Alec Frank-Gemmill background

"A stunning performance... Alec Frank-Gemmill made the instrument dart, wail and flutter as if those were normal things for a French horn to do". (The Herald)

"I especially enjoyed Alec Frank-Gemmill's cheeky handling of the runs and decorations in the Horn Concertino." (Gramophone)

"a wonderfully characterful account of Schumann's Adagio and Allegro, with phrasing and tonal control so evocative that it made me sit up and take note." (The Scotsman)

Half-German, half-English, Alec Frank-Gemmill grew up in the United Kingdom and studied in Cambridge and Berlin.  As a member of the BBC’s New Generation Artists scheme, Alec became known for his mastery of a wide repertoire.  With the support of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust he has released three discs on the BIS label, to complement award-winning recordings of works by Weber and Strauss (with Ticciati) for Linn records.

Recent and forthcoming concerto appearances include Oliver Knussen’s concerto with Finnegan Downie-Dear and James MacMillan’s Concertino (which Alec premiered) conducted by the composer.  But his repertoire is far from limited to contemporary music: in May Alec will record the Mozart concertos, including his own arrangement to provide the missing slow movement of Concerto “No. 1” k 412.  

Alec was Principal horn of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for ten years and took up the same position with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in 2019.  Alongside his solo and orchestral playing, Alec has become the go-to horn player for numerous chamber music festivals.  A regular at London’s Wigmore Hall, he has performed in trios with the likes of Kit Armstrong, Pekka Kuusisto and Anthony Marwood.  Alec is a member of the “wind super-group” Orsino.  He is also highly active in the early music scene, one of the few horn players to feel equally at home on both the modern instrument and the valveless natural horn.

Besides horn-playing, Alec more and more appears as a conductor.  He is the founder and director of Odin Ensemble - www.odinensemble.com - a group performing on instruments from the early 20th Century.

 
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