Etienne Cutajar

“Cutajar impresses with his breath control, rock-solid evenness of tone, and amazing pppppppps. One has to admire Cutajar for his facility and technical prowess.” – Robert Markow (Fanfare)

Born in 1983, Etienne Cutajar is a native of Malta and started playing the horn at the age of ten under the tuition of Baul Borġ from the same country. Etienne was appointed 3rd horn of the Malta National Orchestra aged 18; he resigned the post after two years and went on to pursue a two-year postgraduate course at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Richard Watkins and Michael Thompson on a full scholarship from the ABRSM. He has appeared as a soloist in Malta where his recitals won great critical acclaim, the Royal Academy of Music, major venues in London, such as the Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall and very recently with the BBCSSO at the Usher hall in Edinburgh.

Etienne was for consecutive years first horn of the European Union Youth Orchestra, with whom in the summer of 2005 he played Mahler’s Seventh Symphony for Bernard Haitink. Etienne has appeared as guest first and third horn with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and London Brass. In July of 2006, Etienne was appointed third horn of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and solo horn of the newly founded ensemble Carnyx Brass.

The Fantasie Sonata for Horn and Piano by Charles Camilleri, also from Malta is dedicated to him; it was premièred by Etienne in April 2004 and is included on his Divine Art CD ‘Fantasie’.