Nicholas Cleobury is Associate Director of the Orchestra of the Swan, Founder and Conductor Laureate of the Britten Sinfonia, Principal Conductor of the Oxford Bach Choir and Founder and Principal Conductor of the Sounds New contemporary music festival. He is also Artistic Adviser to the Berkshire Choral Festival (USA) and Principal Guest Conductor of the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also worked extensively with opera companies around the world, from Opera North to Glyndebourne, Zurich Opera to Royal Opera Stockholm and from Chicago Opera Theatre to Canadian Opera. Nicholas Cleobury brings a special expertise to choral music and is in demand with choirs world-wide. As well as conducting the Oxford Bach Choir and being closely involved with the Berkshire Choral Festival (USA), he works regularly with the BBC Singers and the Huddersfield Choral Society. For several years Principal Conductor of the Royal Academy of Music Opera in London, Nicholas Cleobury continues to bring insight and enthusiasm to creative projects with music students and graduates, working with such talented young ensembles as the Southbank Sinfonia, Guildhall School of Music & Drama New Music Ensemble, Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the Birmingham Conservatoire. He is also a vibrant and persuasive speaker and lecturer, making him in demand as a communicator both on and off the rostrum and is a passionate evangelist for contemporary music, shown most vividly in his own ten year old contemporary music festival, Sounds New. In 2006, Nicholas Cleobury was made an Honorary Fellow of Canterbury Christ Church University. Innovative and scholarly programming, a wide repertoire and a natural affinity for making music with young people, are the hallmarks of his music making. “Harley” (composer Edward Rushton) succeeded…thanks to the magisterial direction of the contemporary music specialist Nicholas Cleobury, leading the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera in top form.” CORRIERE DEL TICINO “Absolutely wonderful – the combination of the Oxford Bach Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Brahms Requiem was almost overwhelming in its power and emotional intensity.” OXFORD TIMES “Mozart’s Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore, delivered strongly and proficiently by this excellent choir. And how well they did it: nobody could be in any doubt that these singers know how to cope with Mozart’s technical, harmonic and emotional demands.” OXFORD TIMES
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ORCHESTRAL UK ORCHESTRA OF THE SWAN In 2005, Nicholas Cleobury was appointed Associate Director of Orchestra of the Swan. The Orchestra of the Swan has achieved national recognition for outstanding performances combined with intriguing programming and an accessible style of presentation. Its home is at the Civic Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon, where the orchestra presents concerts drawing on masterpieces from the chamber orchestra repertoire, from the classical and romantic canon to significant works from the 20th century. He has appeared with the orchestra at their home in Stratford-upon-Avon and at many other festivals and venues from Deal to Dartington, and the North Wales and Two Moors Festivals. He has celebrated the works of Sir Michael Tippett and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett in tours, and given premieres of works by Joe Cutler, Tansy Davis, Joe Duddell, Dobrinka Tabakova and Errollyn Wallen. “This concert marked the first appearance of Nicholas Cleobury as Associate Director… given Cleobury’s affinity with English music and the ensemble’s in-depth exploration of Tippett….it seemed to auger well for the players.” THE GUARDIAN BRITTEN SINFONIA “High praise is due to Cleobury who seems to have found even more nuances in the orchestral parts (Britten: Song Cycles) of all three works than his predecessors.” THE GRAMOPHONE Founder Artistic Director in 1992 of the Britten Sinfonia, Nicholas Cleobury’s dedication to this fine ensemble contributed to its international success. Under his direction, Britten Sinfonia has performed many outstandingly well-received concerts at the UK’s leading festivals, including the BBC Proms and made several critically acclaimed CDs, including first recordings of Richard Rodney Bennett and Frank Bridge repertoire. Nicholas Cleobury’s recording with the orchestra for EMI of Strauss' Horn concerti, with David Pyatt as soloist, won a Gramophone Award and his recording