Biography

Sharon was born in 1985 and started her musical career at the age of 7 when she successfully scored one of the highest marks in a musical examination, the prize for which was the chance to learn the violin which she carried on with until grade 5. Sharon then joined ‘All Saints Clifton Church’ Choir as a chorister and continued to practise there for the next 8 years. During the eight years Sharon went on to sing solos and small ensemble works as well as full choir works, earning the prestigious red ribbon from the Royal School of Church Music and becoming a team leader.

Sharon Reading freelance oboe and cor anglais musician At the age of 10, Sharon was offered the chance to extend her musical studies by learning a woodwind instrument. After taking up the oboe, Sharon received lessons from many different woodwind tutors and continued to progress to a very high standard despite the lack of specialist double reed tutor.

After moving to her local upper school, Sharon started to learn the soprano saxophone and viola as well as receiving oboe lessons from oboist Christopher Crosby who coached her through her grade 8, grade 5 music theory and successfully prepared her for her music college auditions.

In 2003, Sharon took up a place at the Birmingham Conservatoire, studying the oboe under George Caird, Jenni Philips and Richard Weigall, the Cor Anglais under Anna Cooper and the Baroque Oboe under Gail Hennessey. She completed her studies for a Bmus(Hons) in 2007 earning a respectable 2.1 classification as well as winning the Antony Miller Oboe Prize. Sharon successfully auditioned to study for the prestigious Mmus postgraduate course also at the Birmingham Conservatoire which she completed in 2009 with a merit. Whilst studying for her Masters, Sharon successfully won a place on the CBSO (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra) scheme and the principal cor anglais chair on the 'Orchestra Europa / RPO (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) Scheme'.

Having completed her studies, Sharon is now working full-time as a performer and teacher and is hoping to further her studies within the next year.

Individual Tuition

George Caird, Anna Cooper, Christopher Cowie, Christopher Crosby, Nicholas Daniel, Gail Hennessey, Gordon Hunt, Karen O’Connor, Jenni Philips, Axel Schmidt, David Theodore, Peter Walden and Richard Weigall.

Master Classes

John Anderrson, Ruth Bollister, Christopher Cowie, Ole- Henrik Dahl, Nicholas Daniel, Helena Gaunt, Ingo Gorizki, Gordon Hunt, Karen O’Connor, Emily Pailthorpe, Mark Radcliffe, Christopher Redgate, Anthony Robson, Edwin Roxburgh, Joseph Sanders, Axel Schmidt, David Theodore.

For more information, please view my Orchestral Experience and Competitions pages. In addition, you can view my C.V.