Lunchtime Concert: John Peskett, French horn & Tony Halstead, piano

JOHN PESKETT
Following study with Peter Lewis leading to the ARCM performers diploma age 16, John joined the RAF as a bandsman age 17.

In 1986 he went to the Guildhall School of Music studying under Frank Lloyd, Tony Halstead, Tony Chidell and Hugh Seenan.

Leaving in 1990 he entered the London Freelance profession working with such as the London Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera and City of Birmingham SO under conductors including Sir Colin Davis, Mark Elder, Michael Tilson Thomas and Piere Boulez. He worked in lighter ensembles including BBC Concert Orchestra, London Concert Orchestra and RPO pops orchestra, also various West end Shows. 

John performed on period (valveless and early valve) horn with all the major period orchestras, notably Hanover Band, London Classical Players, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and English Concert under conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Roger Norrington, Roy Goodman, Franz Brüggen and Sir John Elliott Gardener, and was appointed professor of early horn at the Birmingham Conservatoire aged 29.

On leaving the full time music profession in 1997 John combined musicianship with the family engineering business and has manufactured many innovative musical products, in particular mouthpieces for horn and all other brass instruments, used by leading professionals and many keen players across the globe. 

Having picked up the horn again he has played recent seasons with the Worthing Philharmonic, Southampton Concert, Havant Symphony, Sussex Symphony and Petersfield Orchestras, including several solo appearances. He is active with various wind chamber ensembles. 

John is proud to be a part time member of the Verger team at Chichester Cathedral.

TONY HALSTEAD
Although known primarily as a horn player and more recently a conductor, Tony Halstead has been a busy keyboard player for nearly 60 years.

While principal horn of the English Chamber Orchestra, Tony studied the harpsichord with the legendary George Malcolm, whose advice and encouragement was of immense benefit when The Hanover Band recorded J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, with Halstead as Director / Soloist, for EMI ‘Classics for Pleasure’. Subsequently the complete cycle of J.C. Bach’s 12 harpsichord and 15 fortepiano concertos was recorded by Halstead and The Hanover Band for the German record company 'cpo', enjoying many excellent reviews.

As a pianist/harpsichordist Tony has worked with many soloists and conductors, who include Pinchas Zukerman, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gidon Kremer, William Bennett, Crispian Steele-Perkins, Christopher Hogwood, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Benedict Preece, as well as horn soloists Stephen Stirling, Frank Lloyd, Hermann Baumann, Richard Watkins, Michael Thompson, Radovan Vlatkovic, Barry Tuckwell, Ifor James and Alan Civil.