Michael Collins - Clarinet
Collins' virtuosity and sensitive musicianship have made him one of today's most sought after soloists. At 16 he won the woodwind prize in the first BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition, and at 22 made his US début at Carnegie Hall, New York. Since then he has performed as a soloist with many of the world’s major orchestras, including Philadelphia, Detroit, Helsinki Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, NHK Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Vienna Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, BBC Symphony, and Philharmonia Orchestra, with conductors such as Rattle, Dutoit, Sinopoli, Salonen, Slatkin, Marriner, Pinnock and Otaka.
New Works for Clarinet
Michael Collins has done much to expose the clarinet concerto repertoire of today’s notable composers. Such performances have included the world premiere of John Adams’ Clarinet Concerto Gnarly Buttons (written for Mr. Collins) with the London Sinfonietta conducted by the composer and performed many times since then. He has also given the UK and Dutch premières of Elliott Carter’s Clarinet Concerto. Mark-Anthony Turnage wrote Riffs and Refrains for him, a commission from the Hallé Orchestra and premiered in February 2005. Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Double Concerto for Violin and Clarinet “Noesis” received its world premiere with the Detroit Symphony and Neeme Järvi in June 2005, performed by Michael Collins and Isabelle van Keulen, its dedicatees. The work receives its European premiere in February 2006 with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Paavo Järvi, followed by performances with the Helsinki Philharmonic and Hugh Wolff, the MDR Leipzig under John Storgårds and the Netherlands Philharmonic. Another world premiere featured the Concertino by the young British composer Benjamin Wallfisch and took place at London’s newest concert venue, Cadogan Hall, in September 2005.
Recent Recording Projects
Michael Collins’ many recordings include John Adams’ Gnarly Buttons with the London Sinfonietta, conducted by the composer, a London Winds’ Ligeti disc for Sony Classical (nominated for a Grammy award in 1999) and a disc of Brahms, Schumann and Frühling clarinet trios with Steven Isserlis and Stephen Hough for BMG. His recent recording of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto (arranged for clarinet by Mikhail Pletnev) coupled with Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Russian National Orchestra and Pletnev was released by Deutsche Grammophon to great critical acclaim. In 2003 Michael recorded the Gregson Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos. The most recent releases (2005) are the Spohr Clarinet Concertos Nos 1 and 2 for Hyperion, with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and a BBC Proms live recording of the Clarinet Concerto by John Corigliano with BBC Symphony under Leonard Slatkin.
Current Activities and Collaborations
Orchestral performances in the 2005/06 season include appearances with the Stockholm Sinfonietta, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Helsinki Philharmonic, and a tour of South America with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
Michael Collins is also in demand as a chamber musician, regularly performing with the Belcea Quartet, Martha Argerich, Stephen Hough, Mikhail Pletnev, Lars Vogt, Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis and Isabelle van Keulen. In 1988 he founded London Winds who have since appeared regularly throughout the UK and at many international festivals, including the BBC Proms, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, City of London, and Delft Festivals. London Winds premièred Robin Holloway’s Octet at the 2001 Cheltenham Festival. He has recently formed a trio with Isabelle van Keulen and Peter Jablonski. Chamber Music recitals will take Michael Collins to Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Bath Mozartfest, Antwerp, Leif Ove Ansdnes’ Risor Chamber Music Festival in Norway, and the Cheltenham Festival.
Instruments
Michael Collins plays Peter Eaton International clarinets. www.eatonclarinets.com