Katherine Grant
BA (Hons), LRAM, Dip RAM, PGCE
Katherine was born Katherine Warren in Jersey in 1975. She attended Beaulieu Convent School from the age of 4, beginning piano lessons with Timothy De Quetteville at the age of 5. After being introduced to the recorder at school she began her studies on the flute at the age of 10 initially with Liz Laurens and then with Helen Reid. Throughout her school career she was a regular competitor and class winner in the Jersey Eisteddfod and the Johnny Begley Competitions (the pre-cursor to the PWC Jersey Young Musician of the Year competition) on both instruments. At the age of 15 Katherine was fortunate to gain financial support from the John Lobb Memorial Trust Fund. This support enabled her to continue her piano studies locally with Jean Randles with a new piano to practice on, and to visit London to pursue her flute studies, new flute in hand, with Anna Noakes.
After completion of her A-levels at the age of 17, Katherine studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire (1993-96) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree after piano studies with Mark Racz (1st year) and flute studies with Christopher Steward and Elena Duran. During her time at Birmingham she was successful in many competitions, including the BMI Award, and was the winner of the 1996 Concerto Competition which gave her the opportunity to perform the Liebermann Concerto with the Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra.
From 1996-98 she furthered her flute studies on the Postgraduate Performance Course at The Royal Academy of Music in London with Sebastian Bell, Kate Hill, Keith Bragg and Michael Cox. She won the prestigious John Solomon Wind and Brass Prize, was Principal Flute for the RAM Sinfonia’s 1998 tour of China and Japan, and she took part in the Academy’s first CD recording of ensemble works, entitled ‘Biber to Birtwisle’.
As a freelance flautist Katherine was fortunate to have a varied career as a solo and chamber music player. Solo performances include the Mozart and Nielsen Concertos as well as many solo recitals around the country. As a member of the chamber group ‘Kantak’ she performed at various London venues including St. John Smith’s Square, the Purcell Room (on the South Bank), as part of the Spitalfied’s Festival and at the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park as part of the BBC Prom series. Katherine also helped form the group ‘Farrago’, organizing various charity events including a concert for the Friends of the Royal Academy, when newsreader and journalist John Suchet narrated their performance of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale.
(For further details of Katherine’s teaching experience please see her sister website www.jerseymusiclessons.com )
On returning to Jersey in 2004 to take up the position of Head of Music at a local school Katherine maintained her performing career. She is a member of the Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Jersey Chamber Orchestra. She has also taken on other performances including playing Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf with the King’s Chamber Orchestra as part of the local film festival, ‘Branchage’.