Martyn Brabbins was recently announced Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, starting in September 2009.
Recognised as one of Britain's leading and most versatile conducting talents, Brabbins brings his flawless musicianship, artistic integrity and programming skills to his new position in Antwerp, where for several weeks a season he will focus on breaking out of traditional concert formulae, both within the regular season and in his musical direction of a new festival. Together they will also record a series of Belgian Romantic works for Hyperion Records.
Artistic Director of the Cheltenham International Festival of Music 2005-2007, he was Associate Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 1994-2005. After studying composition in London and then conducting with Ilya Musin in Leningrad, his career was launched when he won first prize at the 1988 Leeds Conductors' Competition. Since then Brabbins has regularly conducted all the major UK orchestras and is much sought-after in Europe, notably in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Scandinavia.
Brabbins opened the 08/9 season with his regular BBC Symphony Orchestra Proms appearance, this time conducting Holst's Planets and Vaughan Williams' Antarctica Symphony. This season he also appeared at the South Bank in subcription with the London Philharmonic and Philharmonia orchestras, and at the Barbican for the BBC Symphony's Xenakis weekend, and returned to the City of Birmingham, BBC Scottish and Royal Scottish National orchestras. This winter he made his Japanese and Tokyo debuts, with the Nagoya Philharmonic and Tokyo Metropolitan symphonies respectively, both of whom issued immediate reinvitations for 2011. European engagements included the Netherlands Radio Chamber in the prestigious Matinee series, the Residentie Orkest, Salzburg Mozarteumorchester and Lahti Symphony. On the contemporary front his projects in 08/9 included his 9th return to the Bavarian Radio Symphony's Musica Viva series, two projects with the Ensemble Modern, and the world premiere of a new work written for Matthias Goerne and the London Sinfonietta by Austrian composer Thomas Larcher.
In May 2009 he makes his debut with the Opera de Lyon in Spring 2009 with a new production of Death in Venice and returns to Hamburg in 2010 for the same opera (his second visit). In spring 2010 he will also return to the Netherlands Opera, after several collaborations with Pierre Audi, this time for a new work by Raskatov directed by Simon McBurney. Also a regular in Frankfurt (where he conducted Tosca last season), he returns in 2011 for a new production of Pizetti’s Murder in the Cathedral. Since his early days conducting Mozart at the Kirov, Brabbins has also conducted for the Deutsche Oper Berlin, English National Opera and Opera North, and at the Aldeburgh and Holland festivals, and this Summer conducted the Camerata Salzburg in The Marriage of Figaro.
Known for his Elgar, Britten, and Walton, Brabbins also has a strong affinity for the great 19th century Romantics, and for the Russian and French repertoire. Brabbins is also one of Europe’s leading interpreters of contemporary music. Conductor of choice for the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, from 1999-2004 he was the Philharmonia Orchestra's Music of Today Series Conductor.
Brabbins is much in demand as a recording artist. He has recorded over 30 discs with the BBC Scottish Symphony on Hyperion, with core repertoire planned for future recordings; and has an ongoing relationship also with Chandos Records. He has recorded Birtwistle, David Bedford and Finnissy for NMC; Rachmaninov and Scriabin for Collins Classics and made a notable live recording of Britten's War Requiem for Naxos. His recording of Korngold's Die Kathrin with the BBC Concert Orchestra for CPO won the Opera Award at Cannes.
Martyn Brabbins is represented by Intermusica.
March 2009 / 602 words. Not to be altered without permission. Please contact us if this biography is out of date.