Meet the team.

Todd Smith

Hamilton City Brass - Musical Director
Todd Smith is a brass musician and composer hailing from the Manawatu region, now based in the Waikato. Todd began his career learning tenor horn as part of Palmerston North City Brass before moving to Blenheim to join Marlborough District Brass Band as a euphonium player. Todd has won multiple national and regional junior solo titles on euphonium, as well as being a member of the National Youth and National Secondary Schools Brass Band on both euphonium and bass trombone. In 2018, Todd moved to the Waikato and joined Hamilton City Brass on cornet. In 2022 Todd won the award for Outstanding Principal Cornet in the A Grade Own Choice. Todd’s compositions have been performed all over New Zealand, Australia and Europe. He has received commissions from the National Australian Brass, Footscray-Yarraville City Band in Melbourne, as well as two major commissions from BBANZ for the New Zealand National Championships.
Outside of brass banding, Todd works as an IT Systems Engineer at Hill Labs in Hamilton.  

Kaperiera Hughes

Hamilton Auxiliary Brass - Musical Director
Kaperiera has lived and breathed music her entire life having come from a very musical family. She is an accomplished cornetist, known for her emotive style and beautiful tone. Kaperiera  also plays trumpet in reggae bands and one of her musical highlights was performing to thousands of people at the One Love Festival with well known Kiwi reggae band 1814.  Most recently Kaperiera conducted Matamata Brass  leading them to win the national championships in the D grade  section held in Christchurch in 2021. Kaperiera has a diploma in music, production and performance, plays drums and has taught many developing brass and drum musicians in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.

Mike Williams

Band President
Mike is a long time member of our organisation, since his brass career began at the age of 10. Like most of us, he started on the cornet. At the age of 15 Mike moved onto Euphonium and progressed into the senior band. Fast forward four years, Mike finally settled on, as he puts it, 'gods instrument', the B flat tuba at  the age of 19. There was a short time where Mike took a break from banding to support his whaanau , but returned in his early 30's and has continued to be a dedicated member of Hamilton City Brass since. Mike really enjoys the challenge of  playing difficult music and the high expectation that comes with playing in an A grade brass band. He is always keen to keep learning and improving, and It's a real buzz for him when the product of lots of hard mahi comes together.  Mike is a hugely valued member of Hamilton City Brass, always providing positivity, passion, laughs and good times. He is proud to be our Band President and is grateful to contribute back to a community that he has dedicated a lot of his life to.