Frank Barr

Frank Barr is a clarinettist in Sinfonia Smith Square. He graduated from the Royal College of Music with first-class honours in 2026, having learnt under Tim Lines, Richard Hosford, Peter Sparks and Paul Richards. 

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During his time at the RCM, Frank was awarded the Woodwind Prize and the Solo Clarinet Prize for his performance of Stockhausen’s ‘In Freundschaft’. He has also performed in masterclasses to Pascal Moragues, Maxi Martin, Andreas Sunden and Lynsey Marsh. Frank performed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with Sussex Concert Orchestra in 2022.

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Frank played principal clarinet with RCM’s Symphony Orchestra in 2025, and is happy to be continuing his orchestral pursuits with Sinfonia Smith Square for the 2026/27 season. He has also performed in concerts with Docklands Sinfonia, St Paul’s Sinfonia and London Firebird Orchestra, and last year played principal clarinet with Berlin Opera Academy in a production of Massenet’s ‘Cendrillon’.

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Contemporary music is a passion of Frank’s, having taken composition as a second study at RCM, and in 2026 his quintet for clarinets was performed in the RCM clarinet showcase. He has also appeared on Knats’ Mercury Prize shortlisted album ‘A Great Day In Newcastle’. He is a supporter of new music and has performed premieres in Westminster Abbey and at the International Maritime Organisation. Frank is a founding member of a contemporary improvisation collective, and in 2025 was selected as one of three RCM students to go to the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki for an intensive course of free improvisation.