Position: Principal Clarinet

What year did you join the LMP?
I can’t remember exactly but I think it was 1978, although I had already been playing concertos with LMP for several years as a result of winning the Mozart Memorial Prize which was sponsored by the Haydn-Mozart Society.

At what age did you start playing?
I started the clarinet aged 9 but I had been learning the piano since the age of 4.

Apart from the London Mozart Players, what other musical activities are you involved in?
I play guest Principal Clarinet with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the CBSO. My solo career is still thriving with recitals and masterclasses; I am a consultant for the Royal Welsh College of Music and I am a member of Albiona Ensemble and De Saram Clarinet Trio. Performing the clarinet quintet repertoire allows me to play with string quartet worldwide. Once or twice a year I take part in a classical music festival at sea on a P&O cruise ship, either as a soloist or performing with the Albion Quintet or playing clarinet quintets with a string quartet. I direct the Canford at Sherbourne Wind Chamber Music Course and also the Oxford Kammermusik Course. I really enjoy teaching and am Head of Clarinet at the Royal Academy of Music where I teach and coach chamber music.

What do you love about your instrument and why?
I love the smooth, dark and creamy tone of the clarinet and always try to find an instrument with dark timbres of sound. Also, the clarinet is such a “chameleon” which is why it blends so well with strings and wind alike – and the instrument can really sing its heart out!

Which player of your instrument do you most admire and why?
Sabine Meyer for her beautiful, expressive and agile performances and also Martin Frost, the Swedish clarinettist who continues to push all the parameter of the instrument – his inventiveness seems unstoppable.

What is your favourite piece of music and why?
This is an impossible question to answer as I have music in my head constantly. When I’m performing Brahms’s clarinet quintet with a string quartet and the chemistry is really working, I might plump for that – but Schubert’s two-cello quintet is always favourable. John Adam’s Short ride in a fast machine never ceases to excite me!

What other types of music do you listen to?
I love to listen to Klezmer and am also a great fan of jazz.

How do you spend your spare time, if you have any?
If I have any, I love to cook and socialise. I also enjoy swimming, walking and visits to the theatre.