Born in the West Midlands, Keith Slade began his musical journey learning the clarinet from
the age of ten. After reaching the final of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Woodwind
Category, Keith graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music where he was awarded
the Hilda Collens’ prize. He furthered his studies under the guidance of Angela Malsbury and
Nicholas Rodwell on a postgraduate degree at the Royal Academy of Music supported by the
Countess of Munster Trust. At the RAM, Keith was awarded the Dorothy Grinstead Memorial
Prize for the most outstanding postgraduate, the John Solomon Woodwind and Brass Prize
and the Morgensterns’ Award.
Keith has extensive experience as an orchestral musician and has worked with orchestras
including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic,
London Festival Opera and the BBC Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Colin Davis,
Richard Hickox, Pierre Boulez and Andris Nelsons. As a soloist, Keith has performed concerti
by Mozart, Finzi, Weber and Copland in venues throughout the UK.
Keith was selected to participate on the Colin Metters’ International Conducting Course in
2012. Previous appointments include Head of Wind and Brass at the Royal Birmingham
Conservatoire Junior School and Head of Woodwind at Oakham School. At present he is Head
of Woodwind at Solihull School. Keith has conducted Sinfonia of Birmingham, The National
Schools’ Symphony Orchestra, The British Police Symphony Orchestra, Tewkesbury
Camerata, Sinfonia Scintille, Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra, St Endellion Easter
Festival Orchestra and the WorldCon Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s ExCeL Arena.
Keith has worked with artists including James MacMillan, Mark Padmore, Roderick Williams
and Sarah Fox.
In January 2010, Keith was appointed Music Director of the Worcestershire Symphony
Orchestra where he has seen the ensemble grow from strength-to-strength; WSO performs
several concerts each season and Keith is a regular guest on BBC Radio Hereford and
Worcester promoting the orchestra and classical music amongst the local community. In 2014
WSO commissioned a new Children’s work in the style of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf
entitled The Magic Bojabi Tree which was a huge success. In 2018 WSO performed in
Worcester Cathedral in remembrance of the Armistice Centenary. Continuing his passion for
music education, Keith worked with primary schools in the area to create a truly remarkable
concert. In recognition of his services to WSO, Keith was honoured to be invited by Her
Majesty the Queen to a private gathering to celebrate HRH’s Diamond Jubilee in Worcester.
As Principal conductor of Kimichi Symphony Orchestra, Keith received a 5 star review for his
performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, “Slade’s rehearsal technique is undoubtedly
persuasive, and his beat here was clear, unhistrionic and totally effectual” (Birmingham Post,
January 2018.) He subsequently took the production to the Rudolfinum in Prague, and has
since conducted numerous concerts with KSO which have received 5 stars: “the performance
was spine tingling from the start.”
In December 2022 Keith was honoured to have been invited to the Princess of Wales’
Christmas carol concert
