckons he just
needs a few more decades before he can actually start building it...), travelling in his
VW campervan.