French Horn player George Strivens enjoys a diverse career of solo, chamber, and orchestral performance. Recent solo engagements include Oxford Lieder Festival, Penarth Chamber Music Festival and Ludlow English Song Weekend.

George plays with leading orchestras across the United Kingdom including as guest principal horn with the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish, Bournemouth Symphony, and Scottish Chamber Orchestras. George also records music for film at Abbey Road and AIR Studios.

As a member of the leading wind quintet, Ensemble Renard, George became a Chamber Music Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, London. Performing regularly around the UK, Ensemble Renard have recently toured Scotland after winning a Tunnell Trust Award and, in 2023 made their debuts at the Aldeburgh Festival and Stoller Hall, Manchester. They are now represented by the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme.

George is a keen advocate for new music. Solo horn works by Martin Bussey, Tom Harrold and Piers Hellawell have been written for, and premiered by George. He gave the world premiere of Julian Philips’ The Country of Larks alongside Robert Murray and, subsequently, with Stuart Jackson and Jocelyn Freeman. George appeared in the Aldeburgh Festival 2023 as a Britten-Pears Young Artist performing six world premieres and was also an academist at the Lucerne Festival and with the London Sinfonietta. He has worked closely with Hans Abrahamsen, Eleanor Alberga, and John Woolrich on their chamber music.

Alongside his performance career, George is a successful arranger whose chamber arrangement of Strauss’ Four Last Songs is published by Boosey & Hawkes. The premiere was given at the Change Music Festival, Sweden by Elin Rombo, Simon Crawford-Phillips, Malin Broman and Chris Parkes. Louise Alder performed George’s arrangements of Ravel and Canteloube at the Wigmore Hall, London in November 2023.