View by department or faculty
A collage image showing two women's headshots next to one male headshot on the top row, followed by one male headshot and a group headshot on the bottom row

Royal College of Music Woodwind Faculty welcomes esteemed International Visiting Artists

Monday 29 June 2026

The Royal College of Music (RCM) welcomes flautist Amy Yule, piccolo player Kathleen Stevenson, oboist Philippe Tondre, bassoonist Theo Plath and the Alinde Quintet to its Woodwind Faculty as new International Visiting Artists from September 2026. 

Marie Lloyd, Head of Woodwind at the Royal College of Music, said: ‘I’m incredibly delighted to welcome this raft of distinguished musicians as International Visiting Artists to the RCM Woodwind Faculty. They join our team of world-renowned and highly sought-after professors in a vibrant and exciting department.’ 

Amy Yule recently started in her current role as principal flute of the London Symphony Orchestra, having previously held principal flute positions in the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Hallé orchestras. Amy has taught flute at the Royal Northern College of Music and the National Youth Orchestra, and regularly performs chamber music with Ensemble 360 and at venues including Snape Maltings, Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square. 

Kathleen Stevenson is currently Principal Piccolo for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, which she joined in 2003. She previously held Principal Piccolo with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Second Flute/Piccolo with the orchestra of English National Ballet, as well as having freelanced for many other major orchestras, such as the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Opera House and more. She has recorded music for films and TV as well as performing chamber music with, amongst others, Aequitas flute & marimba duo. 

Philippe Tondre has built an international career distinguished by its versatility, appearing worldwide as a chamber musician, soloist, orchestral musician and pedagogue. He has served as Principal Oboe of the SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Lepizig, and is currently Principal Oboe of The Philadelphia Orchestra under Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Philippe has been awarded multiple international prizes and is an internationally sought-after soloist, performing regularly with major orchestras and conductors around the world. 

Bassoonist Theo Plath, principal bassoonist of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, has been recognised in numerous international competitions, including the Aeolous International Competition for Wind Instruments and the ARD International Music Competition Munich. He has performed as a soloist with the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, the Münchener Kammerorchester and at venues such as Konzerthaus Dortmund, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. 

The Alinde Quintet was founded in 2019 by successful young interpreters from the Czech Republic – Anna Talácková (flute), Barbora Trnčíková (oboe), David Šimeček (clarinet), Kryštof Koska (French horn) and Petr Sedlák (bassoon) – who studied at renowned music universities in London, Brussels, Lyon, Brno and Ostrava before their artistic paths led them back to Prague. The ensemble has gained international recognition through successes at international chamber music competitions and regular performances throughout the Czech Republic, across Europe and a recent concert tour in China. 

Learn more about studying at the Royal College of Music Woodwind Faculty, where students benefit from a supportive environment which combines expert tuition with a range of performance opportunities. 

Main image: Amy Yule, Kathleen Stevenson, Philippe Tondre (credit Todd Rosenberg), Theo Plath (credit Kaupo Kikkas), Alinde Quintet (credit Andrej Grilc)