About Nic Branston

Nic was a fun loving, easy going young man whose life was tragically cut short in summer 2008, at the age of 25, when he swerved to avoid an animal on the road at night.

As a young French Horn player he was deeply moved by the story of the death of his hero, Dennis Brain, who had died when his car hit a tree just yards away from home.

Through a cruel twist of fate almost exactly the same accident was to take Nic's life also.

In addition to being the life and soul of the party and a trustworthy friend and ally, Nic was an excellent musician. He had just finished his postgraduate course at The Royal College of Music and as Simon Rayner, principal horn of the Royal Opera House commented ‘this is a tragedy for the whole music profession’.

From a very young age he always loved music and when he won the highest mark for his Grade 8 in the world on any brass instrument when he was just 12 years old. 

He progressed from the National Children’s Chamber Orchestra to the National Youth Orchestra and was a pupil at the Junior department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.  Always one to take the initiative, he put a quintet together which won the coveted first prize for a chamber ensemble from National Festival of Music for Youth.

He won scholarships to Oakham School and then to the Purcell School for his sixth form but was determined to try to make it in the pop world whilst he was young and relatively good looking. 

He spent two years as a professional bass guitarist with Royal Caribbean cruise ships and auditioned for various boy bands but he eventually decided that the classical world of music was the most important thing in his musical world.  He auditioned at the last minute for the Royal College of Music and was awarded a scholarship.

Nic had picked up a lot of freelance work during his last few years at the College and as his post graduate course was drawing to a close he had secured a trial with Opera North and had auditions lined up with the BBC in Scotland and Wales.