History

Born and raised in South London, Will Spencer took his first trumpet lessons at the age of seven. He later attended Pimlico School and the Centre for Young Musicians, where he studied with Cliff Haines, and became principal trumpet of the London Schools Symphony Orchestra.

At music college, Will studied under Denis Egan, Paul Cosh and Crispian Steele-Perkins, and it was during this period that he took an interest in the workings of the trumpet. Initially, he thought that improving his instruments would mean that he did not have to practise so much! Unfortunately, like hundreds of other players, he learnt that this would never be the case, but he continued to dabble, and eventually set up a brass-repair workshop. The workshop catered for local schools and music centres, but it was not long before professional players started using his services. Repairs, later evolved to customisation, re-builds and eventually Will’s own trumpets.

The first trumpets were modular, and enabled players to easily remove bells and leadpipes, using small hex-keys. These trumpets were an immediate success, and won Will the contract to build 24 instruments for the British Royal Air Force. These same models have now been chosen by the Beijing Army Band, who have also commissioned the design of the Spencer Herald Trumpet.

Although the workshop was always busy, Will still had a passion for teaching, and ran brass courses in the school holidays. He eventually became the trumpet teacher at Charterhouse. Although Will has stopped teaching in schools, he now finds himself using similar skills, working closely with customers to create instruments to suit their individual needs.

In 2004, Will developed his own valve oil which is now sold by Denis Wick. Over the years, their relationship has grown and Will has now designed the Denis Wick “Classic” and “Ultra” trumpet mouthpiece range, as well as the “Tone Collars”..

Will’s workshop is based in Bordon, Surrey and the majority of his clients are orchestral players from British orchestras. More recently, his clients have started coming from outside the UK, and examples of his work can now be found in many of the world’s professional orchestras. In 2013, Will launched Spencer Trumpets.This new range of instruments embodies all of the passion and experience, gained from over 20 years working with many of the worlds finest players.