Allan Meyer is a distinguished clarinettist and Jack Harrison’s most notable student. He succeeded Jack as principal clarinet of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
Allan Meyer has been Principal Clarinet with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra since 1990. His distinguished career has seen him perform in many parts of Australia. In 1997 and 1999, Allan performed and taught in Massachusetts, USA. He was also Guest Principal Clarinettist for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and performed in the Musicorda, Mohawk Trail and Williamstown Chamber Music Festivals.
Allan was born in Perth and studied with WASO’s Principal Clarinet, Jack Harrison, graduating from UWA with a Master of Music (Performance) degree and completing postgraduate studies in London with John McCaw, Antony Pay and Jack Brymer. After 7 years with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Allan returned to Perth as Principal Clarinet. He teaches at the School of Music at the University of WA and at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. Allan has appeared as soloist in the Masters and Classics Series, Mostly Mozart Series, Symphony under the Stars and WASO Chamber Players. He has been Guest Principal Clarinet with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Allan has premiered a number of works including the Australian premiere of Richard Mills’ Concerto for Clarinet and Violin, the world premiere of James Ledger’s Clarinet Quintet and the world premiere of Blackwood by Iain Grandage and Kevin Gillam for Perth Festival in 2011. For Perth Festival in 2012 he performed with the Escher String Quartet. Most recently he performed the Mozart Concerto, a work he has performed over 12 times with WASO, as part of a regional tour conducted by his former student and associate conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Chris Dragon.
As a performer, teacher and advocate for Australian music, he has had a profound influence on clarinet performance in Western Australia and has trained many of the state’s leading professional clarinettists.
Born in Perth, Western Australia, Meyer received his early musical education in the city’s thriving public school music system. He attended Churchlands Senior High School, graduating in 1976, and began studying the clarinet with the legendary WASO Principal Clarinet, Jack Harrison. Harrison’s teaching profoundly shaped Meyer’s artistic development and established a pedagogical lineage that has continued through several generations of Western Australian clarinettists.
Meyer completed a Master of Music (Performance) at the University of Western Australia before travelling to London for postgraduate study. There he worked with three distinguished British clarinettists:
- John McCaw
- Antony Pay
- Jack Brymer
This combination of Australian and British training gave Meyer a refined orchestral style rooted in the English clarinet tradition while retaining the flexibility required of a modern symphonic musician.
Following his studies, Meyer joined the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, where he spent seven years developing his orchestral career. This period established him as one of Australia’s leading young clarinettists and prepared him for his eventual return to Perth.
In 1990 Meyer was appointed Principal Clarinet of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, succeeding his mentor Jack Harrison in one of Australia’s most prestigious orchestral woodwind positions. He has remained in that role ever since, becoming one of the orchestra’s longest-serving principal players.
During his tenure he has appeared as soloist in numerous WASO concert series, including:
- Masters Series
- Mostly Mozart
- Symphony Under the Stars
- WASO Chamber Players
He has also been invited as Guest Principal Clarinet with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts, USA.
Meyer’s reputation has extended beyond Australia through teaching and performance engagements in the United States.
In 1997 and again in 1999 he taught and performed at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During these visits he also appeared at the:
- Musicorda Festival
- Mohawk Trail Concerts
- Williamstown Chamber Music Festival
These engagements strengthened his international reputation as both performer and educator.
A defining aspect of Meyer’s career has been his commitment to contemporary Australian composition.
He has premiered works by leading Australian composers including:
- James Ledger
- Iain Grandage
- Richard Mills
- Andrew Schultz
Among his notable premieres are:
- the Australian premiere of Richard Mills’ Concerto for Clarinet and Violin
- the world premiere of Andrew Schultz’s Maali
- the world premiere of James Ledger’s Clarinet Quintet
- the world premiere of Blackwood by Iain Grandage and Kevin Gillam at the Perth Festival in 2011.
- Geoffrey Allen
Blackwood holds particular significance because it was commissioned by Jody Harrison and written specifically for Allan Meyer, soprano Sara Macliver and pianist Graeme Gilling.
