Programme

Mozart – Symphony no 21 in A
Richard Strauss – Oboe concerto in D

Blaze Ensemble
John Hulme Soloist
George Vass Conductor

Performers

As an oboist, James Hulme has appeared in all the major concert halls in the UK and has also performed extensively in Europe. Originally from Manchester, he studied the oboe with Anna Cooper and then with Valerie Taylor at Chetham’s School of Music. He then won the Kieron Moore scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he studied under Christopher Cowie, Ian Hardwick and Melanie Ragge. In 2016 he started a Masters course also at the RAM, but studying for the first year in Düsseldorf with Kai Frömbgen (Principal Oboe, Chamber Orchestra of Europe). As a soloist, he has enjoyed performances of Bach Cantatas (live on Radio 3), performances of Strauss, Marcello and Vivaldi Oboe Concertos, and a private concert for Rothschild’s bank in Paris including Mozart’s Oboe Concerto.

Distinguished British conductor George Vass is artistic director of Orchestra Nova and Nova Music Opera – highly respected professional companies specialising in the performance of contemporary and twentieth century music, working regularly with living composers. He has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and has worked with many of the UK’s leading orchestras including the Bournemouth Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National and Ulster orchestras. George Vass has made over thirty commercial recordings of British music and has commissioned well over 250 new works. In 2017 he was presented with a Gold Badge Award by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – marking his long-standing support for the UK composing and song writing community. In 1992, he was appointed artistic director of the acclaimed Presteigne Festival – a forward-looking organisation that works closely with composers and artists to create and curate inspiring programmes for an ever-widening Festival audience. George Vass is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, serves the British Arts Festivals Association as chair and, in 2016, became a Governor of the Royal Society of Musicians.