About Me

Jacob Redhead started playing the bassoon in 2009, at the age of ten. Before this, he had learned the clarinet to a basic level. Jacob went on to perform with various youth ensembles from his locality, including the East Riding Youth Orchestra and the City of Hull Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, he was awarded a position in the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO), one of the leading amateur orchestras in the country, under the baton of Andrew Penny MBE. With the HPO, Jacob performed in the world premiere of Karl Jenkins’ 6000 Pipes, a commission for Hull City of Culture 2017, which was later broadcast on Classic FM.

In 2017, Jacob began studying music at the University of Huddersfield. However, the following year, he was awarded a place at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), one of the world’s leading conservatoires. Here, he learned bassoon under David Chatwin (former principal of the BBC Philharmonic) and Adam MacKenzie (Principal, Opera North), alongside contrabassoon and reed making. At the RNCM, Jacob was a member of a wind quintet, and has also performed with various college orchestras and ensembles, including appearances on contrabassoon with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra. Jacob graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree with Upper Second-Class Honours in 2021.

Jacob also composes and orchestrates music, and is especially interested in orchestral music for film, TV, and other media. He has written music for a variety of projects for screen, and has arranged and produced musical theatre backing tracks. He uses Cubase and Sibelius in his home studio.

From 2021, Jacob studied towards an MA in Management in the Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of York, graduating with distinction. He had a particular focus on the music streaming industry throughout his studies, however also covered other sectors such as the film industry, gaming industry, charitable sector, and community music.

Today, Jacob is Principal Bassoon of the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra, a position that he has held since 2021. He also teaches the bassoon for Hull Music Service. Jacob is based in the north of England, spending most of his time in Yorkshire, however, is available for bookings throughout the UK on both bassoon and contrabassoon, and is available remotely for composition, arrangement, and orchestration.