Stuart Russell

Biography

Stuart enjoys a busy and varied career as a bassoonist and contra-bassoonist touring the world with many of the UK’s orchestras and ensembles including amongst others Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Northern Sinfonia, London Mozart Players, Britten Sinfonia and Welsh National Opera. Since 2007 Stuart has played for Opera Holland Park with City of London Sinfonia and from 2015 for Glyndebourne Tour in the Autumn.

Highlights have included a tour to Mauritius with Kent Centre for Young Musicians, performances of Richard Strauss Rosenkavalier at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the BBC Proms, and a concert performances of Rogers and Hammerstein’s The King and I at the London Palladium.

As a member of the award winning Aurora Ensemble Stuart has performed throughout the UK and has released several recordings including the music for piano and winds by Mozart and Mendelssohn and the music of composer and pianist/organist Roderick Elms.

In addition to his performance career, Stuart is the bassoon teacher at Roedean and Bancroft’s School and Professor of Bassoon Reed Making at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Royal College of Music. He has coached the bassoon sections of the National Children’s Orchestra and London Schools Symphony Orchestra, and held performance and reed classes for British Double Reed Society and Big Double Reed day. Stuart also works as a part time bassoon specialist at Howarth of London woodwind shop in Marylebone.

Stuart began his studies at the Kent Centre for Young Instrumentalists and the Kent County Youth Orchestra. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2003 under Gareth Newman and David Chatterton with First Class honours and the Nicolas Blake Chamber Music Prize. Further studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama led to successfully auditioning for Southbank Sinfonia with whom he ad was given the opportunity to perform John Williams’ Bassoon Concerto "The Five Sacred Trees" at St John's Church in Waterloo.

Since 2013 Stuart has played on a custom built bassoon by the Canadian maker Ben Bell and selects bassoon cane by Georg Rieger and Ke-Xun Ge.