Alasdair's main activity resides in devising special programmes for children and families, which have made him extremely popular with young and new audiences. Whether it relates to bugs, carnival, fantastic creatures, mathematics or sports, Alasdair has introduced music to thousands of people both in the UK and abroad.

Alasdair was the Artistic Director of the Adventure Concerts for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for eight consecutive years and is responsible for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s successful series - Phil Power, which was Reason Number One, according to Julian Lloyd Webber, to be optimistic about the future of classical music in Great Britain.  He has devised and presented original programmes with The Hallé, Children's Classic Concerts, Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, RTE Orchestra in Dublin, London Mozart Players and Opera North in Leeds.   

Abroad, Alasdair has been a regular guest with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra since 2002.  In China, Alasdair’s premiere of his highly acclaimed programme ‘Bugs!!’ under the umbrella of Shanghai Sunspirit Cultural Development organisation won the National Silver award for the best national performance for children in 2005. He has continued to broaden his Asian connections and has worked with both the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta; he made his a third appearance with the latter last November. Alasdair has also appeared in France with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine.

 As a Glass Harmonica specialist, in celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Mozart and the 300th of the birth of Benjamin Franklin who invented the instrument, Alasdair performed his programme ‘At Home with Mr Mozart’ at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Aldeburgh festival (Snape Proms), St John’s Smith Square in London and St George’s in Bristol.  Alasdair also premiered both David Horne's Vapours and Fireflies with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra respectively. One can also hear its magic sound on a number of tracks including two of the recent Harry Potter films and Icelandic pop star Björk’s recordings.     

Alasdair has worked with the BBC Philharmonic for the Blue Peter children's PROMS at the Royal Albert Hall under the baton of Yan-Pascal Tortelier, and appears annually for Raymond Gubbay in Christmas concerts at both the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.  He is also a presenter and performer with Sinfonia Viva for concerts especially designed for children as young as several months! His festival appearances include Bury St Edmunds, Chester, Henley, Arundel, Lichfield and Risør in Norway.

Last but not least, Alasdair is principal percussionist of the BBC Concert Orchestra with which he frequently appears as a soloist and for special projects such as the ‘BBC Family Prom in the Park’ concert series in Hyde Park as part of the BBC Proms.

March 2010

Not to be altered without permission. We update our biographies regularly. Please destroy all previous biographical material.

Se consacrant essentiellement à la présentation de programmes conçus pour enfants et familles, Alasdair Malloy a fait connaître la musique à des milliers de spectateurs attentifs, explorant des thèmes variés qu’il illustre de pièces musicales et symphoniques. Que le programme soit autour des insectes, des pirates, des personnages de contes, des mathématiques, des sciences, du carnaval ou du sport, Alasdair explore toutes les possibilités pour créer un spectacle aussi divertissant qu’instructif.

Alasdair Malloy a été directeur artistique des “Adventure Concerts” pour le Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra pendant huit années consécutives et on lui doit la série de concerts “Phil Power” avec le Royal Liverpool Philharmonic qui lui a valu les éloges de la presse britannique.  Il a travaillé avec la plupart des orchestres importants du Royaume-Uni et étend ses contacts jusqu’en Asie. La première en Chine de son programme Bugs !! (Insectes) a obtenu la médaille d’argent de la meilleure représentation pour enfants en 2005.  Il s’est ensuite produit à Singapore, en Malaysie et à Hong Kong.  Il revient à Strasbourg pour la deuxième année consécutive et poursuivra son séjour en France où il fera ses débuts avec l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo.

Un des rares interprètes de l’harmonica de verre, Alasdair a présenté son At home with Mr Mozart un peu partout en Europe pour célébrer le 250ème anniversaire de naissance du compositeur et le 300ème de celle de Benjamin Franklin, inventeur de l’instrument. Il a aussi donné en première mondiale deux œuvres de David Horne, Vapours (Scottish Chamber Orchestra) et Fireflies (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra). Les sonorités magiques de son instrument apparaissent dans les enregistrements de film d’Harry Potter et ceux de la pop star islandaise Björk.

