Sarah Burnett
When did you join the LMP?
2010
Where else do you work?
I’m a member of Britten Sinfonia, The Haffner Wind Ensemble and teach at the Royal College of Music. I am also Bassoon Consultant at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.. Any free time after that takes me up and down the country, working for other orchestras as guest principal, as well as giving masterclasses and doing the odd bit of session work.
When did you start playing the bassoon?
Aged 11
What is your first musical memory?
Playing for the first time ever in an orchestra. It was Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony with the National Youth Orchestra. I was only 12 and was totally overwhelmed by the sheer raw power of the music.
What is special about your instument?
It’s an old 1927 Heckel with a huge history, and it happens to have been made the same year as my house was built. It has a warm singing voice with many individual quirks, which always makes it interesting to play. Shostakovich said the bassoon was the instrument closest to the human voice; I don’t think you can get a better compliment than that.
What do you do in your spare time?
I love being outdoors, whether it’s just pottering in the garden, going for walks and cycles or having a barbeque. Friends and family are extremely important to me; there’s nothing better than sharing food and wine with those you love.
