Gareth McLearnon
Encyclopedia
Gareth McLearnon began his flute
playing career in his native Belfast
, making his way through the ranks of the 39th Old Boys Flute Band, before moving to London
in 1999 to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
. Whilst still a student there McLearnon recorded with the flute-player, Sir James Galway
and Harpist Marisa Robles
for the charity CD Songs for Alexander.
McLearnon is an active composer and arranger of music, his publisher Theodore Presser Company have produced a collection of his Irish Flute and Piano arrangements entitled "Round Ireland with a Flute", released in August 2008 at the Kansas City NFA Convention. This all happened following Sir James Galway playing one of Gareth's arrangements on Live at the Lincoln Center to a US TV Audience of around 8 million people in December 2004. McLearnon also launched his debut album "Sounds of Home" at the Kansas City convention. McLearnon's journalism skills have recently been featured in Pan Magazine in two articles. The first of which published in December 2007 which he wrote about Philippe Barnes and the latest, published in March 2009 on the Flute Player Andrew Findon
(Andy). He has had his article entitled: On buying the Flute featured in a Wind & Brass issue of Classical Music Magazine and in an issue of Flutewise Magazine.
McLearnon is a recipient of the 2003 Ian Fleming
Charitable Trust Music Education Award, a Countess of Munster Musical Trust Award and was awarded full scholarships to attend Sir James Galways Masterclasses in Italy
(2003) and Switzerland
(2004) McLearnon has given recitals all over the U.K.
and Europe
for the Ireland Funds, Invest Northern Ireland
, and the Concordia Foundation, and is currently a Making Music Recommended Artist for 2006.
McLearnon gained a place in Southbank Sinfonia
- "Britains Professional Orchestral Academy" for its 2005 season which involved being part of almost 90 concerts including fully staged opera, World Premieres, solo performances and a solo concerto.
His professional orchestral experience also includes playing in concerts and BBC
TV & Radio recordings with the Ulster Orchestra
, The London Pops Orchestra, Opera Australia
, he has played in West-End Shows and has toured with Nigel Kennedy
. He is a founder member of EMFEB, an exciting young orchestra resident at St. Johns-at-Hackney.
McLearnon is a Pearl Flutes
International Artist and is also employed by Pearl Music Europe as their Flute Specialist, and plays on one of Pearl's finest custom made 14K Gold Maesta instruments with a 14K Gold headjoint by Dana Sheridan
.
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
playing career in his native Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, making his way through the ranks of the 39th Old Boys Flute Band, before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1999 to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
. Whilst still a student there McLearnon recorded with the flute-player, Sir James Galway
James Galway
- External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*...
and Harpist Marisa Robles
Marisa Robles
Marisa Robles is a Spanish harpist.She was born in Spain, where she studied the harp with Luisa Menarguez, and studied music at the Madrid Conservatory, graduating at the age of sixteen in 1953...
for the charity CD Songs for Alexander.
McLearnon is an active composer and arranger of music, his publisher Theodore Presser Company have produced a collection of his Irish Flute and Piano arrangements entitled "Round Ireland with a Flute", released in August 2008 at the Kansas City NFA Convention. This all happened following Sir James Galway playing one of Gareth's arrangements on Live at the Lincoln Center to a US TV Audience of around 8 million people in December 2004. McLearnon also launched his debut album "Sounds of Home" at the Kansas City convention. McLearnon's journalism skills have recently been featured in Pan Magazine in two articles. The first of which published in December 2007 which he wrote about Philippe Barnes and the latest, published in March 2009 on the Flute Player Andrew Findon
Andrew Findon
Andrew Findon is an English flautist and saxophonist. Educated at Harrow County School for Boys, he trained as an orchestral flautist, and served as principal flute of the National Youth Orchestra in the early 1970s and three years at the Royal College of Music...
(Andy). He has had his article entitled: On buying the Flute featured in a Wind & Brass issue of Classical Music Magazine and in an issue of Flutewise Magazine.
McLearnon is a recipient of the 2003 Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
Charitable Trust Music Education Award, a Countess of Munster Musical Trust Award and was awarded full scholarships to attend Sir James Galways Masterclasses in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(2003) and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(2004) McLearnon has given recitals all over the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for the Ireland Funds, Invest Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and the Concordia Foundation, and is currently a Making Music Recommended Artist for 2006.
McLearnon gained a place in Southbank Sinfonia
Southbank Sinfonia
Southbank Sinfonia describes itself as "Britain's Newest Orchestra and one of the most exciting projects in music for decades."...
- "Britains Professional Orchestral Academy" for its 2005 season which involved being part of almost 90 concerts including fully staged opera, World Premieres, solo performances and a solo concerto.
His professional orchestral experience also includes playing in concerts and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV & Radio recordings with the Ulster Orchestra
Ulster Orchestra
The Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...
, The London Pops Orchestra, Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
, he has played in West-End Shows and has toured with Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
. He is a founder member of EMFEB, an exciting young orchestra resident at St. Johns-at-Hackney.
McLearnon is a Pearl Flutes
Pearl Flutes
Pearl Flutes is part of the Pearl Musical Instrument Company which was originally founded in 1946. The flutes are distributed worldwide by Pearl Musical Instrument Company, in the USA by Pearl Corporation based in Nashville, Tennessee, and in Europe by Pearl Music Europe based in Venlo, The...
International Artist and is also employed by Pearl Music Europe as their Flute Specialist, and plays on one of Pearl's finest custom made 14K Gold Maesta instruments with a 14K Gold headjoint by Dana Sheridan
Dana Sheridan
Dana Sheridan is a flute maker and master craftsman known for his handcrafted flutes and especially his flute headjoints. Originally from the United States, Sheridan now lives and works in Cologne, Germany while maintaining another shop in Boston, Massachusetts. Sheridan headjoints are very...
.
External links
- http://www.thegalwaynetwork.com/index.html
- http://www.pearlflute.com/_english/artists.html
- http://www.garethmclearnon.com