Alasdair est le percussionniste solo du BBC Concert Orchestra et se produit régulièrement en soliste avec son orchestre, notamment pour la grande soirée de concerts “BBC Family Prom in the Park” à Hyde Park dans le cadre des BBC Proms.

Juillet 2008

Alasdair was the Artistic Director of the Adventure Concerts for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for eight consecutive years and is responsible for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s highly successful Phil Power series, listed as the first of Julian Lloyd Webber’s “twenty-one reasons to be cheerful about classical music”.  He has devised and presented original programmes featuring themes ranging from bugs to carnival, mathematics or sports with the Hallé, Children's Classic Concerts, Raymond Gubbay, Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, RTE Orchestra in Dublin, London Mozart Players, and Opera North. 

Abroad, Alasdair is a guest of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (the première of his highly acclaimed ‘Bugs!!’ programme organised by the Shanghai Sunspirit Cultural Development organization won the National Silver award for best national performance for children in 2005), the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo.

As a Glass Harmonica specialist, Alasdair has performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Snape Proms, St John’s Smith Square and St George’s Bristol.  One can also hear this magical sound in the two most recent Harry Potter films and on numerous tracks including Icelandic pop star Björk’s recordings. 

Alasdair has worked with the BBC Philharmonic for the Blue Peter children's PROMS at the Royal Albert Hall under the baton of Yan-Pascal Tortelier, and appears annually for Raymond Gubbay in Christmas concerts at both the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.  He is also a presenter and performer with Sinfonia Viva for concerts especially designed for children as young as several months!  

Last but not least, Alasdair is principal percussionist of the BBC Concert Orchestra with whom he frequently appears as a soloist and for special projects such as the ‘BBC Family Prom in the Park’ in Hyde Park as part of the BBC Proms.

March 2010

Not to be altered without permission. We update our biographies regularly. Please destroy all previous biographical material

1997

1996

Hughes/Malloy - A Touch of Glass
JW
JWCD 2083

1995

Saint-Saëns
Symphony no.3 op.78 in C minor ‘Organ'
Le carnaval des animaux
Cyprès and Lauriers op.156
Philharmonia Orchestra

ALASDAIR MALLOY'S ADVENTURE CONCERTS

SELECTED ORCHESTRAL PROGRAMME OVERVIEWS

Fantastic Creatures

This is a programme in which all of the music relates to the fantastic creatures found in the magical world of Harry Potter. With Alasdair spectacularly dressed as a Wizard, the audience and orchestra are invited to dress as characters from the books. There are plenty of opportunities for the audience to get involved. Musical highlights include In the Hall of the Mountain King, the Bacchanale from Samson and Dalila and Elgar's Wand of Youth together with music from all the Harry Potter films. Alasdair plays steel drum in one item as well as the hilarious slapstick xylophone duet The Two Imps

Bugs!! (note: the two exclamation marks are supposed to represent antennae)

A Creepy-Crawly concert featuring those insects we either love or loath! Alasdair will be in "David Attenborough" mode and the audience can be invited to come dressed as a bug or to bring along a home-made bug. Music includes The Wasps Overture, The Ugly Bug Ball and a Tarantella for Tarantulas as well as a unique and unforgettable version of The Flight of the Bumble Bee!

Summer Beach Party

With summer holidays just around the corner here's a concert which takes us to those sunny spots round the globe. We'll all join in singing "We're all going on a Summer Holiday" before jetting off to European favourites and far-flung fiestas! The orchestra and audience are invited to wear their brightest, sunniest clothes and there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to party no matter what the weather is outside.

Memorable Musical highlights include Rimsky Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnole and Alasdair's Brazilian medley Carnivale as well as the iconic theme for Hawaii 5-O.

