About
“Chris is one of the most compelling and irresistible musicians I have ever met. His conducting has an urgency and a beauty … a real pleasure to play for.”
Christopher has conducted the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Rambert Dance Company.
He enjoys a wide variety of music: a recent performance of Bach Johannes-Passion as Musical Director of the Glossop Festival brought together the finest instrumentalists led by Matthew Truscott and soloists including Elin Manahan-Thomas, Alexandra Gibson, Nicholas Mulroy and Matthew Brook; while a Mozart gala evening featured Miriam Ryen, Camilla Roberts, Eamonn Mulhall and Jonathan Lemalu. This festival has programmed much of the Classical repertoire.
“I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastically paced and dramatic performance. I hope to get the chance to work with him again.”
Christopher recently conducted Prokofiev’s magnificent 5th Symphony for a side-by-side project with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and enjoyed a tour with Rambert Dance Company of Kim Brandstrup’s Life is a Dream to Lutoslawski’s Symphony no. 4, Chain 2 and Musique Funebre.
Collaborating with artists including John Grant and Maximo Park, Christopher has toured and broadcast with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted for sessions at Abbey Road Studios with music by James Seymour Brett.
Exciting smaller scale work includes new operas Love Speaks by Kevan O’Reilly and Jenny Knotts and Gareth Williams’ The Sloans Project with Noise Opera, a new piece With Stolen Fire by Charlie Piper with Ensemble 360, and the not-so-new Mahler Symphony No.4 with the Fews Ensemble.
“Chris has a natural musicianship and a wonderful ear which delves deep into the most complex scores.”
As well as professional ensembles, Christopher loves working with younger and amateur groups. Conducting regularly at the universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh and Goldsmiths, Nottingham Youth Orchestra, the Highlands Youth Orchestra and Amicus Orchestra he has chosen, rehearsed and then performed lots of extraordinary orchestral repertoire with wonderfully skilled and open-minded musicians.
Christopher also teaches violin. For many years he taught, coached and conducted at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and with the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland where he sat on the board. Recently he has taught as a visiting professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music.
“An inspirational Leader and Director, as a person Chris also has great integrity, warmth and humour.”
As a violinist Christopher was Leader of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, directing them and appearing as soloist at the Edinburgh International Festival, the Aldeburgh Festival, at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and throughout Britain and Europe. He has led the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, touring widely with Murray Perahia, Joshua Bell and Sir Neville Marriner, and has also played in principal positions with the Royal Opera House Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Moderne and many others.
A passionate chamber musician, Christopher spent many happy hours with groups Quince Quartet and Trio Ligeti and collaborating with wonderful artists such as Christian Zacharius, Artur Pizarro, Laurence Power, Simon Crawford-Philips and Richard Egarr. As a soloist his repertoire is wide, ranging from the Baroque to specially commissioned works.
Chris is delighted to be represented by Hennessey Brown Music.
“A performance with Chris is to be living truly in the moment. He manages with exhilarating honesty and faultless musicianship to remind us of music’s great importance in the world.”