Nigel Harrison

Conductor

Nigel began playing piano aged 5 and clarinet aged 11. He was a Junior Exhibitioner at Trinity College of Music. He studied clarinet privately under Alan Hartwell, and was principal clarinet of the Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra. Subsequently, while at Medical School he sang leads in 5 Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas and played two piano concertos with the Charing Cross Hospital orchestra.

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He joined the RAF as a medical officer (1979-1996), after which he took up the position of Consultant Cardiologist at Noble’s Hospital and rediscovered his music, becoming  principal clarinet of the Manx Sinfonia and IOMSO, and played the Krommer Double Clarinet concerto with his colleague Graham Platt. 

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In 2006 he emigrated to New Zealand to work as a specialist physician in Whangarei, Northland. He became principal clarinet of the Northland Sinfonia and with them he played two clarinet concertos - Krommer in Eflat and the Mozart. He was elected principal clarinet of the New Zealand Doctors’ Orchestra in 2012, 2013 and 2015. He conducted the Northland Sinfonia orchestra and the Whangarei Choral Society for 5 years from 2009-2014.

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He and his wife, Caron, returned to the Isle of Man in 2014. Now retired from Medicine and living in Ballaugh, he and Caron are heavily involved with island music, both having sung in the Isle of Man Choral Society and Nigel as principal clarinet of the Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra. He became conductor of the Ramsey Choral Society in 2014 and had his first concert as conductor of the full IOMSO in March 2023.