Alec Frank-Gemmill - About

Having a Fellowship is really exciting. I feel BBT has enabled my horn playing to go to new places. It’s not just a question of logistical or financial support with each project but also about their belief in me and what an artist can do. As such it is a wonderful gift; a liberating experience.

Acclaimed British horn player Alec Frank-Gemmill has a three-way career as a soloist, principal horn (formerly in the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, then with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra) and conductor.  As a soloist he is steeped in horn history and plays both period and modern instruments, which informed how he used his BBT Fellowship funding.

The Trust introduced Alec to the BIS label, an enduring relationship that has produced four highly acclaimed albums with BBT’s support. The first was a great example of a passion project which BBT support could make happen. A Noble and Melancholy Instrument – music for horns and pianos of the 19th century matched four period horns with four period pianos, and the results were so extraordinary that BBT made five short films detailing the period horns Alec played. Next up were five early horn concertos for the disc Before Mozart, followed by a Brahms-themed recital disc; and finally the realisation of his long-harboured ambition to record all four Mozart horn concertos.

In addition to these recordings, Alec presented an IAMA showcase concert, participated in BBT’s Wednesdays at Wilton’s series, and benefited from new concert clothes and a photoshoot.

Alec was supported with a BBT Fellowship between 2014 and 2024.

For a current biography please visit alecfrankgemmill.com

Read Alec’s blogs: Basta! Basta! Fiddling with Mozart here; Authenticity and Enlightenment in Lockdown here; and Whistle and flute for horn player here

Press Releases: The Horn is a Noble and Melancholy Instrument / Before Mozart / Brahms Chamber Music:  A New Perspective / A Decade-long Dream Fulfilled

Photographs by Jen Owens and Marco Borggreve