Biography

Alexander Hillary is a bassoonist, contrabassoonist and reed maker from the United Kingdom. He studied his undergraduate degree (B.Mus(Hons)) at the Royal Academy of Music where he was fortunate to hold a full scholarship. He will begin his postgraduate studies (M.Mus) at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Trossingen in the winter semester of 2026. During his time at the Academy, he studied the bassoon with Jonathan Davies and Robin O’Neill, contrabassoon with Fraser Gordon and also baroque bassoon with Peter Whelan. Alex has enjoyed many different orchestral opertunnities within London and the wider UK, such as performances with: the RAM Symphony orchestra (including a performance at the BBC proms alongside students from the Julliard school in August 2026), the newly founded CBSO orchestral residency programme in July 2026, the Odyssey Festival orchestra, YMSO and has also played in sit-in sessions with the Phillharmonia orchestra. He has enjoyed working with some of the world's leading conductors such as: Esa-Pekka Salonen, Edward Gardener, Marin Alsop, Kazuki Yamada, Ryan Wigglesworth, Trevor Pinnock, Martin Brabbins, Jac van Steen, Joshua Weilerstein, Roderik Cox, Lawrence Renes and Jonathon Heyward. He has also been fortunate to attend masterclasses across Europe such as: Voksonåsen in Oslo with Fredrik Ekdahl and Audun Halvorsen, Forum Artium in Osnabrück with Ole Kristian Dahl and a masterclass in London with Bram van Sambeek. He has also won the ‘highly commended’ category in the Florence Woodbridge bassoon prize in 2025. Alex also holds an LRAM teaching diploma from the royal academy of music. Alex is originally from Durham in the north east of the United Kingdom and prior to embarking on his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, he was fortunate enough to hold a place on the Centre for Advanced Training program (CAT) At the Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead. Alex currently plays on a Püchner model 23 bassoon.