Artists Profiles

HALLÉ

 

THE HALLÉ is Britain's longest established professional symphony orchestra. Founded in Manchester by the pianist and conductor Charles Hallé in 1858, it gave its first concert in the city's Free Trade Hall that year.

In 2006, Hallé performed a selection of German's music at the fist ever Sir Edward German Festival to rapturous applause.  This Festival features  performances of music by German and  contemporary British composers.

Emma Johnson

 

EMMA JOHNSON is one of the few clarinettists to have established a busy international career as a soloist. Emma performs across Europe, the USA and the Far East, as well as in Africa and Australia.  Emma has appeared with many leading orchestras including London Symphony, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Hallé, Tokyo Philharmonic, Salzburg Camerata and Netherlands Philharmonic in repertoire which includes over forty different concertos. 

Emma has given master classes all over the world and was a visiting professor at the Royal College of Music.

Emma has sold well over a quarter of a million discs worldwide. Details of her recordings are available on Emma's website www.emmajohnson.co.uk.

Emma was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 1996.

 

John Lenehan

John Lenehan's performances and recordings have been acclaimed throughout the world. As a soloist he has regularly appeared with leading British Orchestras and his innovative recital programmes often include film projection and jazz repertoire. In a performing career spanning more than 25 years John Lenehan has also collaborated with many of today's leading instrumentalists and is recognised as one of the leading accompanists and chamber musicians of today. John Lenehan has made more than fifty CDs. John Lenehan is also active as a composer and has written and arranged for Kennedy, Julian Lloyd Webber, Tasmin Little and Emma Johnson on CD.

This is his second visit to Whitchurch, John performed alongside Julian Lloyd Webber during the 2006 Festival.  For further information please go to: www.lenehan.dsl.pipex.com

 

National Festival Orchestra

The National Festival Orchestra has a brilliant reputation as one of the Country's leading theatre and concert orchestras.

Each year the members provide the resident orchestra for The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, and we are delighted to welcome them back to Whitchurch for the second time. The orchestra cover a busy round of concerts, shows and choral society performances; highlights have included appearances at the London Palladium, The Royal Albert Hall, and in 2003 a huge festival event with the star soprano Lesley Garrett at the Doncaster Racecourse.

The National Festival Orchestra has also made several live and recorded appearances on BBC Radio.