Harrild, Patrick

Tuba player who attended the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and studied under John Fletcher. After graduating, he became the principal tuba player for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1987, he succeeded his aforementioned teacher in the same post with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Other groups with whom he has worked include: the BBC Concert Orchestra, the English Brass Ensemble, the London Symphony Brass, the LSO Brass Ensemble, the LSO Brass Quintet, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, and the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.

In 1998, he delivered the London premiere of John Williams’ “Tuba Concerto” under the baton of the composer with the LSO.

The LSO offered up Claude Debussy’s “First Rhapsody for Clarinet” with soloist Andrew Marriner at the Barbican on 14^th June 2007. It was sandwiched between Les Noces by Igor Stravinsky and October Cantata by Sergei Prokofiev.

On 24^th August 2008, the LSO Brass Ensemble participated in the Olympics handing-over ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where they performed “Blues March” by Benny Golson, “Fanfare” by Nigel Gomm, “La Mourisque” and “Pavane Battaille” from La Danserie by Tylman Susato, “Of Knights and Castles” by Raymond Premru and “Tango Jalousie” by Jacob Gade.

Patrick returned to St. Paul’s Cathedral on 13^th December 2009, when he conducted a brass choir in a Christmas Concert that included “Christians, Awake!”, “The First Nowell”, “Jingle Bells”, “Once in Royal David’s City” and “Silent Night”. Proceeds went to the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation.

On 16^th June 2010, the LSO were joined by pianist Vladimir Feltsman, the London Symphony Chorus, soprano Sally Matthews and guest leader Joris van Rijn for a program that comprised Francis Poulenc’s Gloria and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 3”.

They teamed up with cellist Tim Hugh and guest conductor Andre Previn on 16^th January 2011, when they interpreted Don Quixote by Richard Strauss and “Symphony No. 5” by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

On 23^rd September and 13^th October 2012, they offered up a pair of second symphonies by Johannes Brahms and Karol Szymanowski. The concert opened with Brahms’ “Tragic Overture”, conducted by Valery Gergiev.

They appeared at Barbican Hall on 17^th and 21^st February 2013 with conductor Bernard Haitink and pianist Maria Joao Pires for a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” and Anton Bruckner’s “Symphony No. 9”.

He retired from the LSO in April 2017 after nearly 30 years with them.

Recordings on which Patrick appears include: Bach to Brubeck, Holst: The Planets, James MacMillan: St. John Passion, Music of Hope and Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 6 in E minor/Tuba Concerto with the LSO; the original cast album of Big Parade; Kurt Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins/Little Threepenny Music with Julia Migenes-Johnson; Russian Brass! with the English Brass Ensemble; and, the soundtracks of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith.

In the field of music education, he has adjudicated at the BBC Young Musician and Shell/LSO competitions, coached the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, given a master class to the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and served on the faculties of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music.

Sources:

Harrild, Patrick

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