Jeremy Polmear was educated at the Choir School and King’s School in Canterbury, and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain while studying with its then oboe professor Janet Craxton. After a Science degree at Cambridge University (where he also played the Strauss concerto with the University orchestra) he worked for IBM for five years.

On leaving IBM he discovered the joys of freelancing when people offered him short-term computer work, and he has never had a proper job since. He became a freelance musician, and over the years he has performed as a guest player with many of London’s chamber and ballet orchestras including the City of London Sinfonia, the London Mozart Players, Lontano, English National Ballet and The Ambache.

With the pianist Diana Ambache he formed the Polmear Ambache Duo in 1977 for a British Council tour of India. They have since performed in thirty three countries on five continents, including programmes of Words and Music in the Gulf with Billie Whitelaw, in Australia with Susannah York and around the UK with Jenny Agutter. London appearances have included recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room. They also run sessions for businesses on teamwork and leadership, using the Arts as a management training tool.

In 2002 Jeremy founded the CD label Oboe Classics, which by 2006 had sixteen titles in its catalogue. This is the third involving Jeremy himself, and his recording with Diana Ambache of music by Robert and Clara Schumann has been designated the Benchmark Recording for this repertoire by the BBC Music Magazine. He has also recorded as a soloist and chamber musician on the Meridian, Chandos, Unicorn-Kanchana and Naxos labels, and on the BBC.

Jeremy has loved jazz since University days, and plays alto saxophone in the style of Paul Desmond, though without his creativity. He is the designer of four web sites.