Originally from Blackpool, UK, Michael Wells is a euphonium soloist and educator, based in Brisbane, Australia. He is currently Principal Euphonium with Brisbane Excelsior Band in Queensland. Michael started playing baritone aged 9, and was awarded the Diploma of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (DipABRSM) at the age of 17. He was Principal Baritone of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) for 5 years.
Michael entered the world of top-flight brass banding while he was still at school, joining the renowned Fairey Band on Solo Baritone in 2007. Along with prestigious contest performances, he took to festival stages across the UK and Europe as part of the band’s highly-successful “Acid Brass” project. Whilst studying under David Thornton and Steven Mead at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Michael was appointed Solo Baritone at the world-famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band in 2009, where he performed in every corner of the British Isles, Europe and beyond. The European Championships in Belgium, the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, and recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios were notable highlights.
Michael graduated from the RNCM in 2011, and later qualified as a teacher from the University of Manchester in 2013. He moved to Australia in 2014, and appears as a featured soloist on Box Hill City Band’s 125 Years (2015), Darebin City Brass’s forthcoming Stars, and Victoria Brass LIVE (2022), and has adjudicated at state and national level across Australia and New Zealand. In 2022, Michael was invited to become a Besson Artist, and an Artist for Denis Wick Products.
He performs on a Besson Prestige 2052 euphonium and Denis Wick SM4X mouthpiece.