Alongside his orchestral career, Meyer has been an active chamber musician.
He has collaborated with the internationally acclaimed Escher String Quartet and has regularly appeared in chamber music festivals and recital series throughout Australia and overseas. His performances encompass the major works of the classical repertoire, particularly those by Mozart, Brahms and French composers, while also embracing newly commissioned Australian works.
Teacher and mentor
Meyer has had an equally important impact as an educator.
He has taught at:
- the University of Western Australia Conservatorium of Music
- the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Many of his students have gone on to professional orchestral careers throughout Australia and overseas.
- Ashley William Smith – internationally acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, and Professor of Woodwinds at the University of Western Australia.
- Nicola Boud – internationally renowned historical clarinettist; Professor of Historical Clarinets at the Conservatoire de Paris and Professor at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
- Benjamin Pallagi – Australian clarinettist, educator and chamber musician.
- Christopher Dragon – internationally recognised conductor. Before specialising in conducting, he studied clarinet with Meyer, who remained an important mentor during his early musical development.
- Liam Kinson – is in TAK ensemble in New York:Liam Kinson was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1988, and began playing the clarinet at the age of 12. He studied at the University of Western Australia, where he holds a Bachelor in Music, Australian National Academy in Melbourne, and Manhattan School of Music where he received his Masters in Contemporary Music. Liam has performed with Wet Ink, International Contemporary Ensemble, Ecce Ensemble, and is a founding member of TAK ensemble. He has collaborated with dancers and actors and artists alike, and thrives on exploring new methods of expression through interdisciplinary means.
- Lachlan Skipworth – although best known today as an award-winning composer, Skipworth studied clarinet with Meyer before pursuing composition. His intimate understanding of the instrument is evident in many of his works for clarinet and chamber ensemble.
- Jarrad Linke A clarinettist originally from Perth, Jarrad is an active freelance musician currently based in Melbourne. He completed a Bachelor of Music in Performance at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University prior to three years of study at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). He has studied with renowned Australian clarinettists David Thomas, Paul Dean and Allan Meyer and performed in masterclasses with international soloists Michael Collins, Sabine Meyer and Julian Bliss. Jarrad has performed with the West Australian, Queensland and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, as well as numerous Opera Australia productions with Orchestra Victoria including The Phantom of the Opera, Tosca and Lohengrin. Jarrad also took part in Opera Australia’s 2022 National Tour of The Barber of Seville. When Jarrad is not playing his clarinet, you’ll find him studying his Bachelor of Nursing or strolling around with a vintage film camera in his hands.
- Alex Roberts is a highly versatile Australian-born, UK-based clarinettist. Best known as the clarinettist for the London-based Explore Ensemble, he is a prominent freelance orchestral and chamber musician who regularly performs with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Welsh National Opera
- Eljo Agenbach is a performer, educator and collaborator based between Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Studies from the University of Western Australia, Conservatorium of Music (2016-2019) where she received numerous awards and scholarships honouring her performing and academic achievements. Eljo is currently studying towards her Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University under clarinettist Paul Dean.
- Jane Pankhurst – clarinettist, educator and long-standing contributor to the Western Australian clarinet community.
- Alex McCracken – Perth-based clarinettist and educator, active as a performer and teacher.
- Oliver Crofts – orchestral and chamber clarinettist who has established a professional career in Australia.
- Matthew Kidd – freelance orchestral and chamber musician who has performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Perth Symphony Orchestra.
- Geoff Bourgault – freelance orchestral and chamber musician who has performed with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Perth Symphony Orchestra.
Professional leadership
Beyond performance and teaching, Meyer has played an important role in fostering the clarinet community in Western Australia.
Since its establishment in 2009 he has served as Chairperson of the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Western Australia. Under his voluntary leadership the organisation has promoted performance opportunities, masterclasses, educational projects and professional networking for clarinettists and saxophonists across the state.
Allan has a son, Max.