Orchestral bookings (since June 2006) ORCHESTRAS Adderbury Ensemble Amersham Festival Orchestra BBC Symphony Orchestra Bath Philharmonia British Philharmonic Orchestra Britten Sinfonia Camerata Ireland City of London Sinfonia English Sinfonia Ensemble Cymru Impropera Irish Chamber Orchestra London Concertante London Festival Orchestra London Musici London Symphony Orchestra Lontano Manning Camerata Musical Associates (UK) Limited New London Sinfonia New Mozart Orchestra Okeanos Opera a la Carte Orchestra of the Swan Pavilion Opera Philharmonia Orchestra Royal Ballet Sinfonia Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Scottish Chamber Orchestra Sinfonia ViVA Ulster Orchestra SHOWS Les Miserables Porgy & Bess EDUCATION WORK English Sinfonia Education 17th July 2009 (7.30pm) (London Conchord Ensemble) St Mary's Church, Petworth, West Sussex Mozart Oboe Quartet, K370 Bach Suite in B minor for Flute and Strings, BWV1067 Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds, K452 Bach Brandenburg Concerto No 4, BWV1049 The London Conchord Ensemble contains some of London's finest instrumentalists. The group was formed in 2002 by young chamber musicians and principals from the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Opera House Orchestra, the Philharmonia and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. In this concert the musicians perform some glorious Bach and Mozart in the perfect setting of St Mary's. www.petworthfestival.org.uk 8th August 2009 (8pm) (Impropera) Riverside Studios, Hammersmith Tete a Tete Festival Saturday 8th August: 8.30pm (Act 1), and 10pm (Act 2). Repeated on August 9th (5.30pm & 7pm) The passion of opera meets the adrenalin of the unknown. Impropera is on-the-spot opera improvisation using audience suggestion, without score, script or safety net. You're invited to be part of a new show build afresh every night, let by six brilliantly inventive minds and voices. Brilliant Ingenuity - The Times.   Irresistibly Funny - The Daily Telegraph. Strongly recommend attending both acts in one evening http://www.facebook.com/pages/Impropera/64495147730?v=info 9th August 2009 (4pm) (Marais Ensemble) St Mary's Church, Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire Marias Ensemble, with Peter Furniss (Bass Clarinet) Programme includes: Damase Variations Janacek Mladi Eliott Carter Steep Steps Dvorak Slavonic Dances Fancaix Sextuor www.pottonmusicfestival.org.uk   The Repertoire button is inactive.      Reviews "A clarinettist of outstanding qualities. His performance of Mozart's Concerto K.622 was adept, assured and highly musical in the soaring elegance of the Largo, and sparkling in its final Rondo." "Beautifully shaped and accented playing brought out the best in the very idiosyncratic and inventive music, not least in the whirling finale." (Witold Lutoslawski's Dance Preludes for clarinet and orchestra) Darlington and Stockton Times Press for the CD "TIME PIECES, 60 years of American music for clarinet and piano" (CC0054) with David Leiher Jones (piano): "very even and silvery ... the uniformity and precision of Furniss' clarinet tone will be awe inspiring to some. David Leiher Jones makes a very fine showing here as well." allmusic.com "There's a sensitive and imaginative musician at work here, as one quickly notices while listening to American Standard. The repertoire requires as much from [David Leiher Jones] as it does from Furniss, and he rises to the challenge with no less skill or commitment. Not just for clarinettists!" International Record Review "Great control and technique in even the most demanding moments.. the playing here stands in good comparison with any that I have heard... Well thought out and musically interesting... highly recommended!" Clarinet and Saxophone, Winter 2007 Press for IMPROPERA: "Rising to the audience's every challenge, the company quickly weave a plot of brilliant ingenuity, embroider it with musical parody and bring wonder and joy to all" Jeremy Kingston, The Times "The perfect operatic pick-me-up... four fearless comedians, a pianist happy to improvise in the style of anyone from Scarlatti to Steve Reich, a quick-witted clarinettist, and a well lubricated audience." Anna Picard, The Independent      Discography Time Pieces60 years of American music for clarinet and piano with David Leiher Jones (Clarinet Classics CC0054) Mendelssohn Concert Pieces op.118 and 119 with Dimitri Ashkenazy and Karl Andreas Kolly (Pan Classics 510 070)   The Outreach button is inactive. furniss_p_1167_2.jpgfurniss_p_1167_mend.jpgfurniss_p_1167_time.jpgfurniss_p_1167_5.jpg           Teaching experience Peter has been a committed teacher for over 15 years and is increasingly involved as animateur, composer and conductor in a number of innovative projects, particularly in connection with the DaCapo Foundation. In July 2005 he conducted a performance of his Farmyard Suite in Norwich Cathedral with the DaCapo Chamber Orchestra and 720 Norfolk school children.

