Laurence Perkins

Laurence Perkins was born in Lancashire in 1954, and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester between 1970-76 with Charles Cracknell, principal bassoonist in the Hallé Orchestra. He joined the Manchester Camerata as their principal bassoonist in October 1974, position that he left in June 2017 in order to pursue more solo and chamber music playing, alongside his on-going work promoting the bassoon. During his 43 years with the Camerata he performed in concerts throughout the UK (including at the BBC Proms) and on overseas tours including in France, Germany, Portugal, Norway, the Azores Islands, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia and Japan.

Laurence has given many solo concert performances throughout the UK and Europe, including recitals at the Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room in London, concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra (at St. John’s, Smith Square) and with the Manchester Camerata, and numerous overseas concerts including France, Portugal and Prague.

Laurence’s solo CDs for the Hyperion label include a disc of concertos with conductor Douglas Boyd which received a five-star rating in the BBC Music Magazine, with the Mozart Concerto being a top selection in Building a Library on the BBC Radio 3 Record Review program. A CD of shorter, lighter pieces, “The Playful Pachyderm” with the New London Orchestra conducted by Ronald Corp received outstanding reviews in the national and international media. His latest recording is of music by Beethoven, Glinka and Richard Strauss, where he is joined by clarinetist Sarah Watts, pianist Martin Roscoe, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Sian Edwards, released in 2018.

Laurence is bassoon tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and at York and Nottingham Universities. He has also been a regular bassoon and chamber music tutor at many summer schools and courses in the UK and overseas, including Aberystwyth, Malvern, Sherborne, Dartington, Alston Hall in Lancashire, Kammermusik in Oxford, and Cubertou in the south of France.