Mike Cavanagh

Mike Cavanagh serves as Professor of Baritone Horn and Chamber Music at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and Head of Wind, Brass & Percussion at The Purcell School, while maintaining an active performance career as Solo Baritone of the Black Dyke Band and founding member of A4 Brass Quartet.

Education:

• RNCM, First Class Honours

His professional focus centers on advancing brass performance through innovative chamber music and wind band work, with particular dedication to expanding the baritone horn's repertoire and audience reach via international concert tours and cross-genre collaborations that bridge classical and contemporary performance contexts.

Scientific Awards:

• Royal Over-Seas League Chamber Music competition
• Royal Philharmonic Society Henderson Chamber Music prize
• Musicians’ Company Maisie Lewis Young Artist Award
• Tunnell Trust Award
• Tillett Trust Young Artists’ Platform
• City Music Foundation Artists
• Associate Member of the RNCM (ARNCM)

As a core faculty member at RNCM, Cavanagh provides specialized instruction in baritone horn and chamber music, though the source material does not specify formal graduate student advising relationships or research grant acquisitions, with his scholarly contributions primarily manifested through performance practice rather than traditional academic outputs.

He co-founded the internationally acclaimed A4 Brass Quartet (RNCM International Artist Diploma recipients), performs globally with Black Dyke Band and Grimethorpe Colliery, and leads transformative outreach initiatives through Live Music Now and Music in Hospitals & Care, bringing live music to diverse community settings across the UK and internationally.