Peter's recordings above are

• Victor Babin Valse de bonne humeur from Hillandale Waltzes
• James Cohn Allegretto Scherzando from Sonatina. Performed by Peter Furniss (clarinet) and David Leiher Jones (piano)
• Music from the CD Time Pieces, (Clarinet Classics CC0054)
• Debussy Petite Piece, transcribed by Peter Furniss for clarinet and string quartet (with the Westbury Ensemble, live recording 2003)
• Richard Dudas Prelude for clarinet and live electronics (2006), Peter Furniss clarinet, Richard Dudas electronics, from a live recording (premiere) at the Forum Neues Musiktheater, Stuttgart - April 2006.
• Steven R. Gerber's Duet Prelude, Double Fugue and Epilogue for solo clarinet, a live recording made in October 2007 at the Warehouse. The score is available on www.stevengerber.com

Biography

As a soloist and chamber musician, Peter has performed extensively in the UK and Europe including recitals at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, London's Purcell Rooom as part of the Park Lane Group Series and two recitals in New York.

He performs regularly as a guest with British orchestras, including the BBC Symphony, Scottish Chamber and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. As a former member of the European Wind Octet, he toured throughout Europe, including at a special audience in Salzburg with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and has since worked with many contemporary and chamber ensembles, such as Lontano, Okeanos, Chroma, New Music Players, London Concertante, the Scharoun Ensemble and Uroboros Ensemble. He has played at many festivals, including the Vale of Glamorgan, London Soundings, Spitalfields, 1st Festival of Contemporary Music in Baku (Azerbaijan), Jerusalem's Classical Winter and St. Magnus, Orkney. Chamber music partners have included Stephen Hough, David Leiher Jones, Daniel Becker, Takane Funatsu and Kate Gould.

His many premières, include solo pieces by Richard Dudas (Sonata, Prelude), Michael Kaulkin (American Standard), and Raul Rothblatt (solo clarinet version of Trio for Cello, Sox and Underwear), as well as works by Robin Holloway, Dai Fujikura, Thomas Ades, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Elliott Carter, John Adams, Magnus Lindberg, Peter Eotvos, Arelene Elizabeth Sierra, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and others.

Recently he began a series of solo performances with live electronics at the Forum Neues Musiktheater, Stuttgart, ICMC Copenhagen and Hanyang New Music Festival, South Korea. He also took part in the highly acclaimed premi�re of Simon Wills' chamber opera 'The Secret Agent' at the Feldkirch Festival, Austria.

Highlights for 2008 include a return to Korea as part of the Seoul International Computer Music Festival, where he will perform Boulez's Dialogue de l'ombre double among other works with newly formed group Shadow Play, featuring Robin Michael and Sarah Nicolls.

As a member of Impropera - 'the world's only (and arguably the best) improvising opera company' - he has taken part in completely spontaneous operatic performances at festivals in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Sweden and at the World Impro Games in Helsinki. The company recently undertook residencies at Den Anden Opera, Copenhagen, Oslo Opera Festival and the Theatro di Porto San Giorgio in Italy. Impropera's appearances in 2008 include the Newbury Festival, the Dubai Madinat Theatre and London's Arts Theatre (see reviews).

As a committed teacher for almost 20 years, Peter is involved as animateur, composer and conductor in a number of innovative projects in connection with the Da Capo Foundation. He has conducted and compered performances of his 'Farmyard Suite' with the Da Capo Chamber Orchestra in Belfast, London, Canterbury and in Norwich Cathedral with 720 Norfolk school children.

Published by Da Capo in 2007, his 'In Concert' series is a collection of pieces for beginner instrumentalists with piano accompaniments. 2008 will see the recording of music written for the Second Da Capo Songbook, featuring Niall Ashdown and members of Aurora.

Orchestral Work
Orchestras: Adderbury Ensemble, Amersham Festival Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bath Philharmonia, British Philharmonic Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Camerata Ireland, City of London Sinfonia, English Sinfonia, Ensemble Cymru, Impropera, Irish Chamber Orchestra, London Concertante, London Festival Orchestra, London Musici, London Symphony Orchestra, Lontano, Manning Camerata, Musical Associates (UK) Limited, New London Sinfonia, New Mozart Orchestra, Okeanos, Opera a la Carte, Orchestra of the Swan, Pavilion Opera, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Ballet Sinfonia, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia ViVA, Ulster Orchestra. Shows: Les Miserables, Porgy & Bess. Education Work: English Sinfonia Education.

Peter's orchestral work also includes the BBC Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, English Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, English National Ballet, Brunel Ensemble, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, International Symphony & Chamber Orchestra, Jerusalem and Kirov Orchestra of the Marjinski Theatre, St Petersburg.

Peter's web links
www.peterfurniss.co.uk
www.impropera.co.uk
www.clarinetclassics.com
www.dacapo.co.uk
www.aboutthecomposer.com
www.stevengerber.com
www.sarahnicolls.com

Peter joined Morgensterns in August 1997

Peter's web profile was last updated 30th Jun 2009