Lachlan Radford , 2010

“The NZUK Link scholarship with Southbank Sinfonia is a gift. It’s an amazing way for kiwis to experience what the northern hemisphere music scene looks and feels like, while also meeting some of your heroes.”

Coming from a family of musicians, Lachlan first learnt to play the trombone, taking up the double bass in High School. He settled on the double bass after playing with the NZ Symphony National Youth Orchestra and being inspired by how it interacted with the orchestra.

Lachlan gained a Bachelor of Music with Honours in New Zealand, and then applied for the NZUK Link Scholarship to enable him to pursue his music career abroad with Southbank Sinfonia (SBS).

SBS provided Lachlan with amazing opportunities, including performing at St John’s Waterloo, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Anghiari Festival in Italy, and playing alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra, while also giving him the confidence to perform with world class musicians and to navigate London with a double bass!

After his time with SBS, Lachlan spent nine years in London performing with the BBC Concert Orchestra. He returned to New Zealand in 2019, where he worked with the NZ Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Lachlan is currently pursuing further opportunities with BBC Concert Orchestra in London, and recently played at the NZUK Link Memorial Concert for Dr Elman Poole.