Biography

British trumpeter Imogen Whitehead is in demand across the UK and internationally, enjoying an increasingly diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal.

A passionate advocate for new music, Imogen serves on the International Trumpet Guild’s ‘New Works’ committee and has premiered numerous works by composers such as Sally Beamish and Stephen Dodgson. Many of these are featured on her recently released debut solo album, Connection. As a particular champion of the flugelhorn – an instrument often overlooked in the classical sphere – Imogen is dedicated to raising its solo profile through new commissions and arrangements. Her most recent commissions are Ennui by Noah Max (flugelhorn and piano) and To Stay Open by Charlotte Harding (solo flugelhorn), both supported by the Vaughan Williams Foundation.

Upcoming highlights involve numerous performances as an Artist-in-Residence at Ryedale Festival, including the world premiere of Gabriel Jackson’s Flugelhorn Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and recitals with harpist Olivia Jageurs and organist Rachel Mahon. Imogen will also perform a recital alongside pianist Patrick Milne for ‘Upstairs at Ronnie’s’ (July 2026) following on from their successful debut at the Wimbledon International Music Festival (November 2025). Imogen launched her solo album - Connection - at London’s iconic St Martin-in-the-Fields in May 2025.

In addition to her position as Principal Trumpet with Britten Sinfonia, Imogen performs regularly as Guest Principal Trumpet with other leading orchestras internationally. She has worked regularly with Aurora Orchestra - including as Principal Trumpet for their groundbreaking, memorised performances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring - and, next season, Imogen joins the London Symphony Orchestra on tour to Japan with Mahler’s Symphony No.2. In recent years, she has performed in London’s West End and played on major film soundtracks including Maestro and Saltburn.

Imogen is currently Artist-in-Residence with St Martin’s Voices and a member of the acclaimed wind and brass collective, Neoteric Ensemble. She is deeply committed to music education, community engagement, and equal opportunity, serving as an Associate and Mentor for GALSI (Gender and the Large and Shiny Instruments), an initiative promoting gender equality in brass and percussion. She is also involved in Britten Sinfonia’s pioneering outreach work, has worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s ‘Resound’ education and community programme, and regularly leads masterclasses at conservatoires across the UK.

An alumna of the Royal Academy of Music, Imogen studied with professors including Mark David and Gareth Small and subsequently studied privately with Norwegian soloist Tine Thing Helseth. In April 2025, Imogen was awarded Associateship of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM).

Outside of trumpet playing, Imogen enjoys Zumba, card-making and learning Spanish. She lives in South West London with her husband Rupert (a trombonist in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) and is a befriender through the Wimbledon Guild.

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Click here to read Imogen’s full CV.

(Please do not reproduce Imogen’s biography without permission. Contact Imogen for an up-to-date biography)