A passionate advocate for the bassoon, Amy Harman is much sought after as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and communicator.
Amy was a professor at the Royal Academy of Music from 2013 to 2024 and gives masterclasses and coaches internationally. She was appointed professor of bassoon at the Robert Schumann Hochshule Düsseldorf in 2024, the first woman to hold such a position in Germany.
Aged 23 Amy was appointed solo bassoon of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Sought after as guest principal with leading orchestras in Europe including Paavo Järvi’s EFO and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, she is currently principal of Aurora Orchestra. She was selected by YCAT in 2014.
Solo highlights include premiering Roxanna Panufnik’s concerto for bassoon & string orchestra with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Strauss’s Concertino with the English Chamber Orchestra, Mozart’s Concerto at the Festival Suoni dal Golfo in Lerici and appearing as a flying soloist at the world premiere of Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht. Amy was the first bassoonist to perform a live broadcast solo recital for BBC radio 3. She performs recitals regularly in UK and Germany with her collaborator Tom Poster. She has taken part in festivals internationally including Pärnu, Spoleto USA, Aldeburgh, Tbilisi, West Cork, Ryedale, Bath mozartfest and Mizmorim festivals and regularly attends IMS Prussia Cove.
Amy has had works written for her by Olav Berg, Heloïse Werner, Brian Elias, Roxanna Panufnik, Robin Holloway and Simon Holt.
Chamber music is at the heart of Amy’s performing life. She was a member of Ensemble 360 for 10 years and appears regularly with the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, Wigmore Halls’ artists in association from 2020. She is a member of the Orisino Wind Quintet founded by Adam Walker and records for Chandos.