BIOGRAPHY

Alan Emslie is a Scottish timpanist, baroque timpanist, percussionist, drummer & multi-instrumentalist.

Most people cannot understand how someone can love such diverse music styles as Baroque music & Drone/Doom Progressive Metal (never mind manage to play them), but for Alan Emslie they are one and the same & learnt from an early age to listen to and appreciate all sounds of quality.

Before going to music college in Scotland, Alan was already working professionally with the likes of The Scottish Chamber Orchestra & during his musical training he performed extensively with The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Opera Orchestra, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra as well as with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Ballet Orchestras.

In 1995 he began his love affair with early music and period instrument performance and this led to work with The Academy of Ancient Music, The English Concert, London Baroque, La Stagione Frankfurt, The Sixteen & Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. Alan was invited to become a member of  The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and was principal timpanist of Anima Eterna Symphony Orchestra in Belgium from 1995-1999.



Today Alan performs regularly with the Academy of Ancient Music (pictured above), Le Concert d'Astree with Emmanuelle Haim (France), The Nederlandse Bachvereniging (The Netherlands), Ludus Baroque (Scotland), The Avison Ensemble (England), The Dunedin Consort (Scotland),  the New Utrecht Philharmonic (The Netherlands) and is principal timpanist of 'Harmonieband' and the orchestra 'Army of Generals' both conducted by Charles Hazlewood.

With Harmonieband and Army of Generals, Alan has filmed several major television series for BBC television including The Genius of Mozart (3 films BBC2 2004 ), Mozart Uncovered (3 films BBC4 2004), Beethoven (3 films 2005), Beethoven Uncovered (BBC4 2005) and 'The Birth of British Music' a four part series for BBC2 (aired May 2009) featuring the music of Purcell, Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn.

As well as being a timpanist, Alan is also a percussionist, multi-instrumentalist & drummer playing a huge range of music styles ranging from Improvised to Metal & everything in between! Highlights include PLASTIC NOOSE, DIMP - Dark Improvised Music Project, The Super Furry Animals, Billy Bates, Alan's solo CD's Emotive Bay, Driven Heavy & Dark Matter and the JOHN IRVINE BAND.

Selected Discography below:

TIMPANI RECORDINGS:

HANDEL: MESSIAH (Dublin version 1742)
The Dunedin Consort, John Butt CKD 285