Principal Double Bass
Manchester Camerata has been central to my musical life since leaving the Royal Northern College of Music in 1991 and I was fortunate enough to be invited to join them as principal bass in 1997 whilst playing regularly as a freelancer around the North West and further afield. I spent several years as principal bass with the European Union Chamber Orchestra, playing in approximately 60 countries along the way, and as principal bass with Lancashire Sinfonietta and Sinfonia Viva.
I have played as guest principal bass with various orchestras including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Welsh Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Orchestra, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, BBC Philharmonic, and English National Opera and have performed chamber music in festivals and recordings with artists including the Belcea Quartet, Carducci Quartet, Ensemble 360, the Katona guitar duo and the Haffner Wind Ensemble.
When not playing the bass with some of the above or with the Hallé Orchestra, where I have a principal bass position, I keep busy with my roles as chair of Camerata’s players’ committee, as a Musicians Union Steward, a school governor, parenting and with the occasional “dad jam” on bass guitar in my neighbour’s cellar. I am a keen swimmer and recently discovered the joys of wild swimming with my family.