Angus Meryon was born in 1975 and studied the clarinet from the age of seven with Colin Bradbury, then Principal of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. At sixteen he became a member of the National Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Wind Orchestra, where he was co-leader for two years. He continued his studies at the Royal College of Music with Richard Hosford, performing with the Contemporary Opera Studio of the English National Opera and winning the Roger Fallows Prize for chamber music. After leaving the RCM, Angus has continued to forge a successful freelance career, including two invitations to perform at the Brereton International Music Symposium in Cheshire, hosted by Walter Boeykens and Charles Neidich.

In 1999 Angus was accepted onto the prestigious “Making Music” Concert Promoters Network Scheme for 2001/2, and has continued to develop a busy solo and recital career with his duo partner Richard Saxel. As a Jellinek Award winner Angus’ concerto performances include the Weber, Copland and Mozart concertos in London, Cheltenham, Croydon and Guildford. He made his solo London debut at the Purcell Room in November 2002 as part of the South Bank “Fresh” Series, featuring a world premiere by the young British composer Anthony Bailey.

Angus is strongly committed to music education, and is currently Head of Woodwind at Cranleigh School in Surrey. He is also a consultant for ArtsInsight, which offers workshops, masterclasses and musical training to educational establishments across the UK and abroad. Recent projects have included a visit to South Africa as the featured classical artist on board the QE2, solo recitals at the International Auditorium in the Canary Islands and the Gozo International Music Festival 2006, a series of recitals and education workshops in the Channel Islands, and regular tours to China with the Amadeus Orchestra. Their tour to India featured concerto performances of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante and Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale with the Naach Theatre Company in Mumbai under the auspices of the British Council.

Angus has a keen interest in contemporary music and with his clarinet quartet, Ensemble4, in 2006 gave the UK premieres of works by Karel Janovicky and the Maltese composer Joseph Vella. These pieces will be recorded for the first time in Spring 2009 as part of a CD featuring premieres written for the group. Angus performs regularly with the Martinů Quartet during their UK tours and has appeared with them on BBC Radio 3 as part of the “In Tune” series of lecture recitals. They gave a much acclaimed performance of both the Mozart and the Brahms Clarinet Quintets at the famous Manoel Theatre in Malta in April 2007. Future plans include UK tours with the Martinů Quartet during 2008 and a forthcoming CD of the Reicha and Krommer quintet in 2008/9. Angus has recently formed a Trio with Richard Saxel (piano) and Jitka Vlašánková (cellist with the Martinů Quartet) and they will perform in Prague, St David’s Hall in Cardiff, and venues in Oxford during May 2008. The Trio are Selected Artists for the “Making Music” Concert Promoters Network Scheme for 2009-10.

Angus plays on clarinets made by Peter Eaton, of Effingham in Surrey.