Robin Hayward

Tuba player and composer Robin Hayward was born in Brighton, England, in 1969. He studied music theory and composition at the University of Manchester and tuba at the Royal Northern College of Music. After graduating in 1991, he was active in the improvisation and experimental music scene in Manchester and London. Since 1998 he has lived and worked in Berlin, where he has helped to shape the real-time music scene.

In his work, Robin Hayward has initiated radical innovations in the field of brass instrument playing techniques, first in 1996 with the discovery of the “noise valve” and in 2009 with the development of the first fully microtonal tuba.
In 2012, he invented the Hayward Tuning Vine, which originally arose from the desire to represent the overtone space achievable with the microtonal tuba. His particular musical approach is documented in his solo recordings Valve Division, States of Rushing, Nouveau Saxhorn Nouveau Basse and Rubble Master as well as in the recordings of several collaborative projects such as the microtonal tuba trio Microtub and the tuba-contrabass duo Reidemeister Move.
In 2005 he founded the ensemble Zinc & Copper to explore the possibilities of brass instruments in experimental music.