Kenneth Smith

Kenneth Smith has won and continues to win many admirers who follow the Philharmonia Orchestra on disc and on the concert platform throughout the world, his individual tone and superior quality of sound having developed under the guidance of such eminent musicians as Aurele Nicolet, James Galway and the almost legendary Marcel Moyse.

In 1983, after 10 years with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Ken accepted the invitation to become principal flute with the Philharmonia Orchestra, which opened up an international career of performing and recording music at the highest level the world over.

Kenneth Smith is now firmly established as one of Britain’s leading flute players featuring on countless recordings from the symphonic and operatic repertoire with the Philharmonia and other leading Symphony Orchestras.

A steadily increasing solo discography includes Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with the Philharmonia under Sinopoli for Deutsche Grammophon, Vivaldi concertos with the London Musici and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 with Maurice André and the Philharmonia and Muti for EMI; in his long established partnership with the pianist Paul Rhodes he has already recorded seven albums of music for flute and piano; three of them devoted to music by British composers and the others embracing many of the major works in the flute repertoire along with several virtuoso showpieces, some neglected gems and a selection of the artists’ own colourful and frequently broadcast arrangements of classical favourites.

As an escape from a busy worldwide schedule Ken returns to his home near Poole Harbour from where he happily explores Hardy’s Wessex.