Catie Igoe

Catie began pursuing the French horn as a career when she joined the Wells Cathedral School sixth form as a full DfES scholar and studied with Simon de Souza. Subsequently, she received a substantial scholarship to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she learned with David Pyatt, Richard Bissill, Chris Parkes, and Jonathan Lipton (also on Wagner tuba). She graduated in November 2015 with a Bachelor of Music and a first class degree. She was supported by the Prism the Gift Fund, the Ivy Sharp Award and the Guildhall School. During her time at the Guildhall School Catie enjoyed performing in the many different ensembles within the school, including taking part in sit-ins with the Academy of St Martins in the Field and the London Symphony Orchestra and playing in an orchestral workshop with Sir Antonio Pappano. In July 2015 Catie enjoyed playing in a joint orchestral project with the Guildhall school alongside the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle in the Barbican. She also took part in masterclasses with Jim Thatcher, Angela Barnes, Laurens Woudenberg, Jeff Bryant, and Hugh Seenan. Since leaving the Guildhall School Catie has pursued a career as a freelance orchestral player, which has allowed her to play in a variety of ensembles. Upcoming performances include playing principal horn for Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the London Mahler Orchestra, a celebration of Shakespeare’s writings with the Arch Sinfonia and recording ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ with Rick Wakeman. Catie has a love of opera music, and is also looking forward to performing Britten’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ with the Surrey Opera at the Minnack Theatre in Cornwall, and travelling with the Westminster Opera Company to La Rochelle in July 2016. Catie loves the opportunity to work abroad, and is lucky enough to have recently worked in places such as St Petersburg with the Melos Sinfonia, Mumbai with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra and Paris with the Arch Sinfonia. She is also looking forward to working with the Jersey Chamber Orchestra in May. Catie has also been accepted as a member of the Chipping Campden Festival Academy Orchestra for 2016. Catie finds chamber music particularly rewarding, and enjoys working as a member of the Ellis Brass ensemble; a brass quintet formed with other Guildhall School graduates. The quintet was shortlisted for the Tunnel Trust award in September 2015, and regularly gives recitals. A highlight was the invitation to perform in the Orpheus and Bacchus Young Musicians festival in Bordeaux in 2015. Catie enjoys taking part in educational work, and has worked with New York-based chamber collective DECODA to create interactive workshops for children as a member of the brass ensemble Milton Brass in 2015. Catie has also helped to lead activities in workshops in schools. She has also worked as a mentor with young players in orchestras including the London Schools’ Symphony Orchestra, Essex Youth Orchestra and the Barbican Young Orchestra. Catie has also enjoys teaching French horn to both her young and older pupils, and has helped them to achieve success securing sought-after music scholarships and preparing for grade exams. Away from the French horn, Catie also has an interest in fundraising for musical groups as she feels this is an important and interesting job – especially with the current arts cuts. She has helped to write fundraising successful proposals for the Apollo Music Projects and also has experience in putting on her own projects: in 2015 she worked with a colleague to put on a brass band concert to showcase brass.