Woodwind Department (Undergraduate)

John has taught clarinet at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) since 1978 and has given masterclasses and recitals throughout the country, primarily with pianist Scott Mitchell.

He was very proud to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate from RCS in July 2014 and in 2015 was the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Salomon Prize. John is a trustee of the RSNO Foundation.

Yann Ghiro was born in 1971 in Nice and began clarinet lessons at the age of eleven. After studying for 6 years at the Paris Conservatoire, where he gained first prize in clarinet, bass clarinet and chamber music, Yann furthered his studies at the Prague Mozart Academy where he studied with artists such as Sandor Vegh, Gabor Takacs, Philippe Hirschhorn and Steven Isserlis. A Fulbright Scholarship then allowed him to undertake studies at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, graduating in 1996.

Lawrence studied at the Conservatoire (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) then in Switzerland and Germany. He freelanced with all of the Scottish orchestras before taking up his present job with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera. He has taught at theConservatoire since 1983 and has a very keen interest in chamber music which has led to recitals and concerts with the Paragon chamber group of Scotland and the Hebrides ensemble for radio and television. He lives in Glasgow with his wife Alison Green and their two children. Plans include improving speaking French and his repertoire of cooking!

Principal Clarinet, RSNO

Nicolas Baldeyrou is one of the most prominent clarinettists of his generation, invited to perform as soloist with such prestigious orchestras as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, the Tokyo, Prague and Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras, the Sofia Symphony Orchestra, the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, the Orchestre d’Auvergne and the Orchestre de Cannes-Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur. He is regularly invited to recitals at Carnegie Hall, in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Cologne Philharmonic, the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo, the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, as well as performing in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mexico.

Katherine is the Principal Flute of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Ruth Morley is a Flute Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Ruth divides her time mainly between playing with the Red Note Ensemble and teaching at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She also plays recitals with pianist Scott Mitchell and with Echo Chamber Ensemble, and teaches for Douglas Academy Music School. She is also in demand as an adjudicator and has performed as a guest with various ensembles including the Edinburgh Quartet, and Hebrides Ensemble and as a concerto soloist with London Concertante.

Helen Brew has been Associate Principal Flute of the Royal Scottish National since 1989 and has performed on 4 continents with some of the world’s best conductors including Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel & Neeme Järvi.

As a member of the RSNO, she has recorded over 200 CDs appears weekly across Scotland and plays regularly at the Edinburgh International Festival and the BBC Proms. Helen teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has served on the faculty of the Royal Northern College of Music and the Chethams School of Music as well as numerous flute courses with Clare Southworth, Trevor Wye & Katherine Bryan.

Helen is a keen advocate for music in community outreach work especially working with young people with special needs.

Principal Flute, Scottish Chamber Orchestra

He studied clarinet and saxophone at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1976, whilst still a student, he formed the Myhra Saxophone Quartet with John Harle, Andy Findon and David Roach when they met as ushers at the World Saxophone Congress held at the Royal College of Music.

Arno Bornkamp is a Dutch classical saxophonist, a professor at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, and is considered one of the most influential soloists in the classical repertoire.

Arno has won many awards, including the Silver Laurel of the Concertgebouw and the Netherlands Music Prize among the most noteworthy. The latter enabled him to go abroad, studying in France with Daniel Deffayet and Jean-Marie Londeix, and in Japan with Ryo Noda as well as working with composers such as Luciano Berio and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Andrew is a saxophone lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has recently presented masterclasses at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, St Mary’s Music School, and university music schools across the USA. He previously taught at the University of St Andrews and RCS Junior Conservatoire and held teaching assistantships while pursuing postgraduate studies at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois. He is also a graduate of the Royal College of Music, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the University of Glasgow, where his studies were generously funded by the Caird Trust, Help Musicians, and the Wingate Foundation. Andrew’s saxophone teachers were Debra Richtmeyer, Frederick Hemke, Kyle Horch, Martin Robertson, and Josef Pacewicz.

Principal Oboe, Orchestra of Scottish Opera

Peter Dykes, born in North Yorkshire, studied oboe under Stephane Rancourt and Stephen West at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, graduating in 2000. During this time in Scotland, he made regular guest appearances with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Guest Principal Oboe, Mahler Chamber Orchestra 

Janet became became piccolo tutor at RNCM in 2016 and has taught at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for almost twenty-six years and is regularly invited to teach at other Conservatoires throughout the UK.

Luke was appointed Principal Piccolo of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in 2019.

He studied undergraduate at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and then postgraduate at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, winning the Solo Wind Prize at both institutions and graduating with 1st Class Honours and Distinction respectively. After graduating, Luke won the position of co-principal flute with the Southbank Sinfonia Orchestral Academy.

Principal Bassoon, RSNO

Graeme became a freelance bassoonist in his second year at the RCS, working with orchestras throughout the UK, Ireland and France. In 2015, Graeme was appointed Bassoon Principal No. 2 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. In this varied role, he can be found rehearsing, performing, delivering educational workshops and recording. The BBCSSO continues to deliver one of the most diverse offerings to an audience; and to that end, Graeme has also featured on the Ocarina, Harmonica and Heckelphone in recent concerts!

Peter Wesley was brought up in Gloucestershire where he was lucky enough to be taught by Frank Read, a retired Army Bandsman and freelance bassoonist. After briefly considering a career in the Biological Sciences he went to the Royal College of Music to study with Kerry Camden and John Burness, and after a few years freelancing in London he joined the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester as their Contrabassoon player. Whilst there he taught at the Royal Northern College of Music, and in 2007 he and his family moved to Scotland where he currently plays with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Peter also holds a degree in Psychology from the Open University and plays on a pre-war Mollenhauer bassoon, purchased in Berlin in 1945 by his first teacher.

Paolo Dutto is the recently appointed Principal Contrabassoonist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Born in Cuneo in 1979, Paolo graduated from the local conservatory having studied with Professor Stefano Audisio. He continued his education at the “Fiesole Music School” as a member of the Italian Youth Orchestra, studying with musicians such as Giampaolo Pretto and Marco Postinghel, and at the Turin Conservatory, where he was awarded a Bachelor’s degree, with a specialization in bassoon (Professor Claudio Gonella). He also participated in several bassoon master classes held by Andrea Azzi (principal bassoon of the “Teatro Regio” in Turin), Valentino Zucchiatti (principal bassoon of the “Teatro Alla Scala” in Milan) and Roberto Giaccaglia (principal bassoon of the “BBC Philharmonic Orchestra”), and in contrabassoon with Gabriele Screpis (principal bassoon of the “Teatro Alla Scala”).

He studied clarinet and saxophone at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1976, whilst still a student, he formed the Myhra Saxophone Quartet with John Harle, Andy Findon and David Roach when they met as ushers at the World Saxophone Congress held at the Royal College of Music.

Heather Nicoll is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS), and was appointed Head of Woodwind in 2007.

Henry Clay is currently Principal Cor Anglais with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He graduated with a postgraduate degree from the Royal Academy of Music in 2016, where he studied with Christopher Cowie, Sue Böhling and Melanie Ragge. Before this, he attended the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester on the Joint Course under the tutelage of Jennifer Galloway, Hugh McKenna and Melinda Maxwell.

Scott Mitchell is a Senior Staff Accompanist and lecturer in Piano Accompaniment at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow where he was recently made a Fellow and where he also teaches piano at the Junior Department. He is also a member of the accompaniment staff at Napier University in Edinburgh and also one of the founding members of the Cantilena Festival on Islay, a Festival for strings taking place on the island of Islay every summer.