Lewis Chinn

Lewis Chinn

Lewis Chinn is a versatile freelance musician and multi-instrumentalist. He recently graduated with a first-class honours degree from Trinity Laban, where he studied tuba with Les Neish. Originally from Suffolk, Lewis began playing the tuba at the age of eight. While a student at the Royal College of Music Junior Department, he received several awards, including the John Fletcher Award, the Wolfson Award, and the Constance Farrington Brass Prize.
As an accomplished soloist, Lewis performed the UK premiere of Lauri Porra’s Tuba Concerto at Blackheath Halls in 2024 and won Trinity Laban’s Gold Medal Competition and Audience Prize in 2023. The adjudication praised the “enormous amounts of joy and exuberance [he brought] to his playing.” This success led to the formation of CYMBIOSIS, his own tuba and percussion duo, which frequently performs his compositions and arrangements. The duo recently toured Switzerland.

Lewis has always struggled to limit himself to one instrument and genre, and thus can be found performing across the country; whether playing Sousaphone in a nightclub, Tin Whistle in a Cèilidh band, or singing Renaissance madrigals in a cathedral. While a Tuba player at heart, Lewis’ deep love for British folk music permeates his musicianship. He founded and leads the folk-jazz band, Southbound.

In addition to performing, Lewis is a dedicated music educator, working as an instrumental tutor in schools throughout London. In his spare time, Lewis enjoys hiking, Real Ale, and Morris dancing. Lewis is generously supported by the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Philip Jones Prize.