PAST PERFORMANCES
| 2025 |
| Rob Buckland was the guest conductor in April for the 2025 BCE Playday which was held at Loreto Grammar School in Altrincham. This was the first time that Rob had conducted the BCE. As well as working through selections from the our repertoire, Rob had brought along some of his own compositions for saxophone choir which he had re-arranged for clarinet choir. |
| July – The BCE performed a concert as part of the Hitchin Festival, with guest conductor Richard Ingham and soloist Juliet Colville. |
| 2024 |
| Our annual Play Day was again held in Putnoe, and was directed by Richard Ingham. Over 40 players assembled for a day of high quality music making playing through a selection of the BCE’s repertoire. |
| July – Directed by Richard Ingham, the BCE performed at St Mary’s Church as part of the Hitchin Festival, with soloist soprano Sophie Timmes |
| July – The BCE conducted by Anthony Bailey, gave two performances at the ICA ClarinetFest which was held in Dublin. The first performance was the headline performance featuring concertos with International Soloists: Anne Harper, Berginald Rash, William Curran, Lara Diaz, Mark O’Brien, Anna Hashimoto, Nicolas Baldeyrou. Our programme finished with a rousing performance of Riverdance arranged for clarinet choir. |
| The second ICA performance featured recent BCE commissions Helter Skelter by Lynn Plowman and The Darkling Serenade by Stephen McNeff. |
| October – The BCE performed “Postcards from Dublin” at the CASSGB Single Reed Day at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Anthony Bailey conducted a programme of three pieces the BCE performed at the Dublin ClarinetFest. Peter Cigleris was the guest soloist for a performance of the Rossini Introduction, Theme and Variations. Mike O’Brien gave the British premiere of Dublin Concerto by James T Sale |
| 2023 |
| Our April Play Day was held in Putnoe, and was directed by Nigel Wood |
| Guest conductor Nigel Wood joined the BCE again for a performance in October as part of the Clarinet and Saxophone Society Single Reed Day held at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Peter Cigleris was the guest soloist for a performance of the Weber Clarinet Concertino. Other pieces in the programme were the Three Dances by Woolfenden and the BCE’s first performance of Nigel Wood’s Bullring |
| The BCE performed a charity concert at St Andrews Parish Church, Lyddington, with new Musical Director Anthony Bailey. Soloists on this occasion were Alison Eales, Carol Taylor and Juliet Colville, playing music by Krommer and Mendelssohn. |
| 2022 |
| On October 29th we celebrated our 25th Anniversary with a Gala Concert at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, London. The programme included the world premiere of our latest commission from Lynne Plowman “Helter Skelter” and solos by Anna Hashimoto. |
| Performance at the Autumn Clarinet & Saxophone Society Single Reed event at the Royal College of Music, London. The concert featured solos with clarinettists Marie Lloyd and Anna Hashimoto and saxophonists Richard Ingham and the Laefer Quartet. |
| 2021 |
| Covid rehearsals re-started after Covid in July in Oakham, Rutland. Performance in October in Empingham, Rutland featuring soprano soloist Caroline Trutz and soloists Andrew Smith, Alison Eales, Carol Taylor and Juliet Colville. |
| 2020 |
| Following the retirement of Charles Hine, we appointed Elizabeth Worth as musical director. The Lockdown led us to postpone our planned programme for the year, but we did launch a performance of the “Grand Old Duke of York” by Gordon Lewin on YouTube. |
| 2019 |
| Our Play Day was held in Sheffield. In June we collaborated with the Colchester Composers Collective to record music composed for clarinet ensemble and also presented a concert at the Headgate Arts Centre. |
| 2018 |
| Our Play Day was held in April at Kingshott School, Hitchin with guests the Capriccio Clarinet Ensemble |
| July – ICA ClarinetFest in Ostend, Belgium |
| September – performance at the Clarinet & Saxophone Society’s Single Reed Day held at the University of Nottingham |
| 2017 |
| In August the ensemble gave two performances in Groningen. the Netherlands as guests of the Capriccio Clarinet Ensemble |
| Performance in Caldaro, Italy as guests of the South Tirol Clarinet Ensemble |
| October – Concert given in Oakham School Chapel, Oakham, Rutland with soloists soprano Caroline Trutz and clarinettist Antonia Mott. |
| 2016 |
| Our 21st anniversary concert at the Stapleford Granary Arts Centre, Cambridge with guest soloist Anna Hashimoto |
| October – At the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, as part of the Clarinet & Saxophone Society’s 40th Anniversary celebration with soloists David Campbell, clarinet and Rob Buckland, saxophone |
| 2015 |
| July – ICA Clarfest, Madrid, Spain |
| September – European Clarinet Festival – Ghent, Belgium |
| 2013 |
| January – European Clarinet Festival – Ghent, Belgium |
| July – ICA Clarfest Assisi, Italy |
| March – Swinburne Hall, Colchester, Essex |
| October – Secombe Theatre, Sutton, Surrey |
| 2010 |
| European Clarinet Festival – Kortrijk, Belgium |
| 2009 |
| Gordon Lewin Memorial Concert – St John’s Wood , London |
| 2005 |
| February – Performance at St Peter ad Vincula Church, Coggeshall, Essex |
| Swinburne Hall, Colchester Institute. Lunch time Concert at the Colchester Single Reed Festival |
| April – Darlington Arts Centre |
| July – ICA Clarfest, Tama Tokyo, Japan |
| 2004 |
| March – NERV Convention Utrecht, The Netherlands |
| July – ICA Clarfest – University of Maryland Washington DC USA. A performance was also given at the Church of the Epiphany, Washington DC |
| 2003 |
| November – British Clarinet Congress, Birmingham Conservatoire |
| 2002 |
| February – Clarfest of the Colchester Institute, Colchester, Essex |
| 2001 |
| March – NERV Convention Utrecht, The Netherlands |
| May – British Clarinet Choir Convention held in Llandudno, North Wales. |
| August – ICA Clarfest, New Orleans, USA. Also performed at the Trinity Episcopal Church, New Orleans. |
| November – British Clarinet Congress, RNCM Manchester. |
| 2000 |
| CD “Gordian Knots” launched. |
| 1999 |
| April – British Clarinet Choir Convention, Conwy, North Wales |
| July – International Clarinet Association “Clarinetfest”, Ostend, Belgium |
| Recording of CD “Gordian Knots” |
| November – British Clarinet Congress, Royal College of Music, London. The programmed featured the distinguished international clarinet soloist Gervase de Peyer. |
| 1998 |
| July – EUROCASS Conference, Krakow, Poland. |
| 1997 |
| July – European Clarinet & Saxophone Society Conference, EUROCASS Budapest, Hungary |
| October – British Clarinet Congress, Royal College of Music, London |
| 1996 |
| September – BASBWE Conference at Warwick University |
| November – London debut. Concert in aid of the Voices Foundation with saxophone soloist Kyle Horch |
To date the following composers have written works for the BCE:
- Anthony Bailey
- Alan Bullard
- Paul Hart
- Gordon Lewin
- Guy Woolfenden
- Andy Jackson
- Martin Ellerby
- Adam Gorb
- Andy Scott
- Jeffery Wilson
- Stephen McNeff
- Elizabeth Sharma
- Christopher Cave
- Lynne Plowman
Click here to see a list of the ensemble’s repertoire.