Peter Whelan

Biography

Principal bassoon with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra since 2008, Peter Whelan was described by the Philadelphia Enquirer as "an absolute master of fleet facility with a solidly plush tone of wondrous immediacy". Equally at home on modern and historical instruments, Whelan has a diverse repertoire spanning over four centuries and is in constant demand as a soloist and chamber musician. He has received glowing responses from audiences and critics across the globe, including a Gramophone Award for his recording of the Vivaldi bassoon concertos with La Serenissima in 2010.

As a concerto soloist, Whelan has performed in many of Europe's most prestigious venues, including the Musikverein (Vienna), Lingotto(Turin), St John's Smith Square (Lufthansa Festival) and the Cadogan and Wigmore Halls. He has recorded the Weber bassoon concerto for Linn records with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and his recording of Mozart's bassoon concerto with Arcangelo will be released on the Hyperion label in 2015.

Whelan is the founder and artistic director of Ensemble Marsyas (formed in 2011), whose debut disc of Zelenka Sonatas received a Supersonic Award and was named BBC Music Magazine's 'Editors Choice'. A new disc of the sonatas of Fasch will be released at the forthcoming Wigmore Hall debut of Ensemble Marsyas in June 2014. Whelan has also collaborated with the Belcea Quartet, London Winds, Robert Levin, Anthony Marwood and Monica Huggett and appears with Tori Amos in her album Night of Hunters recorded for Deutsche Gramophone (2011).

Whelan has also has worked with many of Europe's finest orchestras and directors including the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Sir Simon Rattle), London Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, the English Baroque Soloists (Sir John Eliot Gardiner), Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Les Musiciens du Louvre and Oper Zürich.

Peter Whelan was recently appointed Professor of Baroque Bassoon at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and gives masterclasses at conservatories across the UK and Europe.