Flautist Hannah Gillingham is a Second year Master of Performance Scholar at The Royal College of Music, studying flute with both Sue Thomas & Gitte Marcusson and piccolo with Stewart Mcllwham, generously supported by the Dasha Shenkman Scholarship. She also completed her undergraduate studies at the RCM and was awarded a First Class Honours degree, alongside the 2020 Flute Prize in the annual RCM Woodwind Competition playing Jolivet's Cinq Incantations. At college she has also been principal in both the RCM Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras, performed in numerous concerts with the Wind Ensemble and played at the Opera House with The Albert Wind Quintet. She has also recently had the incredible opportunity to perform in the Oxford Philharmonic’s masterclass with Emmanuel Pahud. 

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Hannah began learning the flute at the age of 7 in Oxford, first with Caroline Hobbs-Smith, and then Robert Manasse. Orchestral playing has always been at the heart of her music-making and she played in the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain for four years and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for two years. With the latter, she has toured in France and played under conductors including Nicholas Collon, Kristjan Järvi, Thomas Adès and John Wilson, playing in concert venues such as the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and Symphony Hall, Birmingham.  Highlights with the NYO included two BBC Prom concerts and a recording for Chandos of Holst’s ‘The Planets’ with Edward Gardner. Hannah has also twice been awarded a place as a Young Apprentice with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. 

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As a soloist, Hannah has on five occasions been the recipient of the Leon Goossens Cup for the highest overall woodwind mark in the Oxford Music Festival, and has twice won the Open Concerto Class. In 2015 she won the Burford Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and was a semi-finalist in the Oxford Philharmonic’s Youth Concerto Competition. She was then a finalist in this competition in 2017, playing Reinecke’s ‘Ballade’ in the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford under Marios Papadopoulos. Hannah has also played solos in many recitals in and around Oxford, including the Holywell Music Room, St. Anne’s College, the Sheldonian Theatre as part of The Young Artists’ Platform award and Dorchester Abbey. 

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Hannah enjoys playing the flute in a wide range of musical genres and a two year period as a Leverhulme Scholar at Aldeburgh Young Musicians (2013-2015) enabled her to work closely with world music groups such as Lokkhi Tera at the Snape Proms, LedBib at the London Jazz Festival and with Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and Simon Wallfisch for a televised performance at the National Holocaust Day 70th Anniversary Remembrance Service.  

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Hannah is also passionate about fostering a love of music in young people. She has tutored young instrumentalists and conducted ensembles at both primary and secondary level, done music education outreach with toddlers and babies and currently works at the RCM Junior Department which she enjoys thoroughly.