RCM's Marie Lloyd: direction of the wind

‘I'm absolutely, totally delighted – it's amazing!’ Clarinettist Marie Lloyd has been head of woodwind at the Royal College of Music since September; two months in, she's telling me about her new role with the enthusiasm of a child given the keys to a sweetshop. ‘The students are all fantastic – and all the professors here are absolutely incredible,’ she adds.

Lloyd's career to date has been rich and varied. She's a long-time member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE) and has also played with the UK's major symphony orchestras both as guest principal and E flat clarinettist. Her chamber career has seen her playing with the Nash Ensemble and the London Sinfonietta. ‘I've had the most incredible career with COE, which I'm still playing in,’ she says. ‘I've been able to play with the most amazing conductors, like Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Bernard Haitink, who really taught me how to view a piece of music as an overriding arc. It didn't matter what piece Haitink had, everything had this amazing line; his structure and his thought processes behind that were just wonderful. I learned a lot from him.’