Hollie Whittles

Orchestral Fixer

Hollie has worked with The Arts Centre Telford (TACT) for many years. Hollie previously headed up the instrumental offer at TACT and now takes the role of Orchestral Fixer.

Throughout her school days, music was central to her life and she was a Shropshire Concerto Competition semi-finalist as well as playing with the National Youth Orchestra. Hollie chose to study Business Studies at University.

Some of her noted musical achievements include having the opportunity to play with the CBSO and also at the opening of Birmingham's Symphony Hall, performing in venues such as Birmingham’s Conservatoire, Birmingham Town Hall, Worcester Cathedral, Colston Hall, Coventry Cathedral, Blenheim Palace and touring with Counterpoint at the Ponches Estruval Festival, Picardie, France.

Hollie is a permanent member of the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) conducted by Michael Lloyd and is Principal Clarinet of the Eroica Camerata Orchestra conducted by Peter Marks. She is also regularly asked to play in other orchestral performances including the British Sinfonietta for Alto Productions, the Central England Ensemble for Anna Downes, and Orchestra of the Severn for Bob Wysome, as well as several choral societies across the Midlands.

She is a regular show performer and often both ‘fixes’ and plays in pit orchestras around the West Midlands. Her favourite shows to play for include West Side Story, Les Misérables, Fame, The Producers and Chess. Hollie has even been known to take the stage herself and played the lead role of ‘Sandy’ in a production of Grease!

Chamber music also forms a large part of Hollie’s musical repertoire with regular outings of the Mozart Clarinet Quintet, Brahms Clarinet Quintet, Weber Clarinet Quintet, Schubert Octet, Beethoven Septet, Spohr Nonet and Schubert’s famous ‘Shepherd On The Rock’ for clarinet, soprano voice and piano. She has recorded several of these to disc. Hollie has recently joined a soul band on Tenor Sax which is a whole new world!