Robert Plane is clarinettist of Ensemble 360 and Head of Woodwind Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Prior to this he was principal clarinet of BBC National Orchestra of Wales for twenty-one years, a position he also held with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia.
As a chamber musician, Rob has explored the clarinet quintet repertoire with a number of the finest string quartets, opening BBC Radio 3’s Brahms Experience with a live broadcast of the Brahms Clarinet quintet from St. George’s, Bristol with the Skampa Quartet and appearing twice at the Wigmore Hall with the Elias Quartet in the 20/21 season. He has collaborated with the Mandelring Quartet in concerts in Germany and on tour on the US West Coast, as well as forming relationships with the Sacconi, Maggini, Castalian and Marmen Quartets. He has given concerts and recorded with the Gould Piano Trio for thirty years and together they direct the Corbridge Chamber Music Festival in Northumberland.
Rob is passionate about British repertoire for his instrument and has made many acclaimed recordings. His account of Finzi’s Clarinet Concerto won a Gramophone Award and his subsequent disc of sonatas by Bax received a further shortlisting. His most recent projects brought concertos by Ian Hamilton, Richard Walthew and Ruth Gipps back to life with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on the album ‘Reawakened’ for Champs Hill Records, as well as a disc of commissions ‘Isotonic’ written for him by Burrell, Watkins, Boden and Jenkins on the Resonus label.