One of the leading clarinettists of his generation, Michael Collins has performed all over the world. With a continuing, distinguished career as a soloist, he has in recent years also become highly regarded as a conductor and in 2010 took the position of Principal Conductor of the City of London Sinfonia.

On Saturday 28 October, 7.30pm at St Mary’s Church, he will be joining the Primrose Piano Quartet for a special concert for Battle Festival. Their programme will include Mozart’s glorious Clarinet Quintet, preceded by Prokofiev’s entertaining Overture on Hebrew Themes, Fauré’s passionate Piano Quartet G minor and the colourful Clarinet Sonata by Poulenc.

Just this month Michael received 5* review in BBC Music Magazine for his new disc of Reger Clarinet Sonatas, with pianist Michael McHale. In the video below he talks about the joy playing music brings.

“I love performing. Without it, I don’t know what on earth I would do…It gives me such joy when I wake up in the morning and I know I’ve got a concert that night, and it doesn’t matter where the concert is, maybe it’s in front of 20 people in a local music club or it’s going to be the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. each and every time for me it’s an important occasion for me and it’s something I get a lot of pleasure from, I always will – I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it.”

Click here for tickets to Mozart Quintet with Michael Collins on Sat 28 Oct at St Mary’s Church, Battle.