Althea Ifeka
Oboe, Oboe d'Amore & Cor Anglais
Soloist
"A superb oboist" Gramophone
“Althea Ifeka was superb in the Albinoni Concerto... a lovely liquid sound, and long phrases effortlessly negotiated” Bath Chronicle
"Althea Ifeka played with great beauty: her command of tone and technique were breath–taking" British Harpsichord Society
“A sensitive and stylish performer” Canberra Times
Please click here if you require a concise biography for concert programmes.
Born in Nigeria of English and Nigerian parentage, Althea grew up first in London, then in Canberra, Australia, where she began studying the oboe at the age of eleven with Sharman Pretty at the Canberra School of Music. Four years later she was awarded the Australian Music Examinations Board Licentiate Performance Diploma. She subsequently returned to England to read Social Anthropology at Girton College, Cambridge, where she was also a University Choral and Instrumental Scholar, before completing her education at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. Whilst at the R.A.M. she won prizes for the interpretation of eighteenth–century chamber music and for orchestral playing. During her studies she received a number of scholarships from prestigious organisations including the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Ian Fleming Music Education Awards and the Banff Centre. In 1992 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for doctoral study at the Eastman School of Music in the United States.
Permanently based in London since 1994, Althea has played concertos at venues including the Purcell Room, St John's Smith Square and the Proms at Marble Hill Park, often undertaking repeat engagements by orchestras such as the Milton Keynes and Bath City Orchestras, the Belmont Ensemble of London, the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and Haslemere Musical Society, amongst others. In July 1996 she gave the British premiere in London of The Songs of the Magi by the African–American composer Adolphus Hailstork, with the orchestra Black and Classic.
Althea has two duo partnerships: with harpsichordist Katharine May, and pianist Dominic Saunders. She has performed for many promoters including the Hampstead & Highgate and Thaxted Festivals, Brighton Philharmonic Society, Horsham Music Circle, Milton Keynes City Church, Music at Duffield, Octagon Music Society, the London School of Economics, the Universities of Aberystwyth, Birmingham, Brunel, Essex and Warwick, and music clubs in Ackworth, Brockenhurst, Curry Rivel, Derby, Dolgellau, Evesham, Holmes Chapel, Lyndhurst, Milverton, Radlett and Seaford, amongst others.
Althea's duo partnership with Katharine May began in 1994 as scholars on the Countess of Munster Musical Trust Recital Scheme, and since then they have performed throughout the United Kingdom, developing a reputation for excellence in interpretation, presentation and communication with their audiences. In 1996 they broadcast for both Classic FM and RTE FM3, Ireland, and undertook a concert tour of the Irish Republic, generously co–sponsored by the British Council. They were Concert Promoters' Network featured artists in 2003/4. Their debut CD, From Leipzig to London, was released on the Oboe Classics label in March 2006, and received a very warm critical response.
Althea has worked with pianist Dominic Saunders since 1998. They have given recitals at venues in London and the South–east, for some of the promoters listed above. In Autumn 2008 they will be giving a series of promotional concerts in Central London.
From July 2006 to July 2007, Althea took a sabbatical from performing, choosing instead to concentrate on enhancing her playing and extending her repertoire. During that time she entered the Paris International Interpretation Competition at Ville d'Avray, near Versailles, which in 2007 featured the oboe. The predominantly French programme comprised recently researched eighteenth–century works by Prover, Devienne and Platti; contemporary repertoire by Jean–Louis Petit, Maurice Ohana and Gilbert Amy; and the Richard Strauss Concerto. Althea was awarded Third Prize, and was the first British prizewinner in ten years of open competition.
Althea currently does little orchestral playing, preferring to concentrate on her solo and teaching careers. However, for several years she had a busy career as an orchestral Guest Principal. Previous freelance orchestral work includes Guest Principal Oboe, Oboe d'Amore and Cor Anglais with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the RPCO, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Opera House Orchestra, the RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. She also spent several seasons at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, playing Principal Oboe/Cor Anglais in Matthew Bourne's productions of Swan Lake, Nutcracker! and Highland Fling (La Sylphide). Orchestral engagements in the UK have been complemented by international touring to countries including the USA, Australia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Spain and Eire
A dedicated teacher, Althea runs a private teaching practice, teaches at
summer music festivals, and has given masterclasses at the Sydney Conservatorium
of Music and the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne.
Biography for Concert Programmes
Althea Ifeka is based in London, England, where she works as a freelance soloist and teacher. She studied at Girton College, Cambridge, the Royal Academy of Music, London, and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. She has been awarded a number of prestigious scholarships including a Fulbright Scholarship for study in the USA. Althea has played concertos at venues including the London's Purcell Room, Marble Hill Park Proms and St. John's Smith Square; has given recitals for numerous music clubs, festivals and universities throughout the UK and the Irish Republic; and has broadcast for Classic FM and RTE FM3. Her recent CD – From Leipzig to London – received excellent reviews in several publications including Gramophone magazine, which described her as "a superb oboist".
In 2007, Althea won Third Prize at the Paris–Ville d'Avray International Oboe Competition, where she was the competition's first British prizewinner. Past orchestral work includes Guest Principal Oboe, Oboe d'Amore and Cor Anglais with a number of orchestras including the RPO and RPCO, the BBCSO, the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Dublin's RTE National Symphony Orchestra, in addition to several seasons as Principal Oboe in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and Nutcracker! at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London.