Horn player Alec Frank-Gemmill is recognised internationally for the exceptional breadth and depth of his music-making. Principal Horn of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, he divides his time between concertos, recitals, chamber music and orchestral playing. A proponent of the historical natural horn as well as of the modern instrument, his repertoire stretches from the baroque era to the latest contemporary compositions.
Alec has appeared as soloist with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and Sinfonietta Köln. He also regularly performs concertos with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra – their recording of Weber’s Concertino on Linn met with great critical acclaim.
Artist in Residence at the 2013 Lammermuir Festival, Alec made his Wigmore Hall debut in the same year, playing Mozart’s Quintet for Horn and Strings and the Brahms Horn Trio. Forthcoming performances include the premiere of a piece by John Luther Adams at the East Neuk Festival, a recital as part of the Junge Elite series at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and Mozart Concerto K. 417 on the natural horn with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Having himself studied in Cambridge, London and Berlin, Alec was recently appointed Professor of Horn at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is the recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship 2014 and is a member of the BBC New Generation Artists scheme.
“A phenomenon with a tone of golden purity, wraparound warmth and ecstatic afterglow”. (Financial Times)
“A stunning performance… Alec Frank-Gemmill made the instrument dart, wail and flutter as if those were normal things for a French horn to do”. (The Herald)
« I especially enjoyed Alec Frank-Gemmill’s cheeky handling of the runs and decorations in the Horn Concertino. » (Gramophone)