BFS Leicester Flute Day with Thomas Hancox

Supported by Jo Conquest and Sandy Hay

Sunday 15th November 2026, 10am - 4pm
English Martyrs’ Catholic School, Anstey Lane, Leicester, LE4 0FJ

Join us in Leicester for a day with renowned player, teacher, and co-principal flute of the English Chamber Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia, Thomas Hancox. 

Thomas brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his orchestral and solo career, including recordings for film and television, with recent titles including James Bond, Doctor Who, Spiderman, The Crown, Wicked: For Good, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The day will include:

  • Warm-up session, 

  • Technique workshop, 

  • Flute choir,, 

  • Masterclass with Tom.

    There will be something for everyone !


Suitable for players aged 16 and over, of Grade 5 standard and above.

Price: £40 for BFS members, £50 for non-members (booking form below)

 

Photo by Raphael Neal

About Thomas Hancox

Thomas Hancox is co-principal flute of the English Chamber Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia, and works as guest principal flute for other orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Academy of St Martin in the Fields, amongst others.

Solo and chamber work has led to collaborations with artists and ensembles including the Allegri, Castalian, Piatti, and Sacconi string quartets, Sarah Connolly, Trevor Pinnock, Mahan Esfahani, Stephen Hough, and Jeremy Denk, with recitals in prestigious venues and festivals throughout the UK and further afield.

He also has the privilege of recording scores for film and television, with recent titles including James Bond, Doctor Who, Spiderman, The Crown, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Thomas read Music at St Peter’s College, Oxford, from where he graduated with a first, before pursuing further studies in Paris with Patrick Gallois, and subsequently at the Royal Academy of Music with Paul Edmund-Davies and Samuel Coles, finishing with a distinction and the honorary DipRAM.

In his spare time, he is an avid cook, a moderately keen gardener, and enjoys anything written by D. H. Lawrence, Evelyn Waugh, or Graham Greene.

In 2019 he was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.


About Jo Conquest - Flute teacher and BFS Area rep for Leicester 

Jo was incredibly fortunate to begin her formal musical journey through the then-free peripatetic music service in Bedfordshire. Her experiences in the Concert Band and Youth Orchestra were formative, with inspirational sectional coaches including Andrew Marriner, Gordon Davies and Phillipa Davies. Tours around the UK and abroad, an extensive and varied repertoire, and friendships that have lasted a lifetime all helped shape her musical life. She subsequently studied at Birmingham, where Christopher Steward was her principal teacher. Jo remembers him as a gentle, understated but deeply knowledgeable and passionate teacher. Over the years she has also benefited from the advice and tuition of Peter Lloyd, Phillipa Davies, Ruth Morley, Wissam Boustany and, during a course in France, the legendary Alain Marion.

Chamber music has always been Jo’s first love. Even as a teenager, her parents hosted charity evenings at home, providing the food and drink while Jo rounded up her musical friends to provide the entertainment. She has continued to perform in chamber ensembles throughout her career, including winning the Chamber Music Prize with the Martinu Trio while at college. Since moving to Leicestershire in the mid-1990s, Jo has been a member of the Midlands-based Helix Ensemble, performing a wonderfully diverse repertoire and enjoying opportunities to play solo works including Malcolm Arnold and Bach’s B minor Suite. In the late 1990s, Helix also presented an all-women-composer concert, at a time when such programming was far less established, with Judith Weir’s Airs from Another Planet among Jo’s particular favourites. Jo is also a long-standing member of the Bardi Symphony Orchestra in Leicester, where she particularly enjoys the role of second flute.

Her teaching career began with the Leicester School of Music, where Russell Parry was Head of Flute. Following government cuts to music education, Jo continued teaching on a self-employed basis and has remained passionate about helping young musicians develop. For Jo, teaching is about much more than learning to play the flute. She finds it enormously rewarding to introduce young people to the joys of music, to watch their confidence grow and, ultimately, to see them discover their own musical voice. The enthusiasm and fresh perspective of her students continue to inspire her, and Jo feels that she often learns as much from them as they do from her. Teaching has also encouraged her to develop and continually reassess her own playing. Alongside performing and teaching, Jo has developed a love of conducting and has been privileged to work with youth bands and orchestras and flute choirs, both during and after her time with the music service.

Away from classical music, Jo has a passion for jazz and good rock music and enjoys attending jazz festivals and hearing exceptional musicians live. She even saw Frank Sinatra as a teenager! These days, she also enjoys good food with close friends and family — ideally accompanied by a little quality “fizz” reserved for special occasions. Above all, Jo’s musical life has been shaped by a love of sharing music with others: as a performer, teacher, conductor, ensemble musician and lifelong student of the flute.

About Sandy Hay

Sandy is a respected flute teacher, conductor and music educator based in Birmingham. Originally from Ayrshire on Scotland's west coast, he studied flute with Sheena Gordon at University in Glasgow before undertaking postgraduate studies with Kevin Gowland at Birmingham Conservatoire. Since settling in Birmingham, Sandy has held senior educational roles, including serving as Head of Woodwind for Birmingham Music Service and teaching flute in the Junior Department of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He has been Musical Director of the Birmingham Flute Choir since 2002. Sandy is a trustee of the British Flute Society, he is passionate about bringing flute players together in events across the country. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

If you need any more information, please contact us at events@bfs.org.uk.

More about the BFS Flute Day Series 2025-26

BFS Flute Days give you the chance to connect with like-minded people, enjoy listening to great flute players, and make music together. Each day will focus on ensemble and flute choir playing, technique and a masterclass, as well as a short concert to celebrate what we have achieved across the day, and will feature a guest artist with strong links to your particular area.

Other events in the series include: