Janet Fulton
Principal Percussion
Janet Fulton is Principal Percussionist of Manchester Camerata and was awarded the prestigious Salomon Prize in 2019, presented by the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Association of British Orchestras. In awarding her the Prize, the panel stated, ‘Janet is part of the fabric and DNA of our orchestra and its communities. We feel that her passion for music and her constant drive to improve people’s lives deserve to be recognised.’
Janet Fulton has been the principal percussionist of the Manchester Camerata, and freelanced with the Halle and BBC Philharmonic, amongst many others, for over 40 years. She has played dustbins in Bahrain, (Top Gun Maverick), one suspended cymbal note in a Prom at the Albert Hall, and opened Glastonbury on the Pyramid Stage. She has played as a soloist for babies crawling under her instruments to the Bridgewater Hall International Season with Evelyn Glennie.
She has conducted various youth orchestras and ensembles around the country.
Off the concert platform, she works as a community composer. giving groups a voice through music.
She is part of Camerata’s Music in Mind – where people living with dementia lead the music making. She has trained carers, musicians and volunteers in Greater Manchester, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
She has taught and tutored percussion at every level, created bespoke music days in schools, formed the Manchester Deaf Orchestra with Music and the Deaf, and led a music group for adults with moderate learning difficulties for 9 years in York.
Janet is a key practitioner in our Music in Mind programme, helping shape the future of our work for people living with dementia and their carers. You can read an interview with Janet about her work in Music in Mind here. Aside from her phenomenal orchestral output, Janet has also been a Community First Responder for Yorkshire Ambulance Service – you can read about this here.
Janet’s chair is generously supported by John Caine. If you would like to find out more about how you can support one of our musicians, please contact our Head of Philanthropy, Ruth Ellul, by emailing her here.
