Welcome to Chris Allen’s Web Pages...
I was born in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk, in 1954, the son of a
builder. I received clarinet tuition first
of all at secondary school with George Adam, then at the Royal College
of Music with Colin Bradbury and
Stephen Trier (bass clarinet). I was awarded
the ARCM teaching diploma during my second year at college and on completing my
third year embarked upon a freelance orchestral career - involving work with
London Festival Ballet, Royal Opera, CBSO and many others. This was cut short by illness prompting a
change of career based principally on teaching, though I have continued to play
regularly; indeed, I still play in local
choral and orchestral concerts as well as giving solo performances such as
Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Luton Symphony
Orchestra in 2002 and the St.
Neots Sinfonia in 2004. I also play in
a regular duo with pianist Richard Heyes.
My varied teaching
experience has taken me from schools such as The King’s School, Canterbury and
comprehensive schools in inner London as well as Haberdashers-Aske's School for
Girls, Elstree. In 1979 I settled in
Bedfordshire to work as a peripatetic music teacher and this continues, though
my teaching commitment is now reduced to three days a week in order to devote
more time to playing, composing, arranging and music-copying. I
have little tolerance of stereo-typical teaching methods and do not greatly subscribe to the current day
examination culture; I most certainly
do not approve of any kind of transatlantic-style, hyper-analytical nonsense
such as ‘‘A Common Approach’ believing such schemes to be, at best, a recipe for
mediocrity in the teaching and learning of music. My greatest frustration in education, however, is the
ever-increasing use of jargon and the appalling levels of meaningless
bureaucracy which have become a constant distraction.
I write
music in a wide variety of styles from educational pieces to larger and more
serious works for band and orchestra, setting all this using Sibelius music
software. I am a registered
demonstrator and beta-tester for Sibelius
Software and in 2001 I was awarded
first prize for composing music to demonstrate the playback qualities of that
program. I live in Buckinghamshire with
my family; my hobbies include cooking, walking,
astronomy, photography, art, model railways and
trying to play the piano-accordion. I
enjoy a pint of Adnams ale – especially in my beloved (adopted) Suffolk - as
well as an occasional pint of Guinness and
a bottle of good wine; likewise I am
partial to a pipe of tobacco and have recently developed a real enthusiasm for
the taste of Havana cigars.
The music of Chris Allen Performances
Allen-Heyes Duo An Uncommon Approach Terrierism
…and
listen to the music of Chris Allen on…