Stephen Stirling
For many years now, Stephen Stirling has been one of England’s busiest and most sought-after horn players. Since studying at the Royal Northern College of Music with Ifor James and later with Julian Baker, he has worked mostly in the rather rarefied world of chamber music. He has had an enormously varied career travelling all over the world, particularly enjoying playing in unusual and far flung places.

Increasingly in demand as a soloist, he has broadcast concertos on BBCTV and Radio 3, and appeared with orchestras such as theAcademy of St Martin in the Fields, the City of London Sinfonia and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under the batons of Richard Hickox, Sir Neville Marriner, Heinz Holliger and Ivan Fischer. His recording of all Mozart’s Horn Concertos, including the recently reconstructed “No 5 in Eb”, has just been released by BMG on the Classic FM “Full works” label. He is accompanied by the City of London Sinfonia with whom he has also recorded the virtuosic Double Horn Concertos by Vivaldi.

Stephen has a world-wide reputation as a chamber musician being in constant demand at festivals in the UK and abroad. He is a member of Endymion Ensemble, The Fibonacci Sequence and Capricorn. He has taken part in many critically acclaimed recordings, including Mozart’s entire output for wind ensemble with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and his second recording of the Brahms Horn Trio, with the Florestan Trio, released recently by Hyperion, to rave reviews and a ‘Gramophone’ award nomination.

Teaching and coaching are amongst Steve’s greatest loves and he gives frequent masterclasses on courses such as the Dartington International Summer School, Canford Summer School and Aberystwyth Musicfest. He is a professor of horn at Trinity College of Music in London and a regular contributor of articles about music making to The Horn Magazine.

“Stirling is a player of manifest authority” - Musical Opinion

“remarkable expressiveness” - The Guardian

“an outstandingly agile horn soloist” - The Times

Tony Halstead
was born in Manchester, attending Chetham’s School and subsequently the Royal Manchester College of Music (now the Royal Northern College of Music). His horn teacher at the RMCM was Sydney Coulston, a distinguished contemporary of Dennis Brain, who played Principal horn in the Hallé and the BBC Northern Orchestras. Tony also studied composition with Thomas Pitfield, organ with Ronald Frost and piano with Iso Elinson, Donald Greed and Donald Clarke.

After leaving college, Tony took several ‘refresher’ lessons with Julian Baker, Horace Fitzpatrick, and Myron Bloom. Subsequently, he studied the harpsichord with George Malcolm and conducting with Michael Rose, Sir Charles Mackerras and Gene Forrell.

He was briefly 4th horn with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 55 years ago. Then Co-Principal, London Symphony Orchestra; Principal, LSO; Principal, English Chamber Orchestra; The Academy of Ancient Music; The English Concert; The Hanover Band; English Baroque Soloists; London Classical Players and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He has played guest Principal horn with the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and Moscow Virtuosi.

Tony made his first solo CD in 1986, recording Weber’s Concertino on the valveless hand horn, with The Hanover Band, for the Nimbus Record Company. Other solo CDs include the Concertos by Joseph and Michael Haydn, and two separate recordings, six years apart, of the Mozart Concertos, with The Hanover Band under Roy Goodman and The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood. On the modern horn, he has recorded for 'Nimbus' the Britten Serenade with the American tenor, Jerry Hadley, and the English String Orchestra under William Boughton.

Tony now pursues a varied career as a conductor and director/harpsichordist, as well as being an occasional horn soloist, chamber music player and a teacher of international repute. In addition to making regular visits as a guest professor and examiner at many of the UK’s conservatories, he enjoys private teaching and chamber-music coaching.