B i o g r a p h y
Anthony Pike was born in Seoul, Korea, and studied the clarinet with Julian Farrell in London, Robert Marcellus in Chicago and Dame Thea King At the Royal College of Music. Anthony is the principal clarinet with the English Chamber Orchestra (E.C.O.), and has performed concertos with them worldwide.
He has also appeared as guest principal with most of the British orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Chamber music collaborators have included Christian Zacharias, Ralph Gothóni, Joachim Trio, Medici and Tippet Quartets and E.C.O. Ensemble. He is a founder member of the London Soloists Ensemble (John Lenehan, Lorraine McAslan, Sarah-jane Bradley and Karine Georgian),the resident ensemble at St. Johns Smith Square.
He is regularly invited, as chamber musician and soloist, to appear at international festivals which have included Edinburgh, Johannesburg, Nordland, Hong Kong and Bermuda.
Despite reading Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Magdalen College, Oxford, Anthony gradually became more absorbed with playing the clarinet. The National Federation of Music Societies' "Young Artist" award provided a springboard for his recital career, and he made his Wigmore Hall debut in 1994. Concerto appearances at the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, Cadogan Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall followed.
Anthony's discography includes Mozart Concerto for Basset Clarinet with Ralph Gothóni and the E.C.O., the complete works for clarinet by Max Reger (Martin Jones, piano), Copland Clarinet Sextet and a recent recording of Ralph Vaughan Williams's Quintet on the London Soloists Ensemble debut CD.
Anthony is also a sought after and experienced teacher. He was a Professor of Clarinet at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama between 1997 and 2003, and currently teaches at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. He is regularly invited to sit on judging panels for Music Colleges and awards committees. Anthony plays on Selmer Recital Clarinets.
Studio and Film
Anthony Pike's is a familiar face in the studios of London. His earliest projects were with John Barry and the E.C.O., notably The Scarlet Letter (1995) and The Beyondness of Things (1999). He has played on soundtracks for a wide range of films, some of the most memorable being the more recent James Bond Films, Harry Potter, Shrek and the Romeo + Juliet. His are the haunting clarinet solos on the Oscar-winning score for Atonement. and any fans of the television series 'Lewis' will have heard Anthony representing the eponymous detective in the familiar theme tune.
He is also to be heard on albums by artists as diverse as Joni Mitchel, Robbie Williams, Björk and Bryan Ferry, and he recently completed tours with the late legend, Lou Reed.
London Soloists Ensemble
Anthony is a founding member of the London Soloists Ensemble