Claire McIntyre, sackbut

Born in Stockton-on-Tees, England, Claire McIntyre discovered the sackbut during her Bachelor degree at the University of Birmingham, UK, where her particular interest in early music was encouraged and developed. Having attended summer schools and courses directed by leading early wind instrumentalists, including Susan Addison, Jean Tubéry and Wim Becu, Claire furthered her specialisation with a Master degree in Early Music Performance Practice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland, under the tutelage of Charles Toet. These studies providedthe opportunity to gain an overview, through research and performance, of the entire history of the trombone and its repertoire: from its beginnings in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century alta capella bands to the golden era of Renaissance and early baroque polyphony; followed by the trombone’s occasional yet notable use in the eighteenth-century orchestra and its later more established place in the nineteenth-century symphonic and operatic repertoire; to the instrument’s continued evolution through the twentieth century and up to the present day. Based in France since 2010, Claire performs with leading period instrument ensembles throughout Europe, including Concerto Palatino, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Collegium Vocale Gent, La Fenice, Musica Amphion, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, La Petite Bande, The Gabrieli Consort and Players, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble. Theatre work includes productions at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and in the West End. Claire teaches sackbut and trombone at the Versailles Conservatoire.