Nicholas Cleobury to join Mid Wales Opera
The highly regarded opera, choral and orchestral conductor Nicholas Cleobury is to join Mid Wales Opera as its new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor later this year.
The Trustees have chosen Mr Cleobury to take on the artistic direction of the Company from the joint founder, Keith Darlington, who has steered the Mid Wales based charity through its 21 years of operation.
Mr Cleobury impressed the Trustees of the Company with his broad knowledge of musical styles, his commitment to making opera accessible to new audiences and his understanding of how the Company could develop its established role. Mid Wales Opera has built an impressive reputation for taking quality productions of operatic masterpieces into communities which the large scale companies cannot serve. Nicholas is keen to build on this tradition.
He is an enormously experienced concert and opera conductor with an impressive history of working with most of the established companies and festivals throughout Britain and abroad. These include Aldeburgh, English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Opera North, the Proms as well as Welsh National and Zurich Operas.
Nicholas Cleobury was for several years Principal Conductor of the Royal Academy of Music Opera in London and Broomhill Opera. He continues to devote time to students and young professionals, conducting, coaching and teaching at numerous music colleges, and has recently worked with British Youth Opera. He also conducts orchestras and choirs worldwide, appears regularly on the BBC and Classicfm and has a wide discography, recording notably with the Royal Philharmonic and the Britten Sinfonia.
The Company’s General Director, Mike Penn, said “Mid Wales Opera is delighted to have attracted so many well qualified candidates to succeed Keith Darlington who has set such high artistic standards for the Company. Nicholas Cleobury stood out from a really strong field as the candidate with the drive and passion to build on the Company’s solid reputation for producing a full scale operatic impact with small touring forces. We all look forward to building on the success of Mid Wales Opera under his artistic leadership.”
Some plaudits for Mid Wales Opera’s new Artistic Director –
“… among this country’s most dynamic and versatile conductors.”
THE INDEPENDENT
“Nicholas Cleobury conducts with elan and precision.”
FINANCIAL TIMES
“… a refined ear and sensitive hand–playing of complete transparency and partnership with the joys on stage.”
CHICAGO SUN TIMES
“… the real achievement was musical … Conducted with conspicuous organizational skill by Cleobury, the points of genius in the score were well served by both the orchestra and the cast of young professionals (Royal Academy of Music Orchestra).”
THE GUARDIAN
“Under the inspired conducting of Nicholas Cleobury, Choir and Orchestra combined to give a truly memorable performance.”
OXFORD TIMES
“The evening was also musically a success. Under Nicholas Cleobury the Opera House Orchestra played leanly and was brilliantly colourful.”
NEUE LUZERNER ZEITUNG (World Premiere of Rushton’s Harley by Zurich Opera in 2005)
“Harley succeeded thanks to the magisterial direction of the contemporary music specialist Nicholas Cleobury, leading the Orchestra of Zurich Opera in top form.”
CORRIERE DEL TICINO
You can see more about Nicholas on his website : www.nicholascleobury.net
FOR MORE INFORMATION – please contact
MIKE PENN – GENERAL DIRECTOR – 07962 591380
NICHOLAS CLEOBURY – 07831 148637
Nicholas is willing to undertake interviews and talk more widely to journalists about his conducting and coaching experience and ambitions for Mid Wales Opera. As he works around the UK and abroad, it would help him to have some notice of any possible opportunities.
22 April 2009
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