Principal Clarinet Timothy Orpen
When did you join the RSNO?
September 2020
Where are you from?
Geelong, Australia but my parents family home is in Wimborne, Dorset
Where did you study?
The Royal Academy in London and the Hochschule für Musik, Karlsruhe, Germany
What do you enjoy most about being in the RSNO?
Talented colleagues and sharing amazing music with people all over Scotland
What is your favourite RSNO story?
I’ve only just joined so ask me again after a tour and I’ll let you know! On the other hand, what happens on tour stays on tour…
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not playing with the Orchestra?
Playing football with my two boys and getting into the hills and stunning landscape of Scotland
Do you have any hidden talents?
No. But the question makes me feel I ought to develop some…
If you could have dinner with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be, and why?
My wife Fiona. Other options include Vasco de Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, the Buddha, or Mozart if some after dinner Piano improvisation was on the cards. Also mountaineers Reinhold Messner and George Mallory. With the the help of an extremely skilled interpreter it could make an interesting dinner party!
You’re stranded on a desert island. You’re allowed three albums and one book. What would they be, and why?
I’m going to totally cheat this answer and make my own overly long compilation (including but not limited to the following): Guillaume de Machaut – Notre Dame Mass, Bach – Goldberg Variations, Domenico Scarlatti – Keyboard Sonatas, Mozart (complete works), etc etc. Plus some Herbie Hancock. My book has to be The Toucan Brothers by Tor Freeman as it would remind me of my kids.
