Kay Dawson

Kay's interest in brass playing started at a very early age listening to her father play soprano cornet with Aveley Brass Band. Although starting on the cornet, when told at her local music school there were no more spaces for cornets but there were for the French horn and generally only boys played the instrument she took up the challenge!
At 14 Kay became a member of the Essex Youth Orchestra under the direction of Denis Wick. During her time in the orchestra she was principle horn and soloist performing both Mozart 4th and Strauss 1st Horn concertos. She was also a member of the Essex Youth Brass Ensemble under the direction of George Reynolds.
Kay went on to study the French horn at the Royal College of Music studying with Julian Baker and Simon Rayner. During her time there she was a founder member of the Beaufort Wind Ensemble with whom she performed the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with the RCM Sinfonietta as well as giving a recital for wind and piano at the Wigmore Hall. Outside of college she was a member of the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra with whom she played both French horn and Wagner tuba, the orchestra gave her the opportunity to play in all of the major London concert halls.
After leaving college Kay freelanced in London playing both in the West End production and subsequent tour of Jerome Kern's Showboat and at Covent Garden.
Kay moved to Suffolk in 1992. She now teaches French horn in private schools in both Suffolk and Essex. She regularly plays with orchestras in Essex and Suffolk as well as having a busy schedule with various chamber ensembles. Recent performances include the Berkley and Brahms horn trios with John Stafford and Caroline Mitchell, and the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and strings with Neil Mackie and the Lavenham Sinfonia.
Kay has 2 children, Owen and Georgia both of whom enjoy playing music and who keep her very busy when she's not working!