Stuart John Laughton is a Canadian musician. He is Founder and Artistic Director of in Ontario's Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve. In his youth, Laughton studied trumpet with Joseph Umbrico in Toronto and became one of the original members of the Canadian Brass in 1970 at the age of 19. Laughton left the group to continue his studies with Gilbert Johnson at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In 1973, while still a student at Curtis, Laughton was appointed principal trumpet of La Scala Opera, by Claudio Abbado. Returning to Canada, Laughton established a reputation as a trumpet concerto soloist and chamber musician. Laughton founded Opening Day Recordings in 1993 as a means of promoting Canadian music and musicians such as pianist Janina Fialkowska, harpist Judy Loman, composer R. Murray Schafer, soprano Mary Lou Fallis and the Hannaford Street Silver Band with conductor Bramwell Tovey. Six of the twenty discs he released were nominated for Canadian Juno Awards. After a 32-year absence, Laughton rejoined Canadian Brass in 2003, performing and recording with the ensemble over a two and one-half year period. During this time he also released a solo recording entitled "Remembrance" on the Marquis Classics label. Laughton was a long-time board member of R. Murray Schafer's Patria Music/Theatre Projects. Schafer dedicated his composition The Falcon's Trumpet to Laughton; the work was commissioned and premiered by Toronto's . Laughton's lifelong interest in roots and blues music resulted in his founding the band , in which he performed on lead guitar, harmonica, mandolin, lap and pedal steel guitar and harmony vocals; the group's recordings also list Laughton on tin whistle, saxophones and trombone. Porkbelly Futures toured Canada and released three CDs which have included Laughton compositions such as Louisiana, Deep Deep Blue, Alberta Springtime and March Storm. Laughton has recently begun performing as a solo singer and multi-instrumentalist. He lives in Burlington, Ontario with his wife, a family physician. They have three grown children.
