“I cannot think of anyone I would rather hear play the double bass than Duncan McTier. He produces a consistent beauty of tone that is unique among today’s virtuosos ...”
THE STRAD
Winner of the 1982 Isle of Man International Double Bass Competition, Duncan McTier is recognised as one of the world’s foremost double bass soloists and teachers. He has given in excess of 400 solo performances worldwide and inspired a host of superlatives from critics.
Duncan McTier has appeared as soloist in more than twenty countries, with many leading orchestras, including the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, English and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Lausanne Chamber Orchestras.
He has made more than fifty solo recordings for radio, television and record companies and his Tarantella CD, with pianist Kathron Sturrock, was described in The Strad as containing “some of the most refined bass playing you are ever likely to hear”. Two further solo CDs, Capriccio and Sonata, were later released to much critical acclaim. Composers who have written works especially for him include Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Robin Holloway, John Casken, John Hawkins, Gavin Bryars and Derek Bourgeois.
Born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, Duncan McTier graduated from Bristol University with an Honours degree in Mathematical Sciences before joining the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the age of 20. Two years later he became principal bass of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, where he remained for seven years before returning to England to concentrate on a career as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. He was a member of the Nash Ensemble for over 20 years, and a founding member of the Fibonacci Sequence,
Duncan McTier has taught, or given masterclasses, at many of the top Conservatoires in Europe and Asia, including Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, Gedai and Toho Universities in Japan. For many years, until retirement, he was Professor of Double Bass at both the Reina Sofia Music School in Madrid and the University of the Arts in Zürich (ZHdK).