The Mad Hatter's Musical Tea Party

Alasdair transforms into the Madhatter for this event and the audience are invited to come dressed as characters from Alice in Wonderland. Through the music we'll meet Alice, shrink then become huge as we munch on some mushrooms, encounter the Cheshire Cat as well as hearing plenty of mad, mad music including the Madhatter's Maddest Musical Moment! There will also be Lots of Looney Limericks as the audience are invited to write some limericks and the best ones will be read out with musical accompaniment from the orchestra.

A Cavalcade of Clowns

From the opening sequence where an empty stage fills up with a comical cavalcade of clowns coming through the hall, this fantastically funny focus on humour and music provides plenty of scope for dressing up and general silliness! We'll search for the funniest instrument in the orchestra and hear music representing clowns from some spectacularly serious composers including Stravinsky, Holst and Rimsky Korsakov. Some children will come onstage to help Alasdair create The Sounds of a Clown.

Mums, Dads, Aunties, Uncles and Grandparents will boogie away to The Tears of a Clown and we've all got to watch out for The Pie in the Face Polka!!

Puppet Power (alternative titles: No Strings Attached or Puppet Power)

Alasdair pulls all the strings to present this stunning combination of puppetry and music. Working with top puppeteers Ronnie and Caroline le Drew (or local puppeteers if preferred) the spotlight shifts between orchestra and animated action with a dazzling array of music to enhance the effect. Alasdair's own puppetry skills are to the fore in his renowned routine The Skeleton in the Cupboard, the audience are invited to bring along a long sock which is transformed into a puppet to take part in The Singalong for Socks and the orchestra gets to perform the themes from The Muppets and Thunderbirds!

The World at our Feet

(Note: if this is performed WITHOUT dancers then the title is A World at our Feet)

Celebrating dance from all round the world, Alasdair and the orchestra whisk us off our feet on a joyous journey round the globe. Combining with local dance groups if possible, with the dancers using the natural spaces in around and between the musicians, this highly visual show focuses on the folk music and dance traditions of almost every continent. An undoubted musical and theatrical highlight is Alasdair's rousing arrangement of Riverdance. The audience are invited to dress in International costumes and they even get to learn and join in a very unusual dance; Mr Mozart's Macarena!!

The Pirate Party

Awesome Al, the cabin boy of our Pirate Ship welcomes you aboard this suitably swashbuckling seafaring adventure. From the stirring sounds of Leroy Anderson's Pirate March to the spectacular finale where everyone learns The Sailor's Hornpipe, this is an unforgettable voyage through uncharted waters in search of a treasure trove of musical gems. Hear about the pirates hiding their treasure in Fingal's Cave, head off Over the Waves to the Caribbean and sing about the Jamaican Rumba. Encounter Cap'n Jack Sparrow in music from the Pirates of the Caribbean films and test your nautical knowledge in our quiz Nautical Notes

Countdown to Christmas

(NOTE : there are alternative titles which can be considered).

Trust Alasdair to have Christmas all wrapped up! Each colourful piece perfectly captures everything we look forward to at this special time of year. From the nostalgia of White Christmas to the riotous party singalong of Jingle Bell Rock Alasdair leads the way in a concert full of traditional festive favourites, Christmas cheer and suitably sparkling surprises. Even Santa himself never misses this one!!!

Let's get Animated

From Looney Tunes to Liszt this animated programme reminds us of our favourite classic cartoon characters. Create images in your head to the stirring sounds of Bach's iconic Toccata in D minor, as featured in Fantasia, relive Wallace and Grommit's encounter with the Were-Rabbit, test your knowledge of the Disney films in Alasdair's Cunningly-Conceived Concealed Cartoon-Character Quiz, meet The Incredibles, and encounter the orchestra as never before as they give a unique performance of Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody which featured in the Oscar winning Cat Concerto, starring Tom and Jerry

Steps in Time (or Time Travellers)

A Time Vortex has opened! Thank goodness our travelling Time-Lord Alasdair Malloy is on hand with his sonic screwdriver to get us back to the present day. The music whisks us through different centuries and periods of history as we hear Sumer is Icumen In, the Bergamasca from Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances, Britten's Courtly Dances from Gloriana, the Scherzo from The New World Symphony together with music from the Incas, the Egyptians and the dinosaurs. The different sections of the orchestra are introduced as they provide time-travelling music inspired by the Doctor Who theme.

