Our MD – Chris I’Anson

Chris began playing percussion at the age of fourteen.  Within a year, he was offered a place at the junior department of the Royal  Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) where he studied with the late Eric Hendry.  Chris then became a full-time student at the RSAMD but left after a year to undertake work as a theatre musician on the UK tours of several shows including Singin’ in the Rain, Copacabana and Summer Holiday.  Chris moved on to work as a percussion teacher for North Ayrshire Council for several years and particularly enjoyed working as a tutor and conductor for school and county wind bands and percussion ensembles.  In 2001 he was the recipient of the Yamaha Scottish Instrumental Teacher of the Year Award.

In 2003, Chris took the major decision to leave the sunshine of Scotland and has served as a member of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force since May of that year. As a conductor, Chris is in increasing demand; he is the Musical Director of Chiltern Concert Band in High Wycombe and guest conductor for a number of other community wind bands. He has also had the opportunity to conduct some chamber recitals as part of the Royal Air Force recital series in St Clement Danes Church, most recently Mozart’s Gran Partita for 12 Wind Instruments and Double Bass. Chris likes to think that conducting allows him a greater opportunity to express himself musically but his friends and colleagues suspect that he does it to avoid transporting instruments and to improve his wrong note percentage.