‘…the most perfect delivery I've ever heard live of the treacherous horn solo from Isaac Shieh (in the bass aria "Quoniam tu solus sanctus"). It might seem invidious to talk of stars when this is all about ensemble, but Shieh truly crowned the whole achievement.’ - David Nice, The Arts Desk
Headshot by Dan Nubian, 2021
Based in London, Isaac Shieh is a New Zealand musician and researcher of Chinese minority ethnic background. Described as a ‘natural horn virtuoso’ and an ‘era-defining’ musician, his work takes him around the globe; exploring repertoire and instruments from early 18th Century through to the present day.
Isaac is Co-Principal Horn of Oxford Bach Soloists, and member of Paraorchestra and Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, Isaac works regularly with Britten Sinfonia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Chineke! Orchestra amongst others, in demand as guest principal with various period and modern orchestras, and has performed as a soloist at the Edinburgh International Festival, British Horn Society Festival Gala Concert, in front of HRH Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at Llwynywermod, and with the London Chamber Orchestra. An active collaborator, Isaac works regularly with composers, performers, and choreographers to create new works.
Isaac is currently pursuing a PhD at Royal Academy of Music, London, in which he aims to extend the hand horn playing tradition by commissioning 12 new works by 12 composers that reflect the capabilities and aesthetics of our time.
Outside of music, Isaac is a current England International in the sport of para bowls as a director, and is a World Bowls Championships bronze medallist.
Caprice Reimagined
“Caprice: A kind of free music, in which the composer, without subjecting himself to any theme, gives free rein to his genius, and submits himself to the fire of composition.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau
In 1835, Jacques-François Gallay, regarded by Fétis as the ‘last great hand horn virtuoso in France’, composed Douze Grands Caprices which embody the capabilities of the instrument in its most virtuosic form. In the past few decades, as ‘Early Music’ develops, there is a renewed interest in hand horn playing, with an increasing number of horn players now pursuing historical horns as a specialisation. A new generation of players have also emerged who are capable of pushing beyond the boundaries and perceived capabilities encapsulated by Gallay in his Douze Grands Caprices.
Caprice Reimagined is a project that aims to create an extension of the hand horn playing tradition, reflecting the capabilities and aesthetics of our time: a set of 12 new works for solo hand horn are being commissioned from 12 diverse composers.
The project is supported by Arts Council England as well as The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust.
