Our Conductor

Harborne Orchestra welcomed John as our conductor in April 2015. Over the previous 20 years John has freelanced around the midlands as a clarinettist, saxophonist, teacher and conductor. He has given recitals around the country for festivals and music societies as part of the Maskarade Clarinet Quartet, broadcast live on BBC radio, and undertaken tours overseas. The world of opera has seen him work with the Mid-Wales Opera Company, Longborough Opera (including a recent production of Wagner's Ring Cycle) and Birmingham Opera, with other freelancing work including Orchestra da Camara and the English Symphony Orchestra. His work in the theatre has included various productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, both at Stratford and on tour, including A Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet, the Merchant of Venice and the Merry Wives of Windsor. John was the musical director of the Peterbrook Players for over ten years with whom he put on productions of classic shows like Singing in the Rain and My Fair Lady. He has also conducted the Birmingham Schools Wind Orchestra and the West Midlands Fire Service Band. John teaches the clarinet and saxophone at King Edward VI Camp Hill schools and at Edgbaston High School for Girls, where he also directs a number of ensembles.