I am off to the States in mid August and am looking forward to it, especially the opportunity to study with Ricardo Morales which is a dream come true.  I am able to go thanks to the generous support of Temple University and also the support of several UK charities and some private sponsorship, I am truly grateful to everyone who has helped me. Their names will appear in all publicity materials and programme notes. I cannot list them yet as one has yet to be announced, but they will be listed on this site later this year.

Musicfest at Aberystwyth was great. The conducting course was very worthwhile, I cannot recommend it highly enough.  The standard is very high and it is a wonderful opportunity to conduct an excellent orchestra. I also really enjoyed performing the York Bowen Sonata with John Flinders. I have been invited back next year and will definitely be there.

I also spent an enjoyable few days with Atarah Ben Tovim at her home in the South of France, and I very much enjoyed meeting her husband, the author, Douglas Boyd. We played lots of chamber music and my brother had some intensive flute lessons which has brought his playing on amazingly.

The fundraising concert at Cornerstone Church in Milton Keynes went very well. I have started to put the recordings on YouTube and will finish this soon.  As always it was a pleasure to play with Daniel King Smith, I will miss playing with him when I am in the States.

I am about to spend a few days in Germany staying with friends that I made at Wells Cathedral School. Going there for a year was great socially as I have made so many friends from all over the world.  It was also good to experience being away from home before moving to America. Musically it was not so good for me personally but this was not really a problem.

I will keep you up to date with my news while I am in the Sates, and I will be back for a month from Dec 17th 2011  and from early May 2012 onwards.  Please contact my mother at cathywestlake@hotmail.co.uk if you want to know my availability for concerts etc.

best regards

Ben