Born in Melbourne, Joel Walmsley was raised in a musical family, and developed a love for music as a member of the Young Voices of Melbourne Children’s Choir. In his early years, Joel discovered his uncle’s dusty old trumpet and after terrorising the eardrums of the household, he began lessons at the age of ten. Joel’s love for the trumpet grew quickly, particularly influenced by the electrifying playing of Geoffrey Payne with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
The heroic character and versatility of the trumpet inspires Joel in his performances, and he enjoys exploring and highlighting the vocal nature of his instrument. He developed his musicianship in several programs for young musicians including the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute in Hobart, and the various Australian Youth Orchestra programs.
He began performing as a casual musician with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 2015, and has performed with The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. Joel has performed solo and with various ensembles in Denmark, Germany, Italy, USA, China and Singapore.
He is excited by the collaborative nature of performing in orchestras and working with others to grow as a person and as a musician.
Joel has completed a Bachelor of Music with Honours and a Masters of Orchestral Performance at the University of Melbourne, where he studied with Joel Brennan, Rosie Turner, Shane Hooton, and Owen Morris.
In 2023, Joel is completing his third year at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), under the tutelage of Yoram Levy and David Elton.
FROM: Melbourne, VIC. Lands of the Kulin Nation.
Joel’s training at ANAM is fully supported by ANAM Syndicate donor Gudrun Genee
Photo by Pia Johnson