Emma Johnson is one of the few clarinettists to have established a busy international career as a soloist. Emma performs across Europe, the USA and the Far East, as well as in Africa and Australia. In Britain she has achieved great popularity, regularly playing to sold-out concert halls. She has recently recorded two discs for Universal Classics and Jazz, the first
of which, ‘Voyage’ went straight to number three in the Classical Charts. The second disc to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth includes the Clarinet Concerto and Quintet.

Emma began to study at the age of nine. In 1984 she won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition and in 1991 was a winner of the Young Concert Artist auditions in New York. She studied music and English at Cambridge University and was recently the first woman to be awarded an honorary Fellowship at Pembroke College. Emma has given master classes all over the world and was a visiting professor at the Royal College of Music. She was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 1996.

Andrew West

Andrew West has developed partnerships with many of the country’s leading singers and instrumentalists and is currently a Professor of piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music. He has given recitals and recorded with Emma Bell, Alice Coote, Lesley Garrett, James Gilchrist, Christopher Purves and Hakan Vramsmo, and appears regularly with Mark Padmore. Last years’ highlights included Aldeburgh Festival recitals with Christopher Purves, Robert Murray and Paul Silverthorne.

Andrew received the inaugural Gerald Moore Award for Accompanists, and subsequently gave many recitals with Ian Bostridge, Susan Gritton and Claire Rutter. He also partners flautist Emily Beynon and together with cellist Paul Watkins they have given trio recitals at the Purcell Room and at the BBC Chamber Music Proms. His piano quartet ‘Touchwood’ released their first CD in 2000, this was chosen as CD of the Month by the Daily Telegraph.