Biographies
Adrian Brown, Musical Director
Adrian Brown comes from a distinguished line of Sir Adrian
Boult’s most gifted pupils. After graduating from the Royal
Academy of Music in London, he studied intensively with
Sir Adrian for some years. He remains the only British
conductor to have reached the finals of the Karajan
Conductors’ Competition: in fact, the Berlin Philharmonic was
the first professional orchestra he conducted. Sir Adrian wrote: ‘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. In 1998 Sir Roger Norrington recommended him
to conduct the Camerata Salzburg, one of Europe’s foremost
chamber orchestras. In addition, Adrian has conducted many
leading British orchestras including the City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC
Scottish Symphony Orchestra 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 has also been an area where
Adrian Brown has made a valuable contribution to British
musical life, as well as in Europe, Japan and the Philippines. He
has frequently conducted both 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, coaches gifted
young conductors and was given the Novello Award for Youth
Orchestras at the 1989 Edinburgh Festival.
He has returned to conduct at the Royal Academy of Music
and regularly been selected as chairman of the jury for the
National Association of Youth Orchestras’ Conducting
Competition. In 1996 he was flown to Japan to work with the
Toyama Toho Academy Orchestra, a visit that was received
with much acclaim from all those with whom he worked.
His many most memorable engagements have included
Tippett’s Child of Our Time, Verdi's Requiem and almost the
entire oeuvre 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, returning to
them in February 2005 for a concert at St. John's, Smith Square,
performing British music including Tippett's Concerto for
Orchestra, to acclamation.
In his 60th Birthday Year, 2009, Adrian was appointed Music
Director of Huntingdonshire Philharmonic and conducted
works with many orchestras on a ‘celebration wish list’ including Sibelius’ Fourth, Mahler’s Ninth and Elgar’s First
symphonies. He also had a major success conducting the
Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra in Vilnius in a nationally broadcast concert. Bromley Symphony honoured him with a
30th Anniversary/60th Birthday concert in November, where
he was presented with a Vaughan Williams autograph letter.
In 2010 he conducted some forty concerts including an
acclaimed performance of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius in
Ely Cathedral, Elgar’s Enigma Variations in Girona Cathedral,
a stunning debut with the Corinthian Orchestra in Central
London and an important lecture to the Berlioz Society, where
his CD recording from Lithuania of the Berlioz Symphonie
Fantastique was much admired as one of the best
interpretations.
The 2010-11 season included a return for two concerts with
the Corinthian Chamber Orchestra, one in the Queen Elizabeth
Hall. Programmes of Elgar and of Rachmaninov, the Third
Symphony, were received with critical and audience acclaim.
Adrian has since been invited to be joint principal conductor
of the Corinthian Orchestra. Many concerts in Huntingdon,
Bromley and London have included admired readings of
Gerontius, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Sibelius, Nielsen’s Fifth and
the centenaries of Petrushka and Elgar’s Second Symphony.
Bromley Symphony celebrated the Mahler Anniversaries of his
birth and death with his Fifth Symphony. Waveney Sinfonia
presented a special concert of Vaughan Williams and Elgar, and
Adrian conducted concerts at the Royal Academy of Music and
Royal College of Music with Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra.
Plans for the 2011-12 season include three concerts with
the Corinthian Chamber Orchestra performing Elgar’s First
Symphony in May, again in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. An
Everest to climb – Bruckner’s Eighth with Bromley Symphony
– is preceded in an Autumn concert by Elgar’s Violin Concerto
with Sasha Rozdestvensky as soloist. Other works in the
repertoire are Mahler’s First, Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique,
the Mozart and Brahms Requiems, and a Jubilee Concert in
Ely Cathedral in June presenting Elgar’s Coronation Ode and
Berlioz’s Te Deum.
Adrian Brown was one of a hundred musicians presented
with a prestigious Classic FM Award at their Tenth Birthday
Honours Celebration in June 2002.
Lindsay Ryan, Associate Conductor
Lindsay has a Bachelor of Music (French Horn) and a Bachelor of Teaching (Honours) gained from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She also has an Associate of Music, Australia, performance diploma (Horn) from the Australian Music Examinations Board.
Lindsay has a passion for conducting that commenced in Australia prior to her arrival in London in 2006, including the completion of her Australian Choral Conductors Education and Training choral conducting qualification in 2000 under the tutelage of Graham Abbott and Faye Dumont and studies at the University of Melbourne in 2001 with Professor John Hopkins. In 2008-9, Lindsay was invited to participate in RNCM conducting workshops with Mark Elder, Mark Heron and Timothy Reynish. Currently she studies conducting with renowned leaders of the profession, Adrian Brown and Achim Holub.
In May 2010 she successfully participated in an international
conducting masterclass with Lior Shambadal and Romolo
Gessi in Vicenza, Italy. She was also invited to participate in a
masterclass in Weiz, Austria in August 2010 with Achim Holub.
Her performance experience in London has included
performing with the Bromley Symphony Orchestra, Orpington
and Sevenoaks Orchestras, Lewisham Concert Band and
established chamber groups, as well as freelancing.
In addition, Lindsay’s expertise includes the establishment
of ensembles in various schools, enabling young people
to experience creative music-making in choirs, bands,
orchestras and drumming ensembles. In 2008 she was
the Musical Director and Conductor of Cator Park School’s
inaugural performance of The Wizard of Oz at the Churchill
Theatre, Bromley, and also conducted the school’s choir at
the O2 Arena for Young Voices, Bromley School Proms and
the orchestra, brass ensemble and string group for school
and community events.
Lindsay is the founding Musical Director of Harmony
Sinfonia, Conductor of the London Classical Consort of Winds,
as well as Assistant Conductor and Outreach Co-ordinator for
Dulwich Symphony Orchestra with Julian Williamson.
Dan Shilladay, Assistant Conductor
Dan read music at the University of Birmingham
before completing a masters degree in contemporary music
studies at the University of York. During a further year of study
at the Royal College of Music with Susie Mészáros and Annette
Isserlis, he was selected for the Jerwood/Orchestra of the Age
of Enlightenment Scheme for Young Players, and was also
invited by Martyn Brabbins to perform with the Cheltenham
Festival Academy.
Dan is now a London-based freelance musician and
performs with, among others, the OAE, the English Chamber
Orchestra and the English Baroque Soloists, with whom he
has performed at the BBC Proms. As a member of the 2008
Southbank Sinfonia, he participated in critically acclaimed
productions of Tom Adès’ Powder Her Face at the Royal
Opera House and Tom Stoppard and André Previn’s Every
Good Boy Deserves Favour at the National Theatre. Alongside
period instrument performance, he is especially interested
in contemporary music, and has played in the York and
Cheltenham festivals.
A keen chamber musician, Dan is a founder member of
the Baldaccio Quartet and the Berkeley Ensemble, the latter
of which reached the final of the Royal Overseas League
competition in 2009 and toured China in 2010.