Paul Harris – Head of Department : Woodwind

Paul Harris has established an international reputation as a musician and educationalist.  As a pupil of John Davies at the Royal Academy of Music (where he now teaches), he won the August Manns Prize for outstanding performance in clarinet playing. 

He regularly presents workshops, seminars, recitals and masterclasses in the UK, the USA, Denmark, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. Among his performances include the Mozart, Finzi, Spohr, and Weber concertos;  many recitals and performances of various chambers works including most of the clarinet quintets,  the Kegellstadt innumerable times with violist Robert Secret, the two Krommer Double Concertos with Jean Cockburn, and he regularly plays in a voice, two clarinets and piano ensemble.

He has given first performances of various Malcolm Arnold works including the re-discovered Wind Quintet Op.2 and he has contributed to a CD recording of works by lesser-known British composers. The clarinet prodigy Julian Bliss was a pupil. He has been a judge for the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the Classic FM’s teacher of the year and he works regularly with NYWO and NCCO as their woodwind tutor.

He is presently writing a new book on clarinet playing. His books on education (which include two clarinet tutors, a variety of works from short solo pieces to concertos and a ballet, and other books that deal primarily with stimulating and helping young players to develop their musical skills) have won awards. 

Paul’s innovative teaching methods and (over six hundred) books have found support all over the world and combine thoroughness, imagination and practicality, the defining qualities of his outstandingly successful work.