of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto was voted Classic FM’s Number 1 Easter Choice. Since 2004 he has held the title of Founder Laureate of Britten Sinfonia. “Cleobury stamped his mark on Stravinsky’s Symphony in C in a memorable performance. Where some conductors make this neo-classical masterpiece sound dry, Cleobury found the wit and textural clarity and delivered the outer movements with blistering bite.” THE TIMES EUROPE - AND BEYOND... “I doubt if Tippett could have secured better playing from the Ulster Orchestra than we experienced and everywhere Cleobury’s understanding of the complexities as well as the possibilities was absolute. A stunning performance indeed.” BELFAST TIMES Nicholas Cleobury has worked with many of the world’s orchestras, including:
“I loved Cleobury’s reading of the work (Enigma Variations) – he perfectly captured its English essence and conveyed it to the listener.” KWANA NEWSPAPER DURBAN “The Zurich Opera House Orchestra was challenged by this music (Rushton’s Harley) but under the well-paced direction of Nicholas Cleobury they managed to convey the many faceted musical ideas and colours with joy and a twinkle in the eye.” ZURCHER OBERLANDER Nicholas Cleobury has worked widely in opera throughout the UK, notably at English and Welsh National Operas, Opera North and Glyndebourne and has conducted productions for Aldeburgh, Camden, English Bach and Orkney Festivals. Among the companies he has conducted abroad are Arcal (Paris and Nantes), Canadian Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Flanders and Gothenburg Opera, Hamburg Staatsoper, Malmö Musikteater, Royal Opera Stockholm, Wexford and Zurich Opera. Recently, he returned to Zurich Opera to conduct performances of both Mozart’s The MagicFlute, Britten’s Peter Grimes and to give the critically acclaimed premiere of Edward Rushton’s Harley. In 2006 Nicholas Cleobury returned to the Two Moors Festival to give performances of a major new opera, Tarka the Otter, based on the world famous story by Henry Williamson, with music by Stephen McNeff (composer in residence Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 2005-7), with a libretto by the eminent stage director Richard Williams. Tarka won the British Academy of Composers award in 2007. (Chicago Opera Theatre/Handel: Acis and Galatea) “…a sparkling jewel of a production …stylishly supported by the singers and the period instrument ensemble conducted by Nicholas Cleobury.” Chosen as one of the best performances of the year by The Chicago Tribune “Nicholas Cleobury’s account of this prodigious orchestral showpiece (Elliott Carter’s Concerto for Orchestra) connected up part to whole at every point and conveyed a sense of the work’s terrific overall sweep (Royal Academy of Music Orchestra).” FINANCIAL TIMES Work with student and youth orchestras is an important part of Nicholas Cleobury’s work. He has conducted the Australian Youth Orchestra and the London Schools Symphony Orchestra, the Northern Junior Philharmonic, the Hampshire, Leicester and Merseyside Youth Orchestras and also the Elizabeth College Summer Orchestral Course in Guernsey. Extending his interest in youth ensembles, he has recently enjoyed collaborations with the Birmingham Conservatoire, Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama New Music Ensemble, the Manson Ensemble of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of music and Drama. Since 2004 he has enjoyed a special relationship with the Southbank Sinfonia, particularly working with them on classical style and contemporary music, with such composers as Richard Rodney Bennett, Peter Maxwell Davies, James Macmillan and Mark Anthony Turnage. In 2006 he was Artistic Director of Mozart Now (part of the Salzburg Mozart Ways), a year-long programme of events celebrating the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth and his visit to Canterbury in 1765. Nicholas Cleobury directed several projects including a major composition course, a contemporary music performance course, events for children, the creative re-finishing of Mozart’s Requiem by young composers and the launch of Mozart Now Ensemble for amateur and professional musicians, culminating in a new version of the Mozart Requiem in Canterbury Cathedral in December 2006. “...the real achievement was musical (Tippett’s The Knot Garden). 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
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CONTEMPORARY
MUSIC Now in its 11th year, Nicholas Cleobury founded Sounds New to bring the glories of the music of our time to new and wider audiences. |
