Fraser Gordon

After several busy years freelancing with the orchestras in Scotland, he was appointed to his current post as Principal Contrabassoon in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2011, following in the footsteps of several notable British contrabassoonists including David Chatterton, Dominic Weir, Kenneth Cooper and Nicholas Reader.

Fraser is a former member of the Board of Directors of the RPO and enjoys being part of every aspect of the orchestra's activity, including being an active participant in the Community and Education programme, RPO Resound. He enjoys performing in major cities around the world and performs regularly as a guest with the other orchestras in London and the UK and has worked with conductors such as Gergiev, Rattle, Noseda, Davis, Ticciati, Volkov and Nelsons.

From his first experience playing contrabassoon in Edinburgh Youth Orchestra to recent performances with the World Orchestra for Peace, Fraser has always enjoyed the supportive and blending role of the contrabassoon within the orchestra. He relishes the opportunities that arise in the world of chamber music, having recorded and toured John Adams’s Chamber Symphony with the Aurora Orchestra and performed Strauss’s Serenades with London Winds.

Fraser is in demand as an examiner and visiting teacher at Conservatoires and Music Schools across the UK and recently co-hosted live broadcast coverage of the Woodwind Category of the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition from St Petersburg, Russia.

Fraser plays on two vintage 1950s Heckel contrabassoons, one previously owned by Richard Plaster formerly of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the other formerly belonging to Dominic Weir.

Photo by Fiona Hanson