Sarah Williamson

Clarinet

Sarah Williamson

Concerto finalist in the BBC Young Musician competition in 2002, Sarah Williamson gave a highly individual performance of the Copland Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis. She then went on to win second prize in the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians in Berlin, again playing the Copland Concerto, this time with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marek Janowsky.

At the age of 15 Sarah won a scholarship to the Purcell School of Music to study with David Fuest, simultaneously attending the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music. In 2001, Sarah won the Shell LSO Gerald McDonald Award and was awarded the Arthur Frederick Bulgin Medal by The Worshipful Company of Musicians.

Sarah continued her studies at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris with Pascal Moraguès, principal clarinettist of the Orchestre de Paris, Jean-Francois Verdier and Olivier Derbesse, graduating with the Premier Prix and a ‘Laureate’ which is the highest honour.

Sarah has toured the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia (British Council), USA, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Spain. She has performed at festivals across the UK and made her debuts at the Wigmore Hall and South Bank Centre.  Currently based in Britain, Sarah continues to play regularly in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland and soon makes her debut at the Tonhalle, Zurich.

Sarah is active in the field of contemporary music: she has championed the music of Edward Longstaff who has written for her 'Prelude' and ‘Nocturne’, both premiered on BBC Radio 3, also a Clarinet Concerto (premiered in 2003). She has worked with Philip Grange and recorded his clarinet concerto 'Sheng Sheng Bu Shi' with the National Youth Wind Ensemble of Great Britain which was released on CD in 2007.

Sarah has performed with the Orchestra of the Swan, Orchestra of St John’s and the BBC Concert Orchestra (broadcast live), Brighton Philharmonic (Nielsen Concerto) and chamber concerts have included performances with the Sacconi, Doric and Carducci Quartets and Sally Pryce ensemble.

Highlights of 2008 included a Wigmore Hall recital in which Sarah premiered a work by Joseph Phibbs and her debut with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in the Stratford upon Avon Spring Sounds festival. 2009 will include a tour with the City of London Sinfonia and a concert in Cadogan Hall.  2010 will see Sarah’s debut in Japan.

Sarah is currently the recipient of the Tillett Trust and Kirkman Concert Society Awards.