Gregory White has been the Director of Thurrock Spectrum Brass since 2016, taking up the baton from founding conductor Rosemary Mann.
Born and raised in Thurrock, Greg studied music at the Colchester Institute Centre for Music and Performing Arts, where he trained in trombone under Helen Vollam, piano under Francis Reneau, and voice under Tarsha Cole.
Greg’s passion for ensemble music began early through the now defunct South West Essex Wind Orchestra, and his introduction to brass bands came at the age of 17 when he joined The Tilbury Band. Initially starting on bass trombone — largely due to his limited experience reading Bb treble clef — he quickly progressed to 2nd tenor trombone within a few months. In 2000, Greg was appointed Bandmaster (Deputy Conductor) of The Tilbury Band, a position he continues to hold today.
After completing his degree, Greg joined the Romford Drum & Trumpet Corps as an instructor, where he not only taught young musicians but also honed his marching skills — even practising slow march drills in car parks before contests!
In 2017, Greg was appointed Warrant Officer Class 1 (Bandmaster) of The Band of The Essex Yeomanry, a regimental association band with a proud military heritage. His enjoyment of this repertoire inspired him to enlist in the British Army Reserve as a musician with The Band of The Royal Yeomanry (Inns of Court & City Yeomanry) in London. As solo euphonium, he performed at prestigious events across London and the UK. In 2025, Greg transferred his Reserve service to the Corps of Royal Engineers where he is retraining as a Combat Engineer, and also successfully gained a seat as trombonist with The Central Band of The Royal British Legion.
Outside of his band commitments, Greg works as a peripatetic instrumental teacher and enjoys maintaining his fitness through physical challenges — including the HYROX series of fitness competitions.