All of us at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra are enormously saddened by the death of our colleague, mentor and friend, former Associate Principal Trumpet Paul Goodchild. We are honoured that he was part of our Orchestra for more than 41 years, and grateful to have experienced his brilliant musicianship, his larger-than-life personality, generous spirit and love for life.

“His professionalism on stage never faltered,” says Marnie Sebire. “He was always prepared, and knew his part note perfectly – his trumpet technique was flawless.” Among Paul’s many memorable performances, she singles out the post horn solo in Mahler’s Third Symphony, played offstage. “His beautiful, clear ringing sound, coloured with a gentle vibrato, never failed to bring a tear to my eye every time he played it.”

“He had astonishing natural talent and was a very hard worker – he set a very high standard for himself, and was incredibly solid and accurate,” says Principal Trumpet, David Elton, who had Paul as his teacher during his formative years between 14 to 19. “As a child, I was mesmerised by his quality of sound and wanted to play like him.”

While he was serious about playing well and “never had an off night”, says David, “there was always a lot of fun when Paul was around.” On Sydney Symphony tours – whether in regional Australia or overseas – “Paul was the one you wanted to be with. He knew how to party but was always fresh as a daisy in the morning. Wherever we went, everyone seemed to know him – you’d go to Dubbo or Bathurst, and it would be, ‘Paul, great to see you again, how’s it going?’ He just had such a love for life.”

That love for life included, says Marnie, “food, wine, good times, good stories, laughter” and an intense loyalty towards his family and friends. He also had what might diplomatically be described as an individual sense of style. He could look pretty flash with a handkerchief in his top pocket, but, she says, his unique dress sense more often than not involved “braces, Crocs, unusual combinations of patterns and colours”. However, nothing he wore, she adds, “could ever overshadow his towering presence”.

She initially encountered that presence on her first day with the Orchestra. “Despite what I considered to be an absolute disaster debut, he strode over with an enormous smile, firm handshake, and said ‘Welcome to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.’ He instantly put me at ease, and I felt like I had already made a friend.”

It was, perhaps, unsurprising that Paul was the first one to welcome her – and other new players – to the Orchestra. His father, Cliff, was Principal Tuba from the 1950s, and so Paul had grown up with the Sydney Symphony before officially joining it at 18. “He loved the orchestra and had great pride in it,” says David. “He thought it was a great institution.” It was through his father, too, that became heavily involved in the brass band movement. He also had his own ensemble, Sydney Brass, the reinvention of a group originally formed by his father. “He was very present in a lot of musical spheres,” says David. “You used to look in the Herald at the weekly concerts and he’d be playing somewhere or other. He loved playing his trumpet, he loved playing solo, he loved engaging with people of all walks – he just had a great time playing.”

“I know he felt very strongly about performing the Last Post on Anzac Day,” says Marnie. “Come rain, hail or shine, he would be playing it somewhere.”

He was also dedicated to teaching and mentoring young players, especially through the Sydney Symphony Fellowship program. “He always had students, several of whom have become very successful players,” says David. “He really challenged you, and you’d rise to it. When I was quite young, he gave me a chance to do professional gigs in a safe environment, and would often play alongside me. He could be tough, though – if he wasn’t happy with you, you’d know it – he’d go quiet, and you’d want the other Paul back, which was an incentive to always do your best.”

It wasn’t just music that David learnt from Paul: “It was the way he interacted with people and related to things. And now I’m noticing how much of Sydney I’ve come to love because of him – the many pubs and restaurants I first went to with him, from cheap, really rundown ones that had great food to fancy ones.”

As a student, David also discovered Paul’s generosity of spirit when, not having a particularly good instrument himself for the Higher School Certificate performance, Paul lent him his. “Years later when I joined the Sydney Symphony, colleagues were talking about how crazy it was when, one day, Paul played a student’s trumpet in the Orchestra. I thought, ‘I know exactly why that was.’ The public saw the performer, the musician, the showman – but there were so many more sides to his character.” .

A couple of weeks ago, the two friends spent the morning together, talking about music, as they often did. “Now, Dave, what’s going on in our section?” Paul wanted to know. His chair, says Marnie, “will never be adequately filled, but fortunately his light shines on with his students.”

Paul will always be part of the Sydney Symphony family and will be greatly missed by all of us. Our thoughts are with his wife, Yvette, and children Morley and Alana.