"The orchestra played with consistent verve under the confident and stylish direction of Oliver Gooch"

Oliver Gooch is rapidly establishing a reputation as a conductor of considerable versatility in a wide range of symphonic and operatic repertoire. He has enjoyed collaborations with many of the UK’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Sinfonia ViVA, Northern Sinfonia, Red Note Ensemble (Scotland’s première contemporary music ensemble), and as a regular guest conductor for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This season sees his debut with the Hallé and further concerts with the RPO.

Equally at home in the theatre, he is a graduate of the Royal Opera House’s prestigious Young Artist programme, in post created for him by Antonio Pappano. Since then since collaborated with many opera companies, both in North America and Europe. He made his USA debut in 2008 with the New York première of Conrad Susa’s Dangerous Liaisons for Dicapo Opera, and was immediately re-engaged to conduct the US première of Janacek’s Šarka. He made his Italian debut in 2010 with Don Giovanni for AsLico, followed by Die Zauberflöte at Cremona, Brescia, Pavia and Como in 2011. In the UK, he came to attention as the Founder Artistic Director of Opera East Productions, most recently being nominated for a South Bank Award for the world première of O'Regan's Heart of Darkness at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre. For Raymond Gubbay, Oliver was Musical Director for Madama Butterfly in the Royal Albert Hall; for the Buxton Festival Riders to the Sea, Savitri and The Wandering Scholar; and for Iford Arts, he has been Musical Director of Iford Festival Opera since 2005. Forthcoming projects include his ROH debut in Haydn’s L’isola disabitata on tour to Tasmania, La Traviata (Iford Festival), Messiah (London Chorus/Royal Festival Hall), and Francesca Zambello’s La Boheme for Raymond Gubbay in 2014.

He has enjoyed a close working relationship assisting Mackerras, Pappano, Auguin, Kreizberg and Colin Davis at the Royal Opera, and was invited to be Guest Chorus Master for Glyndebourne Festival’s Fairy Queen, winning BBC Music Magazine’s Award for Best Opera DVD in 2011. For Glyndebourne on Tour, he has assisted on Le nozze di Figaro, Albert Herring; for Opera North I Capuleti, The Adventures of Mr Brouček; and cover conductor for the Royal Ballet Rite of Spring.

Oliver Gooch received his training at Cambridge University, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio. He studied conducting at the Tanglewood Festival under Robert Spano and Seiji Ozawa, and was subsequently nominated for the prestigious Rolex/Mentor Protégé Arts Initiative in Geneva, under Sir Colin Davis. In 2006 he was awarded a prestigious Clore Fellowship, a programme designed to nurture new generation of cultural leaders. In 2007, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.