Adventures in the Magical Kingdom

The King of the Magical Kingdom of Far, Far Away is in town with his Jester who invites the audience to accompany them back home where a Grand Ball is about to take place. The guests begin to arrive and we meet Beauty and the Beast, Robin Hood, The Empress of the Pagodas, Puss in Boots as well as hearing some Tales of Narnia. The Ball commences with the Sleeping Beauty Waltz before we all shake off our shoes and strut our stuff to the Shrek Swamp Dance Party!

From Hamelin to Hogwarts

Everyone loves stories, and in this concert we've a symphonic selection to match a library full of children's literature from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter. We remind ourselves of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Long John Silver, and The Cat in the Hat, as well as hearing music inspired by the Arabian Nights and Alice in Wonderland, before settling down to hear Alasdair recount the tale of The King's New Clothes.

Magic and Mystery

The truly magical and mysterious sounds of the orchestra are on show here in music which conjures up spine-chilling thrills and spills. We'll protect ourselves with the Ritual Fire Dance, forge a magical sword in The Anvil Polka, cobble up some magic shoes with help from The Elfin Shoemaker, then hitch a ride to Hogwarts with the miraculous Firebird.

Going Global - Monaco
"Au menu, la découvert de compositeurs venus de tous les horizons, agrémentés par des arrangements des plus étonnants! Un concert pour ouvrir les écoutilles de nos chères têtes blondes qui seront d'ailleurs mises à contribution pour une interactivité des plus réjouissantes. Déjà donné à Strasbourg, ce spectacle a connu un très vif succès! Alasdair Malloy a conçu ce melting-pot musical. Un personnage haut en couleurs qui en dit long sur le concert!"
Benoît Ulrich, www.monaco.mc, February 2009

"HKS for Kids - Bugs!!" - Hong Kong - March 2008
I spent the most wonderful afternoon in the company of bugs last Sunday... Mr Malloy's performance fascinated and captured the audience. It is not often that an audience feels so involved and also so close to an orchestra, and Mr Malloy simply knew how to break the barrier between performers on stage and audience off ...

Throughout the concert, Uncle Malloy had the audience join in action along with the music. For instance, making use of a few simple signals, he led the audience to imitate cats purring or hissing. At another time, an imagined dragonfly might hover lightly in the air, and everyone followed Malloy in gentle movement of the dragonfly as if in a dream. Twice Malloy invited children on stage to join him for some really lively "music story telling", like the story of Hansom Cab, where a child, being the hansom cab driver, had to create a whipping sound at the conductor's cue. The concert ended with everyone dancing to the music of "Tarantella for the spiders". It was such fun!
Ming Pao Daily News, March 2008

Children's Classic Concerts, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
"If the criterion of Children's Classic Concerts is to present a fun experience while opening a wee window onto classical music for those too young to reach that window themselves, then yesterday's concert, launching the CC's new season, did all that and some more. It's not that uncommon for this kids' staple to have them dancing in the aisles, but yesterday percussionist-presenter when one better, filling the front line of the stage with a flotilla of kids demonstrating their versatility at hilariously mimicking the faintly ridiculous sight of synchronized underwater swimming to Strauss's Blue Danube Waltz, then persuading the entire audience to go in at the deep end by doing the same themselves."
Michael Tumelty, The Herald, 8th October 2007

BPO, Dome Concert Hall, Brighton
"It was an inspired touch to cast Alasdair Malloy as the narrator at the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra's first family concert on Sunday morning. He set the scene brilliantly for Roald Dahl's poems Dirty Beasts, to music by University of Sussex professor of music Martin Butler.

