Biography of Rosemary Channin
Background
Rosemary was surrounded by music from an early age – her mother played and taught the cello having graduated from the Academy of Music in London, her father was a pianist, and her grandparents and aunts were also musical. She went to the Hereford Waldorf School where she sang and studied the recorder before moving on to the violin, on which she achieved a high standard. For details of her experience as a violinist please scroll down to the section headed “Violinist”.
In November 1999 Rosemary gained a distinction in grade 5 Theory, having just started at Hereford Cathedral School (HCS) where she held a Music Exhibition from 1999-2004. Rosemary took up the French Horn just before starting at HCS, and soon realized that she wanted to continue with it to a professional level. For details of her experience as a horn player please scroll down to the section headed “French Horn Player”.
Rosemary held a Music Scholarship and Bursary to the Hereford Cathedral School Sixth Form where she stayed for a year before moving to the Hereford Sixth Form College to complete her second year of A Levels (which included gaining an A in Music). During her time at the sixth form college she passed grade 8 Tenor Horn (2006), and played solo horn with the Hereford Youth Brass Band and Ross-on-Wye Town Band. This was only a passing phase however, and the French Horn has remained her main instrument.
Rosemary will graduate in 2010 with a Batchelor of Music (Hons) from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) having held a full academic scholarship throughout her degree. She is considering building a portfolio career based upon musicians’ health and wellbeing using her experiences as a musician and teacher to help and empower other musicians to perform at their maximum potential.
Please read the sections below to discover more about Rosemary’s experiences and what she can offer as a musician. Please also explore the Sound Samples, Photo Gallery and Events pages, or send her an email for more information – the email address can be found on the Contact page.
French Horn Player
Rosemary began playing the French Horn aged 11, and has studied with Clare Briggs (CBSO), and Ian Fisher (BBC National Orchestra of Wales). She currently studies with Angus West (Principal Horn of the Welsh National Opera).
Within a few years of picking up the horn Rosemary became principal horn of the Herefordshire Concert Band (with whom she recently recorded a CD), the Hereford Youth Concert Band, and the Hereford Sixth Form College’s Orchestra and Concert Band. She has also played for the Hereford Orchestra and Bromyard Wind Band on several occasions.
In 2004, Rosemary took part in a side-by-side course which involved working with professional musicians from the English Symphony Orchestra, and the following year played with the English Symphony Youth Orchestra, touring with them to Sicily. Other music courses that she has taken part in have included the Music For You Symphonic Wind Band course (2005), and the Harlech Orchestral Summer School (2007). In October 2008 she auditioned for a professional placement with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
While studying the horn at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Rosemary is playing with the RWCMD Horn Ensemble, the RWCMD Symphony Orchestra, and the RWCMD Wind Orchestra. For details of past and upcoming events please see the Events page.
Rosemary has taken part in a number of workshops, consultation lessons and masterclasses, working with professional horn players such as Simon de Sousa, Paul Basler, Tim Thorpe, Richard King, Richard Watkins, Tim Jackson and Michael Thompson.
For information on solo, orchestral and other repertoire that Rosemary has covered, or to book her for an engagement, please send her an email (see the Contact page)
Pentatonic Brass
Pentatonic Brass is a brass quintet based at RWCMD, of which Rosemary is the French horn player. The quintet has taken part in masterclasses with groups such as Fine Arts Brass and Onyx Brass, and has performed in several RWCMD concerts (see the Events page) as well as at the Wales Millennium Centre and Cardiff Castle. In 2006 they began taking Outreach projects into primary schools across Gwent, introducing young people to brass instruments and to different genres of classical music in conjunction with the National Curriculum.
Pentatonic Brass are building up their range of repertoire and are seeking as wide a range of performing experience as possible. If you are interested in finding out more about booking them for an event, please send an email either to Rosemary or to the Pentatonic Brass email address, both of which can be found on the Contact page.
Brass Teacher
Rosemary has taught pupils of varying ages and abilities and is working towards taking a diploma in teaching – DipABRSM (teaching) – in June 2008. Meanwhile she is gaining experience through Teaching Skills classes at RWCMD and is learning to teach all the brass instruments, although the horn will remain her specialist instrument.
Rosemary has shadowed a peripatetic brass teacher for two one week intervals to gain experience, and during this time she did some teaching under guidance, and tutored a secondary school brass ensemble. She has worked with members of the Hereford Youth Training Brass Band, and currently does Outreach projects in primary schools with her brass quintet Pentatonic Brass. She will be doing a module on Workshop Leadership in January, involving working with children on an educational instrumental project. Rosemary also works as an auxiliary for the Junior Music and Access Studies department at RWCMD which involves helping with the Junior Orchestra.
For more information on individual lessons from Rosemary or any other aspect of her teaching skills, please send her an email (see the Contact page).
Composer and Arranger
Rosemary began composing from an early age, writing recorder pieces and songs for herself and her friends. She now writes in a range of styles for any group of instruments, so far including horn quartets, brass quintets, string quartets, a movement of a concerto for horn and string orchestra, violin ensemble, wind band. Her most recent compositions include Ripples for piano, The Haunted House (film music for a 3 minute clip) for mixed ensemble, and Eagle’s Flight for solo flute. She is currently working on The Evening Star for SATB A Capella chorus, and May Hill Atmospheres for string orchestra and trumpet.
Rosemary has arranged pieces for a number of different groups. Recent arrangements include the song The Headless Horseman from the pantomime Sleepy Hollow for children’s choir and piano for Barrs Court School in Hereford, Nocturne from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Mendelssohn) for brass quintet as a horn feature, and numerous popular children’s tunes for horn and piano and horn and trumpet duets with piano.
Rosemary also writes out parts from scores using Sibelius software, for example if the individual part has been lost, or if a part is required to be transposed or put into another clef or simply made easier to read.
For more information on Rosemary’s compositions, to commission a piece, to ask about having something arranged, or to have a part written out, please use the email address on the Contact page.
Soprano
Rosemary enjoyed singing from an early age and sang in her school and sixth form massed and chamber choirs, including the Hereford Cathedral girls choir, and had a year of singing lessons with Sue Hughes and Alison Sutton. In 2006 she went with her County choir to St. Mark’s, Venice, where they sang Latin Mass under the direction of Dr. Stefan Scott.
Rosemary has experience singing a wide range of repertoire from Byrd to Elgar to Whitacre. She often sings for liturgical ceremonies and services, most recently taking part in a Remembrance Service singing Faure’s Requiem, conducted by Christopher Mowat.
To ask Rosemary any questions related to her singing experience or to book her for an engagement, please send her an email (see the Contact page). Please note that she does choir/chamber group work only and will not accept requests for sung solo items.
Violinist
Rosemary began playing the violin aged 7 and stayed with her teacher Hazel Davis until she moved to Cardiff to begin studying the horn at RWCMD. Rosemary attained grade 8 violin with distinction in May 2003 and as the violinist of a piano trio, she played in the final of the 2004 National Chamber Music Competition in St. John Smith Square, London. She led the Hereford Cathedral School orchestra, the Hereford Sixth Form College Orchestra, and the Hereford Youth Orchestra with whom she performed Beethoven’s Romance in F. She has performed other violin solos with orchestras, including Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.4 and Double Violin Concerto, and Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso for Four Violins and Orchestra. Rosemary has also played in the violin section of the English Symphony Youth Orchestra and Hereford String Orchestra, as well as in various chamber groups. She has done orchestral pit work, including shows such as Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance and Yeomen of the Guard.
For more information about Rosemary’s violin playing or to book her for an engagement please send an email to the email address on the Contact page.