Chris Houlding
Chris
was appointed Principal Trombone of the Orchestra of Opera North, Britain’s newest and most innovative opera company,
when he was 21. Since then he has appeared as Guest Principal with most major UK ensembles including the London Symphony,
London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London Brass, London Symphony
Brass and the Symphonic Brass of London.
A graduate of London’s Guildhall School of Music, Chris studied with Denis Wick, Eric Crees and Peter Gane, and was awarded the Principal’s Prize. Prior to this he was a member of the National Youth Brass Band, National Youth Jazz Orchestra and European Union Youth Orchestra, gaining the LRAM Diploma while still at school.
He is Senior Tutor in Brass at Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music, regular Trombone Professor with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and has coached the European Union Youth Orchestra and Gustav Mahler Jungend Orchester. He gives recitals and masterclasses throughout the UK and Europe and has appeared has appeared regularly at the Joseph Alessi Summer Seminar, Juilliard, Eastman and Boston University in the USA.
Music Director of the Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra and he has conducted ensembles including the RNCM Symphony Orchestra, Northern Junior Philharmonic, Lancashire Youth Symphony, Sinfonia of Leeds, Derbyshire County Wind Orchestra, Chethams School of Music Wind Ensembles and Grimethorpe Colliery Band. Adjudicating assignments have taken him throughout Europe including the Turkish Young Musician of the Year, Norwegian Brass Band Championships and the Royal Overseas League Music Competition.
Recent conducting engagements have included appearances with the Orchestra of Opera North, Stravinsky’s Soldiers Tale at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall , Puccini’s Turandot in Huddersfield Town Hall and directing DUT Yorkshire Imperial Band’s wining performance as 2005 National Champions. He has also recently been awarded an MMus in Conducting by the Royal Northern College of Music.
As a former President of the British Trombone Society, Chris takes spreading the trombone gospel very seriously
and is active promoting a wide range of events throughout the country. Recent performing engagements have included
representing the UK in the World Orchestra for Peace under Valery Gergiev in Russia, Concerto appearances with the
Orchestra of Opera North and recitals and masterclasses in Texas, California, St Petersburg, Portugal and London.
Future engagements include masterclass, recital and concerto appearances in Portugal, Norway and the UK and the
completion of a solo CD featuring premiers of several new solo works written especially for him.