Barbara Grunthal

Barbara combines a busy and varied performing career with her commitment to teaching the next generation of promising young musicians. A pupil at Chetham’s School of Music before going to the Royal Northern College of Music, she received awards from the Royal Society of Arts and the Guinness Foundation to continue her studies with Emma Ferrand and Ralph Kirshbaum. Whilst a post-graduate student Barbara started playing with Manchester Camerata and Northern Chamber Orchestra, both of which she has now been a member for over 20 years, also enjoying playing in smaller chamber ensembles for both orchestras. Her freelance orchestral career, working with the BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Halle orchestras has included performing at the BBC Proms and at Edinburgh and Aldeburgh Festivals, and she has recorded extensively for BBC Radio 3 and Chandos amongst others. Worldwide orchestra tours have taken her to China, Japan, USA and Australia, and her work in the worlds of TV and pop music has seen her perform on Strictly Come Dancing and with artists such as Shirley Bassey and the Pet Shop Boys. 

Barbara teaches at Chetham’s and enjoys the challenge of finding the best way to work with each individual student in order to help them achieve their full potential. Subsequently many of her pupils have gone on to work in the music profession. Barbara is a highly experienced educator with many years of experience delivering outreach workshops in both mainstream and SEND schools, and in many care home settings.