Conductors
Bampton Classical Opera has worked with a number of conductors, some of whom are described below. We do not have a permanent music director.
2008 season
Murray Hipkin studied at York University, the Guildhall and the National Opera Studio before joining the music staff of English National Opera (1983-8) and then working for Opéra de Lyon, La Monnaie, Opera Factory, Scottish Opera (recording Street Scene) and Opera Brava (as musical director). Since returning to ENO in 1995, he has appeared in Mahagonny, The Silver Tassie, Leoncavallo’s La bohème and The Rake’s Progress, and worked extensively as senior répétiteur (his productions have included Death in Venice, Madame Butterfly and the Ring Cycle) and assistant conductor, including, most recently, Carmen and The Turn of the Screw. He has conducted La bohème (Surrey Opera, Opera Box), Salieri Falstaff and Haydn La vera costanza for Bampton and, for ENO, The Pirates of Penzance, the 20th Anniversary performances of Jonathan Miller’s The Mikado starring Lesley Garrett, The Gondoliers, and Kismet with Michael Ball. In August 2007 he conducted Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd at Shawford Mill. Murray’s freelance work as vocal coach, accompanist and chorus master includes assisting the composer John Adams and conducting on location for the Channel 4 film The Death of Klinghoffer; Anna Bolena at the Tower of London Festival in 2005; Pierrot Lunaire at the Verbier Festival with Björk. Since 2003 he has been musical director of the North London Chorus.
Robin Newton studied at Cambridge University and the Royal Northern College of Music, where he twice won the Ricordi Prize for conducting. He is a Peter Moores Scholar. He has worked with orchestras including the Philharmonia, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Orchestra of Opera North and sinfonia ViVA and worked for opera companies including Opera Rara, Garsington Opera and English Touring Opera. Robin’s symphonic work has included concerto performances with such artists as Natalie Clein (Dvořák cello concerto) and So-Ock Kim (Sibelius 6 Humoresques). He has also worked extensively in the field of contemporary music giving a number of world and UK premieres with his group e2K. Robin is Head of Music for both Garsington Opera and Opera Rara. He has worked extensively as assistant conductor with David Parry and Andrew Litton. Future plans include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Opera North), Rake’s Progress (Garsington Opera), Die Fliegende Holländer (Den Nye Oper), and recording of Mercadante and Rossini with Opera Rara. He is also noted as a writer on music having contributed to a number of publications including the Grove dictionary, HarperCollins dictionaries of opera and of classical music, and programmes for the South Bank Centre.
Past seasons
Alexander Briger The Philosopher's Stone;
A Comedy of Errors
Matthew Coorey The
Jewel Box
Richard Dickins Acis
and Galatea (Mozart orchestration)
Tecwyn Evans Music for
voices and harp (concert)
Gilly French Apollo and Hyacinth; several
concerts
Edward Gardner Waiting
for Figaro
Matthew Halls Romeo and Juliet
Murray Hipkin Falstaff;
La vera costanza
Guy Hopkins Orpheus
and Euridice; Don Giovanni; Alfred; Nina
Paul
Hoskins The Barber of Seville ;
La capricciosa corretta
Jason Lai L'infedeltà delusa; Don
Giovanni
David Owen Norris The Two
Barons of Rocca Azzurra
Simon Over A
Comedy of Errors
Gregory Rose A European
Christmas (concert)
Alexander Walker A Comedy
of Errors
