Born in 1958, Pip Eastop became principal horn with London Sinfonietta in 1977 and stayed with them until 1986 when he left to complete his training as a teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Since returning to playing he has worked with a wide variety of ensembles and orchestras. His work encompasses a wide range of styles, from commercial film recordings to performances of contemporary, classical and baroque music.
An important aspect of his performing career is an involvement with improvisation. His work in this field includes the production of three albums of improvised horn music, giving workshops and classes at the Royal Academy of Music and playing concerts and touring with Derek Bailey.
In July 1996 he was awarded a Research development grant from The Arts Council of Great Britain to explore, with composer Edward Williams, the possibilities of controlling computer-driven transformation of sound during live, partially improvised performance. This work is still in progress.
He is Professor of horn at both the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music.
