Thea King

Thea King is considered the doyenne of British clarinetists, particularly known for promoting twentieth-century British clarinet music. A greatly loved and respected figure in British music, she had one of the leading international concert and recital careers in the history of the instrument. She actually began as a piano scholarship student at the Royal College of Music, but she was the star pupil of the best-known English clarinetist of his time, Frederick "Jack" Thurston, whom she married in 1953. That was, sadly, also the year of his death at the age of 52. His 24-year ol...