David McClenaghan
Former Principal Horn, RSNO, David McClenaghan has been a member our Brass Department Staff as Horn Teacher since 1991.
Born in Glasgow, David began playing the horn aged 12, and was a founder member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland in 1979, before winning a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London. During his student days, he was a member of the European Community Youth Orchestra, touring Europe and South America with Claudio Abbado, Sir Georg Solti, and Daniel Barenboim.
On leaving college in 1984 David joined Simon Rattle’s City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Horn, before moving to the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera as Principal Horn in 1986, subsequently appearing as guest principal horn with the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and the CBSO.
Three years later he was invited to take up the position of Principal Horn with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, a position he held for 27 years, often appearing as soloist with the orchestra in works by Mozart, Strauss, Gliere and Schumann.
After 30 years as an orchestral principal horn, David took up the position of Fourth Horn with the RSNO, a position he enjoys in conjunction with his teaching and ensemble work at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where a number of his former students have gone on to gain orchestral positions at home and abroad.