Thomas Ruedi

Thomas Rüedi was born in 1969 in Oberwil, near Berne, Switzerland and began playing the euphonium at the age of 11. His earliest experiences as a player were with local brass bands, including Brass Band Mühledorf, with whom he was awarded the solo prize at the 'Swiss Entertainment Contest' in 1990. In the same year he won first prize for euphonium at the Swiss Solo and Quartet Championships. Thomas Rüedi studied in England between 1991 and 1995, following courses in conducting, composition, arranging and euphonium with Peter Parkes, Darrol Barry, Phillip McCann and David Moore. He held the position of solo euphonium with Sellers Engineering Band and also appeared in concerts with Brighouse and Rastrick Band and Grimethorpe Colliery Band. In 1992, with 'Sellers', he achieved the title of Solo Champion at the Swiss Open Contest in Berne. Back in Switzerland, Thomas Rüedi was appointed musical director of Brassband Bürgermusik Luzern (1995-2002) and Seeland Brass (1997 to date). He is euphonium and chamber music tutor at the “Musikhochschule Luzern” and “Hochschule der Künste Bern“. He is also active as an arranger, having a particular interest in the enrichment of the euphonium repertoire.

Thomas Rüedi has performed as soloist throughout Europe, and toured Japan in 2003. In 1999 he was awarded first prize at the European Solo Championships for brass players in Munich. The following year he recorded his highly regarded solo CD “Elégie”. Current projects include appearances with the “Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich”, the Zurich Opera House Orchestra and a concert series with the newly formed duo “Synthesis”, in which Thomas Rüedi performs alongside Marimbaphone virtuoso Raphael Christen.