Chris Parkes

Key details:

Department:
Wind, Brass & Percussion
Role:
Horn

Biography

Christopher Parkes is solo horn of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Principal Horn of the John Wilson Orchestra. He has previously held positions in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Principal Horn, 2008-10) and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (3rd Horn, 2004-2008). He has been a professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama since 2012.

Other orchestral engagements have included performing as principal horn with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Philharmonia, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Munich Philharmonic and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Solo appearances have included the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony and BBC Scottish Symphony, with conductors including Gianandrea Noseda and Daniel Harding.

He has performed chamber music with artists such as Anne Sofie von Otter, Ian Bostridge and Pierre Laurent Aimard and with ensembles such as Superbrass, Stockholm Syndrome and Fine Arts Brass (Solo Horn, 2002- ).

Chris has played principal horn for recording artists such as Paul McCartney and George Michael and has appeared on film soundtracks for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, Batman: The Dark Knight Rises and on computer games such as James Bond: Blood Stone and the Uncharted franchise.

Chris studied at Chetham’s School of Music and Guildhall School of Music & Drama.