Katherine Spencer

Clarinettist Katherine Spencer made her concerto debut at the age of fourteen at the Royal Festival Hall and has since performed there as concerto soloist many times. She has also appeared as soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Irish Chamber Orchestra, Hannover Band, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Orchestra in venues such as the Barbican Centre, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, made many live Radio 3 solo broadcasts, and performs regularly on Classic FM and European radio stations.

Katherine is principal clarinet of the Age of Enlightenment Orchestra, The City of London Sinfonia, Academy of Ancient Music, as well as regular guest principal with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Hanover Band and Gabrieli Consort Players. Her freelance work sees her regularly playing with many of Britain’s leading orchestras of both period performance and modern symphony orchestras.

As a chamber musician Katherine was chosen by the BBC to be on their Young Generation Artists Scheme which has facilitated her continuing to perform internationally with her ensembles regularly in Festivals such as the BBC Proms and the Barbican’s “Mostly Mozart Festival”

She has recorded the Brahms Sonata and Beethoven Trio for the Oxford Classic label with Sam Haywood and Martin Storey and many of her discs with the Galliard Ensemble, of which she is a long standing member are highly acclaimed in the world press, Gramophone and BBC Music Magazines.

Katherine is committed to bringing music to all areas of society. She is regularly devising and delivering valuable community projects, from composing and recording an entire film score written in collaboration by a mainstream and special needs school, to linking art and music to homeless people, which were exhibited in London’s main art galleries. She believes in the power of therapeutic music making to make the difference to all peoples lives.

The next season will include a concerto tour with SCO and the launch of her new CD ‘From the Beginning’ with pianist Sam Haywood and The Galliard Ensemble. Katherine will perform the Mozart, Brahms and Coleridge-Taylor clarinet quintets with the Bloomsbury Players in May 2024.

Katherine set up the Belly Dance Society at the Royal Academy of Music and almost played at Princess Diana’s funeral, but got pushed out by Elton John…

Katherine’s cat - Midge