Emma Johnson and Gregory Drott
A celebration of the clarinet
Tuesday, 20th October 2026 – 7.30pm
Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham
Emma Johnson: Photo – Frances Marshall
Star clarinettist opens our 75th-anniversary season!
Join us at the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham for a special concert featuring the great clarinettist Emma Johnson.
One of the most famous names in British classical music, Emma is known for her international career as a soloist, recitalist and recording artist. She is joined this evening by pianist Gregory Drott for a programme spanning Mozart, Gershwin and one of her own compositions.
A wonderful evening is guaranteed – and what a way to start this Hexham & District Music Society anniversary season!
Introducing Emma Johnson
Since winning BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was just 17, Emma has become one of the few clarinettists to have established a career as a solo performer.
She has performed worldwide and released more than 30 recordings. Her recent album, English Fantasy, has been streamed over 5 million times on Spotify.
She is also a composer. Her clarinet concerto about the climate crisis, Tree of Life, was first performed in 2023 and has been played throughout the UK by Emma with her hand-picked Orchestra for the Environment.
Praise and recognition for Emma Johnson:
Awarded the MBE in 1996 by Her Majesty the Queen
Awarded the Cobbett Medal in 2020 by the Musicians’ Company Guild in the City of London for distinguished services to chamber music.
‘Johnson’s … warm tone, superb musical taste and very sensitive phrasing’ Washington Post
‘She really is an incredible player.’ The Arts Desk
‘Emma Johnson’s cultured style and impeccable technique’ BBC Music Magazine
Introducing Gregory Drott
Gregory Drott is a concert pianist, conductor, organist, composer and academic.
A prize-winning organ and piano student at both the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, he is now a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists. He is also a former Britten-Pears Young Artist and an alumnus of the Accademia for Répétiteurs (vocal coaches) founded by the great conductor, Sir Georg Solti.
Praise for Gregory Drott:
‘[The] very talented accompanist Gregory Drott on piano [whose] playing greatly enhanced the whole experience.’ – Boston Concert Club
Programme
This evening showcases the great versatility and range of the solo clarinet.
The programme opens with Mozart’s famous Clarinet Quintet, a desert-island piece for music lovers the world over, heard here in its arrangement for clarinet and piano as the Grande Sonata.
In contrast, Weber’s ebullient and virtuosic Grand Duo Concertant of 1816 displays the instrument at its most brilliant.
The programme then moves into the 20th century with music by George Gershwin and the French composer Francis Poulenc. It also includes Emma Johnson’s own Scottish Fantasy for clarinet and piano.
Mozart Grande Sonata, K581a (arrangement of Clarinet Quintet, K581)
Weber Grand Duo Concertant in E flat major, op. 48
Poulenc Clarinet Sonata, op. 184
Emma Johnson Scottish Fantasy
Gershwin (arr. Johnson and Lenehan) Tribute to Benny Goodman
Watch a recent performance
Ukrainian Folk Melody – accompanied by Gregory Drott
Emma plays the Larghetto from Mozart’s clarinet quintet, K581a, with John Lenehan. (As arranged for clarinet and piano.)
An exhilarating performance of Gershwin’s ‘I Got Rhythm’ with John Lenehan
Book your tickets
A very special evening in store with two great musicians and an inspiring start to our anniversary season. Do join us!
Book direct with Hexham & District Music Society for the best ticket price.
Event details
Venue: Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, Northumberland
Date: Tuesday, 20th October 2026
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: Online through the Hexham and District Music Society website – £20.
Also available from the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre – £23 plus booking fee.