Malloy also narrated Saint-Saens's Carnival Of The Animals and Prokofiev's Peter And The Wolf. My six-year-old granddaughter Eloise was mesmerised from beginning to end.
This and the afternoon's more "adult" concerts were a feast of fairytales, poetry and stories, including magnificent readings of Ravel's Mother Goose Suite and a rare work by Charles Ives.

For me, the highlight of the day was Martin Butler's Piano Concertino performed by the Brighton-based composer himself. It was a stunning work, highly tuneful and hugely energising, and I was surprised by the fairly cool reception it received from the audience".
Mike Howard, The Argus, October 2006

"In wig and period costume, Alasdair Malloy had devised the event and compared it with relaxed humour. He added variety by introducing the eerie toe of the glass harmonica. This instrument, not even remotely related to the mouth organ, was briefly this rage all across Europe.

It was fascinating to listen first to solo Mozart wrote for the harmonica, then a work neatly combining it with flute, oboe, viola and cello in a setting with a certain tense solemnity giving way to his trademark high spirits.

Then came a return to more familiar territory with a crisply played excerpt from Eine Kliene Nachtmusik, variations on Twinkle, Twinkle, and Mozart's Musical Joke, which has found unexpected fame as a signature tune of show jumping on TV".
Eastern Daily Press, August 2006

Pirates Ahoy!, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall / Scottish Opera Orchestra
"The nautical adventure took us on board the Screaming Skull, and gazed in wonder at the Scottish Opera Orchestra dressed as pirates. (...) Alasdair Malloy was equally entertaining as he guided the audience through the music (...) and mandatory audience participation. (Malloy's exhilarating performance of the Sabre Dance on the "instruments of peril" with his "sticks of decay" was strangely hilarious (...)."
The Herald, 6 March 2006

With the Children's Classic Concerts
"Just when it seems there is no relief from the cultural dominance of questionable musical talents like Girls Aloud, and a child's attention span is judged to be on par with a Crazy Frog ringtone, along comes the saving grace of Children's Classic Concerts.
It's an absolute staple of sanity and good wholesome cultural fun, and by Jove there are some fine tunes to be had into the bargain."
Scotland on Sunday, 5 March 2006

With the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
"Symphony Hall - or Symphony Stadium as it was renamed for the afternoon - was packed for the popular concert which had the audience on its feet doing ski exercises and singing along to some of sport's best loved songs... The second half went football crazy and had the audience cheering for the orchestra's two rival teams Sinfonia United in orange and black and the Philharmonic Rovers in green and gold."
The Birmingham Mail, 11 May 2006

With Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
"The audience and the musicians were entirely immersed in the fairytale like concert hall which demonstrated a completely different appearance of the traditional classical music concert!"
Shanghai Xinmin Evening News, 4 June 2005

With Royal Scottish National Orchestra
CRASH BANG WALLOP (The Critics Arts)
"All in all, a great show, which the children clearly loved - especially the one behind me who spent the entire 75 minutes tapping his seat with a tiny, but very enthusiastic, foot."
The Sunday Herald, 13 March 2005

"With the orchestra happily participating, bobbing up and down to order (not easy playing the cello) and popping up in far-flung corners of the venue, and Malloy providing his own virtuoso solo turns on marimba and glass harmonica.... The boldest experiment, however, was a piece of mass improvisation that involved everyone in a recreation of the spirit of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. And, just to prove that a sym-phony orchestra and a concert hall are not essential to music making, Malloy sent a full house of kids off into the afternoon playing the William Tell Overture by slapping their cheeks."
The Herald, 7 March 2005

"...the RSNO and Children's Classic Concerts brought the joy of music from all corners of the earth to children and adults alike with their concert aptly entitled Going Global. Conducted by Christopher Bell and compered by the lively and enthusiastic Alasdair Malloy, the multicultural magic began with a piece of contemporary Scottish music written especially for children by Robin McEwan [Banjaxed]. The concert continued with even more fun from across the globe with pieces from Spain to Switzerland with audience participation throughout the musical journey... and a fantastic finale to an exuberant and exhilarating performance."
The Herald, 16 March 2004

