Graham was educated at Northampton Grammar School and then at Birmingham Conservatoire studying flute, bassoon and conducting . He won the Midland Institute concerto prize, appearing as flute soloist with the college chamber orchestra at the Aix en Provence Music Festival. After several years as a freelance player, playing with the CBSO, Opera north and Welsh National Opera he taught at Stowe School and Nene College (now Northampton University) and then joined the staff of the Northamptonshire Music Service (now NMPAT). During his years with the service working as deputy head of woodwind he has conducted most groups including the County Youth Orchestra, County Concert Band and Youth Choir and has regularly taken assorted groups to the National Festival of Music for Youth, winning outstanding performance awards and appearing at the Schools Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. He has also conducted Towcester Studio Band, Irthlingborough Entertainment Society, Northampton Gilbert and Sullivan Group and directed Northampton Symphony Orchestra for eight years. He is also directing a new community choir run by NMPAT which began in September 2021. He was on the conducting staff of the European Youth Summer Music Course and directed the brass and wind bands and orchestra for the WMA Summer School, later Music4People. Twenty-five years ago, he founded, and still directs Northampton Chamber Orchestra. Although now semi-retired, he lives in Brixworth but is still very active teaching at Northampton School for Boys and as musical director of Northampton Concert Band and Northampton Musical Theatre Company, He still plays with the John Clare Wind Quintet as well as assorted other freelance playing. He enjoys cooking and tinkering with his model railway and has an amazing collection of hats!
Trevor was born in 1954 in the Lancashire town of Nelson and brought up in Blackburn. He started violin lessons aged 7 at school because there were no vacancies in the brass class (his first choice) or the cello class (his second choice) – in fact he didn’t choose the violin at all. However the violin teacher, Miss Dorothea Worden, was somewhat charismatic and Trevor carried on with lessons at school until Miss Worden suggested he have lesson with another local teacher, Miss Christine Lees, a pupil of Joseph Szigeti.
At the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Trevor studied the violin with Walter Gerhardt and Francis Howard, and chamber music with Gordon Mutter. Here, he co-led the Symphony Orchestra, led the Repertoire Orchestra and founded the Chamber Orchestra.
After college he went to teach in Manchester where he became principal 2nd violinist in the Stockport Symphony Orchestra and inaugural leader of the South Manchester Chamber Orchestra.
Trevor moved to Northampton in 1982 and became a member of the Northampton Symphony 0rchestra. He was asked to lead on a permanent basis in 1984 and has been the longest serving leader in the Orchestra’s history – 28 years.
Trevor worked for the Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust. He is an accomplished orchestra trainer and has conducted the Junior, Training and award winning Youth Orchestras. Trevor plays on a 1880 Parisian violin by Jules Granjon.
Trevor took over as Leader of KSO in September 2018.