About the Musical Director, Martin Hinckley

Martin plays clarinet, bassoon and piano and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra, both as a clarinettist and composer. He read music at Cambridge University and holds a further music degree from Durham University. He studied clarinet with Georgina Dobrée and Thea King, and composition with Herbert Howells and Patrick Gowers.

He taught music in a variety of schools for 15 years before becoming Music Adviser for Redbridge LEA, during which time he composed works for children’s choirs and orchestra that he directed at the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall. He then became Adviser for Music and Art in Hounslow in West London, and a schools inspector.

He took early retirement in 2006 and now has the time to devote to his own musical interests. As well as directing the Thameside Clarinet Choir, he performs with a variety of local orchestras and as a soloist, and sings in Concordia Voices, a local choir. He also plays a large part in the musical life of his local church, St. James in Hampton Hill. He has composed two original pieces for the TCC with more in the pipeline and is continuing the tradition of arranging music for the Choir.