About Alec Frank-Gemmill
Half-German, half-English, Alec Frank-Gemmill grew up in the United Kingdom and studied in Cambridge and Berlin. He is widely recognised for pushing the boundaries of the French horn, whether by commissioning new music, making transcriptions of chamber music or through historically-informed performance practice. Alec now divides his time between orchestral playing, chamber music, concertos and conducting.
Alec was a member of the BBC 3 New Generation Artist scheme from 2014-2016, often appearing as a soloist with the BBC orchestras, including in performances of rarely-heard repertoire by Ethel Smyth, Malcolm Arnold and Charles Koechlin. He was Principal horn of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for ten years and then took up the same position with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in October 2019.
With the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Alec performed concertos by Mozart (on the natural horn), Ligeti, Strauss and Schumann. His recording of Strauss's First Concerto was named Disc of the Week on the BBC's Record Review programme. He has also recorded four albums for the BIS label, thanks to the support of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust.
Often invited as a guest principal horn, Alec has frequently appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He also performs as part of period-instrument groups and is director of Odin Ensemble, a Gothenburg based group which plays on instruments from around 1900.
Alongside his career as a performer, Alec Frank-Gemmill is also a conductor admired for his impeccable musicianship and versatility. His rapidly developing conducting career has already led to collaborations with BBC Philharmonic, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Norrbotten Chamber Orchestra, the Lohja City Orchestra, INSO-Lviv and Manchester Camerata. He studied conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and is shaped by many years of experience as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player.
During the 2025/2026 season he made his debut with the English National Ballet, conducting performances of The Nutcracker in London Coliseum. Other engagaments in the UK included the Northern Chamber Orchestra and later this season he conducts the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra in Estonia. In Autumn 2026 he will make his debut conducting a ballet production at The Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm.
Alec is particularly recognised for his sensitivity to style and for the natural, collaborative energy he brings to the music-making. Bachtrack described his "Haydn conducting of appreciable verve and imagination, beautifully weighted inner parts and a relaxed confidence in timing". His many performances with period-instrument groups have led to a deep, historically formed approach to the score. Whether conducting music from the classical era or the present day, his approach is always to find the sound that best suits the material.
Alec Frank-Gemmill is the recipient of a scholarship from Sweden's Stena-Stiftelse, awarded in recognition of "an artistry development and deepening".