Thea King
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Dame Thea King, DBE, FCRM, FGCSM (born 26 December 1925) is a British clarinetist.
The daughter of Henry King, MBE, a former manager of the Rossendale-based paint and varnishing company, G. W. King Ltd and his wife, Dorothea, Thea was educated at Bedford High School and the Royal College of Music.
From 1950-52, she was part of Sadler's Wells Orchestra, the Portia Wind Ensemble from 1955-68, the London Mozart Players from 1956-84, Melos Ensemble of London from 1974-1993 and is also a member of the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Vesuvius and Robles Ensembles.
From 1961-87, King was also Professor of Clarinet at the Royal College of Music and has been a Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama since 1988. In 1953, she married fellow clarinetist, Frederick Thurston but he died later that year and she never remarried.
In 2001, she was knighted as a DBE.
