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The English harpsichordist, organist and fortepianist, Robert Woolley, studied at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London with Ruth Dyson (1970-1975), attended master-classes given by Kenneth Gilbert and George Malcolm, and made his debut in London in 1976.
Robert Woolley is well known as a harpsichord and organ soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player: his acclaimed solo recordings include discs of harpsichord, organ and fortepiano works by Tallis, Gibbons, Byrd, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Purcell, Matthias Weckmann, Georg Böhm, Georg Frideric Handel, J.S. Bach, Scarlatti and Seixas for EMI, Virgin, Archiv, Hyperion, and Chandos, including discs of the Partitas by J.S. Bach for Chandos.
Robert Woolley has given performances in the UK, USA, South America, Japan, Austria, France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, and was artist-in-residence at Washington University, St. Louis. He regularly broadcasts for the BBC, and programmes have included many recordings on historic organs, harpsichords and fortepianos.
Recently Robert Woolley has played in recital series at Hatchlands (Snetzler chamber organ), Queen's College, Oxford (Frobenius), and at the Grosvenor Chapel (William Drake), and has recorded the first disc in a complete recording of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck's keyboard music on the 17th century van Hagerbeer organ at the Pieterskerk in Leiden.
Robert Woolley is professor of harpsichord and adviser for early music at the Royal College of Music, London, and also works with students privately.
Robert Woolley co-founded the Purcell Quartet in 1984, with which he has made many recordings for Chandos, including the complete concertos for harpsichords by J.S. Bach. Purcell Quartet regularly tours Europe, the USA, South America and Japan and has played at most of the major UK and European Festivals. They gave a concert of J.S. Bach Cantatas in London at The Wigmore Hall on July 28, 2000, the 250th anniversary of J.S. Bach's death. Their recording with Emma Kirkby of cantatas by Dietrich Buxtehude was released in 2004. |
