Lynsey Marsh, Clarinet
“I joined COE in 1996 and my first tour as a member was to Paris with Boulez, playing Stravinsky Symphonies of Wind. I actually met my husband Francis Markus on that tour (he was playing horn) so it was the start of a rich journey in many ways! I played with COE until 2001, both as second clarinet to Richard Hosford and also having chance to play Principal for many tours. There are lots of great memories from that time in my life, musically, personally and from the many wonderful places we toured to. Musical highlights would have to include projects with Bernard Haitink and Paavo Berglund. I have a particularly fond memory of COE playing Sibelius’s Valse Triste with Paavo and how he would almost dance as he shaped this piece so beautifully.”
BIOGRAPHY
Lynsey was Principal Clarinet with the Hallé from 2001 until September 2015. Before moving to Manchester, she was a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Orchestra of English National Opera.
Lynsey has given numerous concerto performances with the Hallé, including the Britten/Colin Matthews Movements for a Clarinet Concerto. In 2013 she recorded the Clarinet Concerto by the Hallé’s composer in association Helen Grime, for the NMC label. Lynsey has also released a CD of Mind Music under the Divine Arts label, to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK.
As a chamber musician, Lynsey has given recitals for BBC Radio 3 and appeared at festivals throughout Britain, including Aldeburgh and Cheltenham. Since leaving the Hallé, Lynsey has combined her freelancing and teaching with studying on the Speech and Language Therapy degree course at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is now a qualified therapist, working at the Seashell Trust, where she combines her music and speech and language therapy skills to support young people with complex learning disabilities and additional communication needs. Currently Lynsey is taking her studies further by completing the Nordoff and Robbins Master in Music Therapy course at the Royal Northern College of Music.