Colin James Lawson CBE FRCM (born 24 July 1949) is a British clarinettist, scholar, and broadcaster. He was born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea and educated at Bradford Grammar School. A pupil of Thea King, Lawson was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain during his teenage years. He subsequently read music at Keble College, Oxford. Postgraduate studies in music at the University of Birmingham saw Lawson awarded an MA in 1972 for his study of the clarinet in eighteenth-century repertoire. His pioneering doctoral research into the chalumeau was completed at the University of Aberdeen in 1976. In 2000, in recognition of his work across theory and practice, Lawson received a DMus from the University of London. In 2015, celebrating Lawson's pre-eminence in performance studies, the