2024
20th October British Clarinet Ensemble perform at the Birmingham Conservatoire as part of the Clarinet and Saxophone Society Single Reed Day
“Postcard from Dublin”
A programme of music to include pieces by Lynne Plowman and Stephen McNeff which the BCE performed at the recent ICA Clarinetfest in Dublin
PAST PERFORMANCES
| 1996 | |
| September | BASBWE Conference at Warwick University |
| November | London debut. Concert in aid of the Voices Foundation with saxophone soloist Kyle Horch |
| 1997 | |
| July | European Clarinet & Saxophone Society Conference, EUROCASS Budapest, Hungary |
| October | British Clarinet Congress, Royal College of Music, London. |
| 1998 | |
| July | EUROCASS Conference, Krakow, Poland. |
| 1999 | |
| April | British Clarinet Choir Convention, Conwy, North |
| July | International Clarinet Association “Clarinetfest”, Ostend, Belgium |
| August | 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. |
| 2000 | CD “Gordian Knots” launched. |
| 2001 | |
| March | NERV Convention Utrecht, The Netherlands |
| May | British Clarinet Choir Convention held in Llandudno, North Wales. |
| August | ICA Clarfest, New Orleans, USA. Trinity Episcopal Church, New Orleans. |
| November | British Clarinet Congress, RNCM Manchester. |
| 2002 | |
| February | Clarfest of the Colchester Institute, Colchester, Essex |
| 2003 | |
| November | British Clarinet Congress, Birmingham Conservatoire |
| 2004 | |
| March | NERV Convention Utrecht, The Netherlands |
| July | ICA Clarfest – University of Maryland Washington DC USA |
| July | Church of the Epiphany, Washington DC |
| 2005 | |
| February | St Peter ad Vincula Church, Coggeshall, Essex Concert by East Anglian Single Reed Choir -Conductor Angela Fussell & British Clarinet Ensemble – Conductor – Charles Hine |
| Swinburne Hall, Colchester Institute. Lunch time Concert at the Colchester Single Reed Festival |
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| April | Darlington Arts Centre |
| July | ICA Clarfest, Tama Tokyo, Japan |
| 2009 | |
| Gordon Lewin Memorial Concert – St John’s Wood , London | |
| 2010 | |
| European Clarinet Festival – Kortrijk, Belgium |
2013
January European Clarinet Festival – Ghent, Belgium
July ICA Clarfest Assisi, Italy
2014
March Swinburne Hall, Colchester, Essex
October Secombe Theatre, Sutton, Surrey
2015
July ICA Clarfest, Madrid, Spain
September European Clarinet Festival – Ghent, Belgium
2016
October our 21st anniversary concert at the Stapleford Granary Arts Centre, Cambridge with guest soloist Anna Hashimoto and on Sunday 30th 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.
2017
In August the ensemble gave two performances in Groningen. the Netherlands as guests of the Capriccio Clarinet Ensemble. In September we gave a performance in Caldaro, Italy as guests of the South Tirol Clarinet Ensemble. In October a concert was given in Oakham School Chapel, Oakham, Rutland with soloists soprano Caroline Trutz and clarinettist Antonia Mott.
2018
Our Play Day was held in April at Kingshott School, Hitchin with guests the Capriccio Clarinet Ensemble. In July we performed at the ICA ClarinetFest in Ostend, Belgium. In September we performed at the Clarinet & Saxophone Society’s Single Reed Day held at the University of Nottingham
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.
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.
2021
Rehearsals started in July in Oakham, Rutland. In October we gave a concert in Empingham, Rutland featuring soprano soloist Caroline Trutz and soloists Andrew Smith, Alison Eales, Carol Taylor and Juliet Colville.
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.
On 30th October we performed 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.
2023
Our Play Day in April was held in Putnoe, and was directed by Nigel Wood.
Guest conductor Nigel Wood joined the BCE again for a performance on 1st 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.
2024
Our annual Play Day in April 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.
Directed by Richard Ingham, the BCE performed at St Mary’s Church as part of the Hitchin Festival, with soloist soprano Sophie Timmes
In 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.
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.