Our Principal Conductor is the very popular Russell Keable, who has taken on this role since March 2004.  We are already proud of our achievements under his baton, and our recent performances of Beethoven's 5th, Symphony, Nielsen's 3rd Symphony (the Espansiva) and Elgar's 1st Symphony  have been milestones in our development .

Russell Keable has established a reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting musicians.  As a conductor he has been praised in national and international papers.  ‘Keable and his orchestra did magnificently’ wrote The Guardian, ‘one of the most memorable evenings at the South Bank' said The Musical Times. He performs with orchestras and choirs throughout the British Isles including the London Mozart Players, Manchester Camerata, Northern Ballet Orchestra and RPO; and has conducted in Prague and Paris (concerts filmed by French and British television). Forthcoming plans include Berlioz's opera Beatrice et Bénédict for the Cambridge Festival this Autumn. He is thrilled to be taking up the post of Principal Conductor with the City of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.

 As a champion of the music of Erich Korngold he has received particular praise: the British première of Korngold’s Die tote Stadt was hailed as a triumph, as was a London performance of Violanta. Research in Los Angeles also led to a world première of music from Korngold’s film score for The Sea Hawk. In January Russell Keable will give a rare performance of Korngold's Symphony at London's South Bank Centre.HHawke

 Keable was trained at Nottingham and London Universities; he studied conducting at London’s Royal College of Music with Norman Del Mar, and later with George Hurst.  For 18 years he has been associated with Kensington Symphony Orchestra, one of the UK’s finest non-professional orchestras, with whom he has led first performances of works by many British composers (including Maxwell Davies, Woolrich, Holloway, David Matthews and John McCabe). He has also made recordings of two symphonies by Robert Simpson and a Beethoven CD was released in New York.

 Russell Keable is recognized as a dynamic lecturer and workshop leader.  He has the rare skill of being able to communicate vividly with audiences of any age (from school children, to music students, adult groups and international business conferences). Over five years he developed a special relationship with the Schidlof String Quartet for whom he established an exciting and innovative education programme.

 Russell is also in demand as a composer and arranger. He has written works for many British ensembles and his opera Burning waters, commissioned by the Buxton Festival as part of their millenium celebration, was premièred in July 2000.  He is currently working on a dance project for the SoundWood Ensemble and composing music for a prison-based mime project with the celebrated clown and mime expert, Didier Danthois.

This page was last updated - Sunday, 09 April 2006 23:31

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