Nicholas
Cleobury pictured with |
With his worldwide experience as a conductor championing contemporary scores, he often found bewilderment, misunderstanding and even hostility to new music. Sounds New brings this wealth of new music to people in an approachable and understandable manner. Sounds New has had great success with people of all ages, reaching over 5,000 school children in a wide range of creative projects and bringing older students and adults to music they thought was “not for them”. Nicholas Cleobury and Sounds New have hosted many leading composers, including Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Jonathan Harvey, Magnus Lindberg, James Macmillan, David Matthews, John McCabe, Paul Patterson, Poul Ruders, Robert Saxton, Sir John Tavener and Mark-Anthony Turnage. Soloists have included Django Bates, James Bowman, Paul Crossley, Evelyn Glennie, John Harle, Rolf Hind, Joanna MacGregor and Rafael Wallfisch. Ensembles have included the BBC Singers, Britten Sinfonia, Fretwork, the Maggini Quartet, Onyx Brass, Orchestra of the Swan, the Scottish Ensemble, the Southbank Sinfonia and the Wallace Collection. Many youth groups have also enjoyed participating in Sounds New, notably Dance Warehouse, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Kent Music School, Live Music Now, the Orpheus Centre for young disabled artists, Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble, the Royal School for Deaf Children (Margate), as well as numerous school ensembles. Nicholas Cleobury is now Founder and Principal Conductor, continuing his work with the Festival he founded, conducting the opening and closing concerts in 2007 in Canterbury Cathedral. “…Nicholas Cleobury (with the Southbank Sinfonia) was an informative and passionate compere and exceptional conductor.” KENTISH GAZETTE “A highly sympathetic reading (Durufle Requiem – BBC Concert Orchestra & BBC Singers), taking full advantage of the resonant cathedral acoustic.” CATHEDRAL MUSIC Nicholas Cleobury has conducted a wealth of choirs and choruses including the BBC Singers, City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and Glyndebourne Festival Chorus in repertoire ranging from early music to some of today’s most challenging and notable contemporary vocal scores. He has been Principal Conductor of the Oxford Bach Choir since 1997. Under his guidance, the Choir has continued its tradition of performing not only well-known repertoire but also of supporting new music. Among these new works are notably Nicholas Maw’s Hymnus (originally commissioned for performance by the Choir for its centenary in 1996 and later with Nicholas Cleobury recorded for ASV), a performance of David Matthews’ Vespers (originally commissioned by Huddersfield Choral Society) and the world premiere of Martin Butler’s Two Rivers. Under Nicholas Cleobury they continue to give memorable performances in the Sheldonian theatre, most recent a highly acclaimed performance of Elgar’s The Kingdom. "Conductor Nicholas Cleobury loved every bar of this music and his enthusiasm was almost overwhelming as he elicited a non-stop stream of nuance and subtlety from soloists, choir and orchestra." NEWBURY WEEKLY NEWS "The tone for the evening was set with Brahms' Tragic Overture, delivered with immaculate musicality and expressiveness. The Requiem... hard work was instantly obvious in the strong, dramatic opening, and the pure vibrant sound, which they managed to sustain throughout." OXFORD TIMES As Artistic Adviser to the annual Berkshire Choral Festival (USA), the leading US/UK Summer Choral Festival, he has conducted the Festival Choir both in the UK and at their home in Sheffield, Massachusetts. During Tippett’s centenary year of 2005, Nicholas Cleobury conducted four performances of A Child of our Time; with the Oxford Bach Choir, with Norwich Festival Chorus, with the Berkshire Choral Festival and with Huddersfield Choral Society. His close association with the BBC Singers continues, collaborating with them this year in a John Armitage Memorial Trust concert in Canterbury Cathedral with a repeat of Adam Gorb’s Thoughts scribbles on a wall with a libretto by John McCarthy, and a World premiere by Gabriel Jackson. “Cleobury inspired his forces to yet greater things in a vivid Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast: bright brass, terrific woodwinds, keen strings and a choir in splendid voice. What a performance! What an achievement!” THE YORKSHIRE POST
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