Adrian Brown, Musical Director
Adrian Brown comes from a distinguished line of pupils of Sir Adrian Boult. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Music in London, he studied with Sir Adrian and went on to work with him for some years. He remains the only British conductor to have reached the finals of the Karajan Conductors’ Competition: the Berlin Philharmonic was the first professional orchestra he conducted. Sir Adrian said of his work: ‘He has always impressed me as a musician of exceptional attainments who has all the right gifts and ideas to make him a first-class conductor.’
In 1992 Adrian Brown was engaged to conduct one of the great orchestras of the world, the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, with an immediate invitation to return, and in1998 he was invited by Sir Roger Norrington to work with the Camerata Salzburg, one of Europe’s foremost chamber orchestras
Adrian has worked regularly with many leading British orchestras, including the City of Birmingham Symphony, the BBC Symphony, the BBC Scottish Symphony and the London Sinfonietta. He is also a great proponent of contemporary music and has several first performances to his credit.
Working with young musicians is an area where Adrian Brown has made a singular contribution to the musical life of not only this country, but also that of Europe, Japan and the Philippines. He has been a frequent visiting conductor both of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, working closely with Sir Colin Davis and Sir Roger Norrington, and the National Youth Wind Orchestra. He regularly runs courses for young musicians and his success in this general area was recognised when he was given the Novello Award for Youth Orchestras at the 1989 Edinburgh Festival conducting Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra. He has been Stoneleigh’s Musical Director for thirty-five years, and conducted their Diamond Jubilee Concert in March 2005.
He has conducted at the Royal Academy of Music on a number of occasions and worked with their Senior Orchestra. He has been a regular chairman of the jury for the National Association of Youth Orchestras’ Conducting Competition, taking the Chair again in January 2006. In 1996 he went to Japan to work with the Toyama Toho Academy Orchestra, a visit that was received with much acclaim.
Many engagements have included a performance of Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, Verdi's Requiem and the works of Berlioz, Elgar and Vaughan Williams, all much admired. He received rave reviews in The Guardian for a performance of Strauss’s Feuersnot with the Chelsea Opera Group and for his Ein Heldenleben. He has performed successful concerts with the Salomon Orchestra and Goldsmith’s Sinfonia, returning to the Salomon in February 2005 for a concert at St. John's, Smith Square, performing British music including Tippett's Concerto for Orchestra, among many concerts celebrating the Centenary of Sir Michael, and receiving great acclamation for his interpretation.
In 2005, Adrian conducted his 25th season as Music Director of Bromley Symphony Orchestra and Waveney Sinfonia. He also joined the panel of jury members of Music for Youth as well as accepting invitations to perform with the Isle of Wight Symphony, Bromley Ecumenical Singers and Herts Philharmonia, and touring Dresden and Prague with SYO.
Last year included performances of Shostakovich with Suffolk Sinfonia in St Edmundsbury Cathedral and with Stoneleigh at LSO St Luke’s; also a return to Elgar/Payne Symphony No.3 in a concert of Anthony Payne’s work. He again joined the Panel for the Making Music Awards and went on tour to Salzburg for a Mozart Festival with SYO.
The 2007-8 Season has included so far a tour to Provence with SYO, concerts in Snape Maltings celebrating the Elgar Anniversary, and a performance of ‘Hansel und Gretel’ and other engagements with Hunts Phiharmonic and Southgate Symphony; also a full season with Bromley Symphony of Elgar’s 2nd, Bruckner 7th, Tchaikovsky 4th and ‘The Planets’.
Adrian Brown was one of a hundred musicians presented with a prestigious Classic FM Award at their Tenth Birthday Honours Celebration in June 2002.