Ronald Woodley enjoys a wide-ranging career in musicology and performance, as both clarinettist and chamber pianist, and has been Professor of Music at Birmingham Conservatoire since 2004. Previously he held academic positions at the RNCM in Manchester, as well as the Universities of Lancaster, Newcastle, Liverpool, and Christ Church, Oxford.

As clarinettist he has commissioned or been the dedicatee of a number of new works, including a series of bass clarinet duos in the 1990s, performed in partnership with Roger Heaton. His recording of York Bowen’s Phantasy-Quintet for bass clarinet and strings, and Josef Holbrooke’s Ballade for bass clarinet and piano, with the Primrose Piano Quartet, was released on the Meridian label in 2016.

Ron’s academic research has focused on late medieval music theory, and on performance studies, including work on Ravel, Prokofiev, Steve Reich, and pianists in the circles of Brahms and Clara Schumann, especially Ilona Eibenschütz.