Ian White joined the London Mozart Players in 1993
Where else do you teach/play?
I teach at Trinity School, Croydon, and as a player I have always been London-based, resisting two offers of positions in the provinces and one in Amsterdam in the late 1970s/early 80s. These days I am devoting more time to composition so I am doing a little less playing.
Where were you born?
Belfast.
How old were you when you started playing, and why did you take up the trombone?
11, on impulse.
What has been your most fun/interesting musical experience so far?
Probably not the answer you are looking for (!), but I have cherished memories of four Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under a very old Sir Adrian Boult in 1976/77 at which we performed the two Elgar symphonies and Brahms 1 and 3. The Elgar 1 performance (1976) stands out.
Who have you enjoyed working with the most and why?
To be perfectly frank, there are many conductors I have not enjoyed working with and not many I have, so that narrows it down a bit! In purely conducting terms, Rattle (with the London Sinfonietta in 1981 and throughout the 1980s with the CBSO). There are few conductors as inspirational.
Do you play any other instruments?
The piano (very badly) and the alto trombone (a bit better).
Do you have any hobbies you manage to fit into your spare time?
Living in south west France for part of the year; architecture, stopping old buildings from falling apart (currently the houses in Croydon, Holywood (N. Ireland) and France), staring at geological phenomena (eg the Giant's Causeway in Antrim and caves at the foot of the Pyrenees), reading and, I suppose, music!
Where is your favourite holiday destination?
France.
What's your favourite sound?
Liquid being poured into a chilled glass.
What would you be if you weren't a musician?
A wealthy lawyer!!
