Katherine Lacy grew up in Wrexham, North Wales, and studied clarinet at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and at the RAM in London. While at the Academy she won the RAM’s clarinet prize in her first year and gave solo performances of Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto and the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in London and Paris with the RAM Sinfonia. In 2015 (11 years after graduating) Katherine was honoured to receive a Fellowship of the RAM, recognising her achievements on both clarinet and bass clarinet.

Almost immediately after completing her studies, Katherine was appointed as Principal Bass Clarinet with the RLPO in 2004, where she spent eight happy years. During her time in the RLPO Katherine was given many opportunities to play principal clarinet with the orchestra, including at the BBC Proms and for tours to Europe and the Far East. She also enjoyed combining her role in the orchestra with solo and chamber performances. Katherine appeared as clarinet soloist with the RLPO in performances of the Weber Concertino and Finzi’s Five Bagatelles, and in 2010 gave the world premiere of Ian Gardiner’s Spinning and Weaving for solo bass clarinet with the orchestra’s Ensemble 10/10 at the Wigmore Hall.

In 2013 Katherine moved to London to join the BBC Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bass Clarinet and two years later was delighted to be offered the Principal Clarinet position with the RPO – a dream come true! Katherine performed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the RPO throughout 2017 in Kingston upon Thames, High Wycombe, Dartford and Crawley. In April 2018 she made her Cadogan Hall solo debut with the orchestra where she played the Mozart concerto once again and also officially launched her solo CD of the Mozart concerto and quintet, recorded with the orchestra in January 2018.