Time was – not so long ago – when peripatetic music teachers would come into schools and teach talented children how to play instruments free of charge.
But these days that privilege is only available to those whose parents can finance it.
Brexit will ensure that if they want to tour abroad, there are now new hoops through which they must jump. And the local music societies up and down the country – which have traditionally provided a steady stream of work for musicians ready to chase it – are one by one shutting up shop as their funding disappears.
The Arts Council and the Government have long since abandoned any thought of addressing this situation.
They all started young. Zoe Tweed began playing the euphonium at six, before switching to the trombone, then settling on the French horn at nine; tuba player Aled Meredith Barrett picked up a tenor horn at seven and immediately joined a youth band in which he became a star.
All five won prizes, all played in the National Youth Orchestra, and all went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music.
And as their spokesman, the trombonist Chris Brewster puts it: “As we were really good mates, we decided to form a brass quintet.”
And in this guise they quickly made their mark in Europe, becoming known for the freshness of their playing, the catholicity of their repertoire, and the new works they commissioned.
They all have freelance careers, into which they slot the quintet’s concerts and its visits to schools. They are also frequent guests on radio.
Brass quintets are a much more modern invention than string quartets or piano trios, but as Brewster points out, there are now many successful examples of the genre, with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble leading the way.
One of the works the Connaughts will perform at the festival will be by the first composer ever to write for brass quintet, Ewald Hintz, who lived in the 17th Century, and – given that no other composer followed him in writing for this strange instrumental arrangement – was condemned to plough a lonely furrow.
The rest of Connaught’s Proms at St Jude’s concert will be pleasantly eclectic, with Debussy’s piano music and Bernstein’s West Side Story refashioned for brass, and two Renaissance pieces I greatly look forward to.
The Venetian composer Giovanni Gabrieli, master of music at St Mark’s, specialised in writing vocal works which were perfectly suited to the irregular acoustics of churches, and as Brewster points out, his rearranged Canzonas will create a lovely surround-sound, as the brass notes reverberate again and again through the nooks and crannies of the church.
But this is only one of many fascinating events in the week of 21-29 June. Are sea shanties your thing? Captain Nicholas Moffat and the crew of Old Time Sailors will serenade you.
If it’s chamber music you want, listen to the excellent Fibonacci Quartet playing Haydn, Smetana, and Beethoven.
On the other hand, if you want to celebrate LGBTQ composers, Classical Pride will bring you Barber and Tchaikovsky. Meanwhile the Transatlantic Ensemble are offering their interesting take on Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours.
And I had no idea that after 60 years the Swingles were still around, but on 28 June you can catch them and their vocal music once more.
Alongside all this there are some intriguing literary events. For example, I’m very curious about how Red Sky at Sunrise – subtitled ‘A Celebration of Laurie Lee in Words and Music’ and powered by some thespians led by Anton Lesser – will pan out.
In short, North London’s world class music and arts festival offers a rich and varied programme – for those who have the time to savour it.
The Proms at St Jude’s takes place at Henrietta Barnett School and St Jude’s Church in Hampstead Garden Suburb June 21-29. Booking at www.promsatstjudes.org.uk
