Antony Pay (born 21 February 1945 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

) is a classical

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

tist. After gaining a place with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, with whom he performed the Mozart clarinet concerto at the age of 16, he studied at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

and then read

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, graduating in 1966. Principal

Clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

positions include the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

from 1968 to 1978,

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber music, chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert ...

(of which he was a founder member) from 1968 to 1983 and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields from 1976 to 1986. A member of several chamber ensembles he has worked with the Nash Ensemble, the Tuckwell Wind Quintet, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Ensemble, and Hausmusik. During his time with the London Sinfonietta he collaborated with a variety of composers, including

Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

, Stockhausen, Birtwistle, Henze, Maxwell Davies, Goehr and Berio. For the RCA he recorded Berio's Concertino, with the composer conducting, and gave the first performance of Henze's mini-concerto Miracle of the Rose, which was written for him to direct from the clarinet. He has previously been Professor of Clarinet at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

from 1982 to 1990, the

, the Music Academy Accademia Lorenzo Perosi in Biella and at Musikene - Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco in San Sebastián (Spain) from 2005 to 2018. Recently he has concentrated on solo playing and conducting, recording the Spohr and Mozart Concertos for Decca, the Weber and Crusell Concertos for Virgin Classics and Birtwistle's Melencolia I for NMC. He has conducted the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, and the London Sinfonietta throughout Europe, as well as guest-conducting with orchestras in Scandinavia, Italy and the United States. Period performance on specially reconstructed instruments includes his recordings of the Mozart, Weber and Crusell Concertos. He currently works with The Academy of Ancient Music and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, with both of which he is a frequent soloist. His recording of the Mozart concerto with The AAM and

Christopher Hogwood Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood (10 September 194124 September 2014) was an English Conducting, conductor, harpsichordist, and Musicology, musicologist. Founder of the early music ensemble the Academy of Ancient Music, he was an authority on h ...

is available on Decca (414 339-2). He has written for the journal Early Music and '' The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet''. He is working on a book concerned mainly with the use of metaphor in teaching and learning to play the clarinet.

References

Biography at Coldbergweb.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pay, Antony English classical clarinetists 1945 births Living people Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music 21st-century clarinetists Players of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Musicians from London