Gail Hennessy

GAIL HENNESSY is one of the foremost exponents of the baroque oboe in Britain.  Born in Wisconsin in the USA, she studied modern oboe at the University of Louisville before taking a position as cor anglais player in an orchestra in North Carolina. During her time there she encountered a baroque oboe for the first time, and fell in love with its sound. This, together with her empathy for baroque music, led her to study Historical Performance Practice at Washington University and ultimately drew her to Britain. She has a busy career playing with many of Britain’s early music groups, often appearing as a soloist and chamber musician. She is also a highly regarded teacher and chamber music coach, and teaches baroque oboe at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, as well as at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She also taught for many years at the Dartington International Summer School and Cambridge Early Music Simmer School. She encourages composers to write new music for old instruments, and has premiered works by Jennifer Fowler (1988), Roderick Williams (2004 & 2021), Rhian Samuel (2008), Peter McCarthy (2011 & 2023) and Thea Musgrave (2011). She is also a keen runner, and likes taking cycling holidays in Scotland.