Kenneth Henderson was born in Edinburgh. At the age of five, he began his education at George Watson’s College. When he was seven, he started learning the piano, and by twelve, he had taken up the horn, studying with Fiona Elliott. At nine, he performed as a boy soprano in the Edinburgh Festival’s production of Carmen by Georges Bizet.

At fifteen, Kenneth entered the Junior Department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), where he studied with Chris Griffiths. In his final year, at seventeen, he began monthly lessons with Ifor James at the North East of Scotland Centre for Music, later continuing his studies with James at the Royal Academy of Music in London for a year. He then spent a further three years at the Academy studying with James Brown, followed by a postgraduate year at the Cologne University of Music with Erich Penzel.

After his year in Germany, Kenneth returned to London, working as a freelance horn player with orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, and the London Symphony Orchestra.

In 1990, he was appointed Principal Horn of the Winterthur City Orchestra in Switzerland. His career has encompassed orchestral, chamber, and solo performance, taking him to many of the world’s leading concert halls. He has collaborated in chamber music with renowned artists such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Rudolf Buchbinder, Tamás Vásáry, and Pinchas Zukerman. His recordings are available on labels including Sony and Dabringhaus und Grimm.

In 2025, Kenneth Henderson was appointed Principal Horn of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Photo: Christopher Bowen