"...The latest in the popular series aimed at familiarising youngsters with some of the classics in a fun way...was a roaring success. There was hardly an empty seat in the house...Audience participation was invited - and accepted with alarming alacrity - for the thrilling Pop Looks Bach, when we all took to our feet and were swept along to the thrilling sounds of Bach set to a pop beat, cheerily encouraged by Alasdair Malloy. The 12-year old's verdict? Cool. Now that's high praise."
The Herald - 5 November 2001

With the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
"... it was a great pleasure to hear Brazil played by the RLPO... The host and creator of these excellent concerts, Alasdair Malloy, [presented] a programme that ranged from Walton and Dvorak to the Beach Boys via Henry Mancini's Hong Kong Fireworks (with bravura xylophoning by AM)"
The Liverpool Daily Post, 23 June 2004

PRIMER FOR THE PRIMARIES (Schools concerts)
"Presenter Alasdair Malloy, who also introduces the Phil Power family concerts, is the ideal salesman. Dressed in kilted Scottish battledress he signals the advance of concert music as the new cool."
Liverpool Echo, 16 March 2004

THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ENTERS INTO THE PARTY SPIRIT
"An inclusion were drums made from plastic drainpipes. As our ever-genial host and super-percussionist Alasdair Malloy explained, these can only be played in the keys B and Q... Malloy's personality meshes well with that of Pop's musical director, Carl Davis..."
The Liverpool Daily Post, 15 July 2000

With the London Mozart Players
"What this cheerful event does is provide gentle fun, a handy introduction to classical music with the most human of faces, and the chance for the players to enjoy themselves too....Behind the fun lies quite a lot of careful preparation to balance the programme; provide enough moments (but not too many) to involve the audience; choose suitable pieces of music; and while engaging the audience; still to give the orchestra the chance to play. Malloy triumphed..."
Croydon Advertiser, 10 January 2003

"Topically, this event, imaginatively devised for children by Alasdair Malloy, focused on music for royal occasions... With the right presentation, the eclectic collection was made to seem most logical and appealing. Malloy was compeer, entertaining as a jester, his multi-pointed hat jingling all the way as he kept the concert as informal as possible without resorting to silliness."
Croydon Advertiser, 7 June 2002

23 June Waterfront, Last Night of the Summer Proms
"...Needless to say the Ulster Orchestra, led by Lesley Hatfield, were in tremendous fettle and with Christopher Bell on the rostrum and Alasdair Malloy as presenter and percussion wizard, the fun was fast and furious and needless to say, noisy. Chris and Alasdair were in great form and every item on the programme got a riotous reception while the ever co-operative orchestra were helpful in sustaining the volume of sound that is always necessary from a Proms audience.... Malloy's contributions ranged from a performance or "Drink To Me Only" played on his musical tumblers and various percussion stunts also delighted the Prommers"...
Belfast Telegraph, 25 June 2001

With the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
SWASH_BUCKLING PARTY PROVES A HIT
"...First Mate Alasdair Malloy kept the hordes of aspiring young pirates at bay as this swash-buckling entertainment proved another hit among the costumed kids...Malloy persuaded the entire house to its feet for Wood's Sailors' Hornpipe..."
Bournemouth Daily Echo, 5 May 1999

CHAMPAGNE POPPERS PUT THE FIZZ INTO BSO PARTY
"Now that's what I call a bash! The BSO's Family Concert - "Beat This!" - was a thunderous success in every sense. Pounding the platform, highly gifted presenter Alasdair Malloy proved completely at ease, persuading the young audience (of all ages) to contribute to the vocal percussion....Malloy's expertise on drums and a blistering Hong Kong Fireworks enthralled. Brilliant entertainment for all."
Bournemouth Daily Echo, 11 January 1999