Leyland welcome Adam Bokaris to the band. Following in the footsteps of fellow Australian Brendan Wheeler at Leyland, Adam is the latest in a long line of very talented brass players from ‘down under’ to spend time in the United Kingdom.

He began playing at the age of 9 in his primary school band in Sydney. His development was outstanding and he progressed to become principal euphonium with the city’s St Marys Brass Band.

In March 2013, Adam gained top marks for his music studies in the Higher School Certificate which put him in the top 1% of music students in the state. He was rewarded for this by having the opportunity to perform as a soloist on the prestigious Sydney Opera House stage as part of the New South Wales Department of Education’s ‘Encore’ concert. In the same year Adam went on to become the Australian National Euphonium Champion.

He relocated to Manchester (England) in September 2014 to study at the Royal Northern College of Music under tutors David Thornton and Steven Mead. He is currently a first year undergraduate and his studies at the RNCM are being generously supported by a Buffet Besson Scholarship. And he has already made his mark here after reaching the finals of the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Awards competition.