With a distinguished career as a soloist, Michael Collins has in recent years also become highly regarded as a conductor. He is artistic director in residence of the London Mozart Players, and from 2010 until 2018 he was the principal conductor of the City of London Sinfonia. A commitment to expanding the repertoire of the clarinet has led to premières of works by John Adams, Elliott Carter, Brett Dean and Mark-Anthony Turnage. In great demand as a chamber musician, Collins performs with musicians including the Borodin and Belcea quartets, Martha Argerich, Stephen Hough, Joshua Bell and Steven Isserlis. In association with Wigmore Hall, Collins and violinist Isabelle van Keulen have founded Wigmore Soloists, an ensemble of leading instrumentalists performing a wide range of chamber music repertoire. In 2015, Michael Collins was awarded an MBE for his services to music and in 2017 he received the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year Award.
