Hugh Sisley

Hugh Sisley was born in August 1991. From 1999 to 2009 he was taught by David Bentley at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he held the Paxman horn scholarship. In 2004 he was awarded a music scholarship to St Paul’s School in London. He subsequently began lessons with Richard Watkins. In 2007 he attended Boston University Tanglewood Institute where he received tuition from Eric Ruske. He played third horn in the National Youth Orchestra from 2007 to 2009. In 2008 he won a place with the London Symphony Orchestra Brass Academy at St Luke’s. The following year was awarded an ABRSM scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he was taught by Richard Watkins and Michael Thompson. While at the Royal Academy he was given a solo recital at the Wigmore Hall as part of the Patron’s Award. He played 1st horn in a performance of Bruckner’s 9th symphony under Sir Simon Rattle and performed Peter Maxwell Davies’ Sea Eagle for solo horn in a concert attended by the composer. He has played Strauss’ 1st horn concerto with the Junior Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, Telemann’s horn concerto with the Brandenburg Sinfonia in St Martin’s in the Fields and Mozart’s 4th horn concerto with the Colchester Symphony Orchestra. In 2012 he performed the premier of Elgar Howarth’s concerto for horn conducted by the composer. He was principal horn with the Britten Pears Orchestra from 2009-2012 and of the Aldeburgh World Orchestra in 2013. He played Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro in the 2013 Aldeburgh festival. He has played with The London Sinfonietta, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, Sinfonia Cymru and tours regularly as principal horn with the Symphony Orchestra of India. He regularly plays on film soundtracks with session orchestras in the Abbey Road Studios in London. He has played guest principal horn for the Almaty Symphony Orchestra in Kazakhstan and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He has trialled for the third horn position with the Philharmonia and the London Symphony Orchestra, with whom he has toured in Europe and Russia.