ALAN GARNER

After studies at the Royal College of Music with Michael Winfield and Peter Graeme, he joined the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as Sub-principal Oboe, before being invited to become Principal Oboe with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera, also based in Glasgow. After several years he moved back to London and enjoyed a period of time freelancing, during which he appeared as Guest Principal Oboe with most of the UK Orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia, and he also worked with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He was then offered the role of Principal Cor Anglais with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, a position he has held for the last 20 years. 

During this time he has worked with many of the world’s foremost conductors, soloists, singers, dancers  and directors including the Royal Opera’s Music Director Antonio Pappano, Bernard Haitink, Simon Rattle, Kirill Petrenko, Semyon Bychkov, Daniele Gatti, Christian Thielemann, Andris Nelsons, Thomas Ades, Rene Fleming, Placido Domingo, Alfredo Kraus, Bryn Terfel, Simon Keenlyside, Joyce DiDonato, Lise Davidsen, Jonas Kaufman and many others. His work with students has been an important element of his career and he is Cor Anglais tutor at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire and has given many classes and adjudications at the other UK conservatoires including the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music.