Alastair Roberts was born in Sale and started to play the flute at the age of twelve. He was awarded a Junior Exhibition to the Royal Manchester College of Music, where his teachers included Peter Lloyd, who was for many years principal flute of the London Symphony Orchestra. He studied for four years at the Royal Northern College of Music with David Butt (first flute of the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra) and Trevor Wye. On leaving college, he took up a teaching post in Yorkshire and in 1980 he moved to Lancashire as head of the music department of a comprehensive school. Having “retired” from that post after 37 years in teaching, he spent a year teaching in the Music Department of the Manchester Grammar School – an interesting contrast to his earlier teaching career….
He plays regularly with a number of orchestras in the Manchester area including the Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra and the Cheshire Sinfonia. As soloist he has given several performances of the J.S. Bach Suite in B minor, the Mozart flute and harp concerto and the Concerto Lirico of the East Anglian composer, Jack Hawes. Alastair has also performed the Khachaturian flute concerto, the Nielsen flute concerto the Chaminade Concertino, the Telemann Suite in A minor and the Brandenburg Concertos Numbers 2 and 4. He recently played the solo flute part in Jonathan Dove’s “Magic Flute Dances” He has been involved in several recordings with Victorian Opera, including two for the Naxos label. He is a member of several chamber groups that perform regularly throughout the North West of England including the Telemann Baroque Ensemble.
He plays regularly with a number of orchestras in the Manchester area including the Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra and the Cheshire Sinfonia. As soloist he has given several performances of the J.S. Bach Suite in B minor, the Mozart flute and harp concerto and the Concerto Lirico of the East Anglian composer, Jack Hawes. Alastair has also performed the Khachaturian flute concerto, the Nielsen flute concerto the Chaminade Concertino, the Telemann Suite in A minor and the Brandenburg Concertos Numbers 2 and 4. He recently played the solo flute part in Jonathan Dove’s “Magic Flute Dances” He has been involved in several recordings with Victorian Opera, including two for the Naxos label. He is a member of several chamber groups that perform regularly throughout the North West of England including the Telemann Baroque Ensemble.