Sarah Williamson

Sarah Williamson came to the attention of the British musical public with her performances in the finals of the BBC Young Musician competition in May 2002. She won the woodwind prize and then, in the concerto final at the Barbican Centre, gave a highly individual and memorable performance of the Copland Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Later the same week she performed live on BBC Radio 3's In Tune with Sean Rafferty, who said, "There's a star in the making, no doubt. She dazzled and melted the audience with her absolutely superb performance of the Copland Clarinet Concerto".

She then went on to represent Britain in the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians in the Berlin Konzerthaus the following month. Competing against nineteen other "Young Musicians" from around Europe in the recital round, Sarah won through to the concerto final, again playing the Copland Concerto, this time with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marek Janowsky. Against very strong competition, she was awarded second prize, a major achievement for a wind player.

Sarah started to learn the clarinet with Roy Upton-Holder when she was 8 and in 1997 won a scholarship to the Purcell School of Music to study with David Fuest. At this time Sarah also attended the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music. She won the concerto competitions at both the Purcell School and the Royal Academy playing the Copland and Mozart concertos respectively. 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 was a member of the National Youth Orchestra for five years and principal clarinettist for two years.

She graduated in 2005 with the Paris Conservatoire's highest honour, the Laureate. She was the only UK student, studying with Pascal Moraguès, principal clarinet player with the Orchestre de Paris.

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 Wigmore Hall and South Bank Centre. Currently based in Britain, Sarah continues to play regularly in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland, with a debut performance at the Tonhalle, Zurich.

Sarah enjoys playing contemporary music as well as the standard recital, chamber and concerto repertoire. she has championed the music of Edward Longstaff who has written for her Prelude and Nocturne both premiered on BBC Radio 3, plus a Clarinet Concerto which was 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, with a CD released in early 2007.

Highlights of 2008 include 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 plus concerts with the Sally Pryce Ensemble.

2009 will see a tour with the City of London Sinfonia and Sarah's debut in Japan.

"I play on Peter Eaton Internationals and would never change them for the world; I'd even take them to a desert island with me. Everyone wherever I go adores my Peter Eaton clarinets."

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