Brussels Philharmonic | Summer Sounds: William

Summer Sounds: William

DISCOVER OUR ORCHESTRA’S FAVOURITE SUMMER TUNES!

Head to our website or app for weekly summer picks from our musicians and staff. From our flutist to our communications staff member – get a glimpse into their personal favourites.
New selections every Friday, from mid-July to the end of August!

Summer Sounds #2 · William Foster

trombone at the Brussels Philharmonic

I'm Will, and I've been a trombonist in the Brussels Philharmonic since 2023 (so I still consider myself new-ish!). I've been in love with the symphonic repertoire for years now, and I'm especially passionate about discovering new music and keeping up to date with what modern composers are doing.
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William's favourite summer tunes on Spotify

I play...

Besides the trombone, I've spent a lot of time performing on related low-brass instruments (the euphonium, bass trumpet, etc.), and I'm also a decidedly mediocre amateur pianist.

If I had to start all over again, I'd love to retrain as an orchestral percussionist. They always seem to have the most fun at the back of the orchestra (am I right?), and I love the idea of working with composers to come up with new and bizarre percussive sounds no one’s ever heard.

I listen to...

I like to think I have quite a diverse taste in music. When I'm at home, I always have the radio on in the background and tuned to a different station every day. That said, my first love in music was jazz, and I always find myself particularly drawn to the world of contemporary big band music (niche, I know!)

You ideal summer tunes?

One particular summer track that I absolutely adore is Every Summer Night from the Bob Curnow's L.A. Big Band album Music of Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays. This entire album is absolutely fantastic, but this track always stands out to me.

For me, it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of walking home through the city late at night in the middle of summer, after spending the whole day relaxing in a park somewhere.

playlist on Spotify

And... any guilty pleasures perhaps?

I'd be lying if I tried to deny the fact that I have multiple playlists of sickly-sweet synthy 2000s and 2010s pop. I absolutely love Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe. I can't justify it on any musical or artistic level, I just really think that song SLAPS!

summer plans?

This summer will be unusually busy for me! As soon as our season ends I'm flying to the States to visit a friend out there, and after that I have lots of little trips round Europe planned.

Most importantly though, I'll be spending some time back in England. I have a 2-year old niece there who I hardly get to see during the season, so I'm really excited to spend some time with her.

Summer Sounds Jill Intro 1x1

Summer Sounds: Jill

from musicians to staff members: discover the favourite summer tunes of the Brussels Philharmonic each week during the summer break