Alison Eales & Anna Le Hair

Alison Eales was an Exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music, studying clarinet and piano as joint first instruments. Whilst a student, Alison formed a piano duo which thrived for thirty years thereafter, giving recitals and concerto performances in the UK and Europe, including double concertos by Mozart, Poulenc and Saint-Saens.

Alison is currently a member of several chamber ensembles playing piano or clarinet, including the Max Bruch Trio and the Gregynog Ensemble, a clarinet quintet which has performed many works, both well known and less familiar. As a member of the British Clarinet Ensemble, Alison has toured abroad in Europe, the US and Japan as well as taking part in the Ensemble’s CD recordings. As a clarinet soloist, Alison has recently performed the Finzi Clarinet Concerto with the Crendon Chamber Orchestra in Thame and Bruch’s Double Concerto for Clarinet and Viola as well as Finzi’s Bagetelles in Tring, Hitchin, Luton and at Anglesey Abbey. Recent performances of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto have taken place in Welwyn Garden City, Tring and Hitchin, as part of the town’s 2022 Festival. She performed Malcolm Arnold’s 2nd Clarinet Concerto with the Hitchin Symphony Orchestra and again with Leicester Sinfonia and Letchworth Sinfonia. Alison also gave the first performances of Paul Rooke’s Saxophone Concerto and a double concerto for clarinet, piano, strings and percussion by James Marshall in October 2022. Recent performances include the Strauss Duett Concertino, along with a premiere of a new double concerto with bassoonist, Debbie Barnes, and performances of Krommer’s Double Clarinet concerto with Juliet Colville. Alison is known locally as founder and conductor of Hitchin Concert Band, which is currently celebrating its 30 year anniversary.

Anna Le Hair gained an honours degree in music at Edinburgh University, and her postgraduate studies were at the Royal College of Music, London. While studying, she was awarded a number of scholarships and prizes which, among other things, enabled her to spend summers studying piano accompaniment in Bayreuth and Salzburg. Anna has a busy and varied career as a performer, teacher, accompanist, ABRSM examiner and adjudicator. Engagements have included recitals, both solo and as chamber musician and accompanist, as well as soloist in several piano concertos, in many venues in London and around Britain and abroad. She completed her first international examining tour for ABRSM in Malaysia. Anna currently teaches piano and accompanies at St Albans School, and she also has a thriving private teaching practice at her home in Tring. She is the founder of and runs the successful ‘Piano and more’ concert series at St Peter and St Paul church in Tring, which gives pleasure to many people. She plays orchestral piano with Westminster Philharmonic and the De Havilland Philharmonic and is a founder member of the Icknield Ensemble, with whom she gives many concerts. She has a duo with the violinist Arwen Newband, and their concert schedule has taken them to New Zealand among many other places. Anna has recently recorded a new work, LA Peace Songs, with its composer, Laura Druce, and singers from the Voces8 Foundation, and she has recently performed in such diverse places as York Unitarians and the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington! Details of all of her upcoming performances can be found on her website.

Anna and Alison both grew up in Bedford, and were in the same school year, although at different schools. They didn’t know each other well as teenagers but used to compete against each other in piano classes at the Bedfordshire Music Festival = one or the other would often win! Fast forward to the first decade of the 2000s, and their paths crossed again when Alison came to examine for ABRSM at Tring Park School, where Anna was then working as a piano teacher and accompanist. Shortly after that, Anna adjudicated a piano competition at Kingshott School in Hitchin, where Alison was then Director of Music. A strong friendship and successful duo partnership developed quickly and has lasted ever since! Alison and Anna really enjoy playing together and have given many performances around Hertfordshire and in London. They look forward to many more!