MICHAEL WHIGHT is Principal Clarinet with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He was Principal with the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1990 - 1998 and since leaving Michael has appeared as Guest Principal with all the London Orchestras, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and many in the rest of Great Britain. He was Principal Clarinet with Northern Sinfonia from 2000 -2002.

Michael appeared as soloist with the Philharmonia conducted by Leonard Slatkin in the UK and abroad, and recorded Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto with Robert Craft. In January 2000 Michael gave two performances of John Adams’ concerto ‘Gnarly Buttons’ in San Francisco conducted by Kent Nagano in the presence of the composer. He has appeared at the Brinkburn Festival with a performance of the Nielsen Concerto conducted by Paul McCreech and most recently gave two performances of Weber’s second concerto with Northern Sinfonia.

In the field of chamber music Michael has worked with the Lindsay’s, the Medici String Quartet, the Schidlof String Quartet, the Razoumovsky Ensemble, the Lyric String Quartet, Gidon Kremer and friends, Robert Cohen and Barry Douglas as well as recording the complete chamber music of Richard Strauss with London Winds for Hyperion and with the Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe for Teldec.

Michael has recorded for the BBC including works by Steve Reich, Martin Butler, Alban Berg, John Ireland and Arnold Bax. He was the first British winner of the International Clarinet Congress Competition and also won the Royal Overseas League Competition (woodwind and brass). On the other side of the fence, he regularly helps to judge the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year Award.

Michael was invited to play in the 2003 World Orchestra for Peace, an orchestra made from leading musicians from the world’s major orchestras in St Petersburg and Moscow.

In 2002 Michael was appointed Professor of Clarinet at Trinity College of Music.

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