Tom Allen, host

James Sommerville is the Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic. He adds this title, and a growing conducting career, to his duties as principal horn of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, horn soloist and chamber musician.

Earlier stints with the orchestras of Toronto and Montreal, and several guest appearances with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe brought a great deal of travel and a large discography as an orchestral player. A first prize winner at the international solo competitions of Munich and Toulon, Mr. Sommerville has presented critically acclaimed performances throughout North America and Europe. His 1998 recording of the Mozart Horn Concertos won the JUNO Award for Best Classical Recording in Canada, and his recordings of Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings and Canticle III were also widely praised.

Mr. Sommerville performs regularly at many music festivals, and has recorded chamber music for the DG, Telarc, Marquis and CBC labels. He has conducted orchestras at Tanglewood, the New England Conservatory, and the Longy School, among others. The past year’s performiing calendar brought stops in Northern Ontario; Kobe, Japan; Italy, Costa Rica, Switzerland, France, England, Germany and many other stops in Canada and the USA.

Recent notable solo performances have included the world premiere of Christos Hatzis’ Winter Solstice, performed in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; the American premiere of Ligeti’s Hamburg Concerto; the John Williams Horn Concerto; the Weber Concertino on the valveless classical horn and the Elliot Carter Horn Concerto commissioned for him by the BSO.

In 2009, Jamie adds conducting engagements in Halifax, Boston and Parry Sound to his playing schedule. 2010 will see more weeks at the helm of the Hamilton Philharmonic, celebrating 125 years of orchestral music in Hamilton, and chamber music performances in the UK and China.