Shane Hooton is the Associate Principal Trumpet of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2009. Prior to this he was the Principal Trumpet of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for four years. Shane undertook his Bachelor of Music studies at the Queensland Conservatorium with Graham Ashton, Richard Madden, John Hoffman and Paul Rawson. He has performed as Guest Principal with all of the Australian symphony and opera/ballet orchestras.

He has also been a guest of the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa in Japan, the Malaysian Philharmonic, and the Auckland Philharmonia. His international touring includes the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s USAtour in 2009, the MSO’s Europe tour in 2007 and to Europe as Principal Trumpet with both the Australian and Queensland Youth Orchestras. Shane was also a founding member of brass quintet ‘Brass On Tap’, touring extensively throughout Queensland and to Korea.

Meet Shane

How did you choose your instrument?
I originally started on the Flugelhorn, which is very similar to the trumpet. My brothers were both learning music and they told me that hardly anyone played the Flugelhorn, and that I should take it up.

Greatest performance experience so far?
Playing the Rite of Spring by Stravinsky, in the same venue it was premiered almost 100 years ago, the Theatre de Champs-Elysees in Paris. This was in 2007 on the MSO Europe tour.

If you could live in an era, which one would it be?
Mid 19th Century to mid 20th Century. When some of my favourite music was written.