Peter Facer grew up in Hertfordshire and then attended Girton College, Cambridge where he read music, graduating with a double first class degree. He then studied as a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he graduated with distinction and earned the DipRAM for an outstanding final exam. After this, he moved to Germany to continue his studies at music conservatoires in Hanover and Rostock. During his final semester, he won the position of principal oboe with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
After working for WASO for a few years, he relocated to the UK where he was appointed to the position of co-principal oboe with the Britten Sinfonia. He now divides his time between Britten Sinfonia engagements, guesting with other British orchestras, and giving solo concerts. During his tenure with Britten Sinfonia, a recent highlight has been performing in the complete Beethoven symphony cycle, a series of live recorded concerts under the baton of Thomas Adès.
Peter also enjoys frequent collaborations with conductor John Wilson and has played in many of his celebrated Hollywood Spectacular concerts. He is a founder member of Wilson’s newest venture: the Sinfonia of London, a hand-picked orchestra comprising the finest players from Britain’s orchestral scene. Though in its infancy, the orchestra has already won a BBC Music Magazine award for orchestral music.
As a recitalist, Peter regularly gives concerts for music societies across the nation, often working with the pianist Richard Uttley, another Cambridge alumnus. As a concerto soloist, Peter has performed the Marcello Oboe Concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, and whilst with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra gave the premiere performance of Andrew Schultz’s quadruple concerto Maali. He is also a published arranger and composer, recently winning the Orpheus Composer of the Year Competition.
In 2019, Peter was honoured to be made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
Repertoire
C. P. E. Bach
Sonata in G Minor (Wq. 135) (11’)
J. S. Bach
Sonata in G Minor (BVW 1020) (10’)
Geminiani
Sonata in E Minor (7’)
Handel
– Sonata in C Minor (Op. 1 No. 8) (8’)
– Sonata in F Major (Op. 1 No. 5) (9’)
– Sonata in Bb Major “Fitzwilliam” (7’)
Sammartini
Sonata in G Major (Op. 8 No. 4) (9’)
Britten
Temporal Variations (15’)
Chopin
Variations on a theme of Rossini (7’)
Colin
Premiere Solo de Concours (Op. 33) (5’)
Dring
Three Piece Suite (15’)
Dutilleux
Sonata (12’)
Grovlez
Sarabande et Allegro (7’)
Longstaff
Aegeus (8’)
Lutoslawski
Epitaph (6’)
Nielsen
Two Fantasy Pieces (Op. 2) (7’)
Poulenc
Sonata (17’)
Ravel
Piece en forme de Habanera (3’)
Saint-Saens
Sonata (Op. 166) (14‘)
Schumann
– Drei Romanzen (Op. 94) (10 ‘)
– Drei Fantasiestücke (Op. 73) (11‘)
Unaccompanied
C. P. E. Bach
Sonata in A Minor for Oboe Solo (12’)
Benjamin Britten
Six Metamorphoses after Ovid (Op. 49) (16’)
Georg Philipp Telemann
Twelve Fantasias (4’) each