BEETHOVEN 251 - Beethoven's Horn Sonata op.17 features in a young artists' artists' recital by Royal Academy of Music (London) stars Florence Plane (bassoon) and George Strivens (French horn). The recital will also premiere a duo written especially for Flo and George by Queen's student Matt Dowie.

George Strivens is an extremely passionate French Horn player who enjoys a varied career of solo, chamber and orchestral playing. Upcoming solo engagements include recitals at the Richard-Strauss-Institut in Germany and Queen’s University, Belfast.

George plays with the Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra and was invited to the Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander in 2020. Previously he was Principal Horn of National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great Britain and Hallé Youth Orchestra.

As a strong advocate for new music, George is a member of the London Sinfonietta Academy and has had works for Solo Horn dedicated to him by Piers Hellawell, Martin Bussey and Tom Harrold. With Ensemble Renard, George is a Chamber Music Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) and has worked closely with the composers Hans Abrahamsen and John Woolrich.

George received a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music and has had the privilege of being taught by Richard Watkins, Michael Thompson, Katy Woolley and Martin Owen. George is extremely grateful for generous support from the Royal Philharmonic Society.

Flo Plane is a fourth-year bassoonist at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Robin O’Neill and Jonathan Davies. Born in Cardiff, where she began learning with Bob Codd, she continued her studies at Chetham’s School of Music from 2016-2018 with Ben Hudson.

 She is the former principal bassoon of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and a former member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, out of which Lumas Winds was formed, a dynamic wind quintet consisting of a combination of students from the Royal Academy and the Royal College of Music. Lumas Winds have recently performed at the Corbridge Chamber Music Festival as Young Artists in Residence, presenting Ligeti Sechs Bagatellen, Ravel String Quartet in F Major (arr. Popkin), and Poulenc Sextet with pianist Benjamin Frith.

 Watch the live stream here