Alexander Shelley

Introduction

Alexander Shelley

 

The thirty year old English conductor Alexander Shelley has rapidly established himself as one of the most creative musical talents of his generation.   Unanimously awarded first prize in the 2005 Leeds Conductors Competition, Shelley was described in the press as "the most exciting and gifted young conductor to have taken this highly prestigious award. His conducting technique is immaculate, everything crystal clear and a tool to his inborn musicality."

 

Shelley’s first season as Principal Conductor of Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra which ended in August 2010 was hailed by both the press and the audience as a triumph and he continues both his intensive subscription, regional and international concert schedule with the orchestra in the 2010/2011 season including tours to Italy, Belgium and the Musikverein in Vienna. A regular guest conductor in Germany, he has recently worked in Hamburg, Leipzig, Hannover, Cologne, Kaiserslautern and Bremen. He also continues his regular concert projects with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen alongside his position as Artistic Director of their new, ground-breaking Zukunftslabor project. This award-winning series aims to build a lasting relationship between the orchestra and a new generation of concert-goers through grass-roots engagement and involvement with young audiences as well as exciting and unusual programming concepts (www.kammerphilharmonie.com/Zukunftslabor).

 

Following last season’s highly successful North American debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, his South American debut with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra in Caracas and first visits to the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de Bordeaux he received immediate reinvitations to each of these orchestras for the coming seasons.  During this period he will also make his debut with the Seoul Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Houston Symphony.  A regular guest in Australia and New Zealand, Shelley will also continue his close relationship with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

 

Already well established in Scandinavia, where he has conducted the Swedish Radio Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic, Helsingborg Symphony, Copenhagen Philharmonic, orchestra of the Royal Danish Opera, Danish Radio Sinfonietta and Odense Symphony, Shelley was re-invited to the Tivoli Festival for a fourth successive appearance in 2009. Having made his professional opera debut with The Merry Widow for Royal Danish Opera in 2008, he has been re-invited for a new production of Gounod's Romeo and Juliet this season and will conduct Opera Lyra’s production of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in the summer of 2011.

 

In recent seasons Alexander Shelley's UK appearances have featured the BBC Philharmonic at the BBC Proms in 2006 and the inaugural Manchester International Festival in 2007, the Britten Sinfonia at the BBC Proms in 2007, the Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and London Mozart Players. The coming seasons include  his return to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Orchestra of Opera North and his debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

In 2001 Shelley founded the Schumann Camerata in Dusseldorf. He has now conducted this young chamber orchestra in over 80 concerts both in Germany and abroad including a high-profile tour of 11 Russian cities culminating in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire in 2004. With the Camerata this season he presents the third edition of "440Hz", an innovative series of concerts involving prominent German television and stage personalities, in a major initiative to attract young adults to the concert hall (www.440Hz.info).

 

The son of professional musicians, Shelley studied cello with Timothy Hugh and Steven Doane at the Royal College of Music.  In 1998 he moved to Germany to complete his cello studies with Professor Johannes Goritzki at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule, Dusseldorf.   He took part in the master classes of Mstislav Rostropovich and Janos Starker in Paris, Aldo Parisot in Banff and in the composition master class of George Crumb in Switzerland. In 2003 he played in the World Orchestra for Peace in Moscow and St Petersburg under the baton of Valery Gergiev.  Shelley studied conducting with Professor Thomas Gabrisch and has worked closely with Yan-Pascal Tortelier as assistant conductor with orchestras including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. 

 

For further information on Alexander Shelley please visit www.alexandershelley.com

Biography

Alexander Shelley

 

The thirty year old English conductor Alexander Shelley has rapidly established himself as one of the most creative musical talents of his generation.   Unanimously awarded first prize in the 2005 Leeds Conductors Competition, Shelley was described in the press as "the most exciting and gifted young conductor to have taken this highly prestigious award. His conducting technique is immaculate, everything crystal clear and a tool to his inborn musicality."

 

Shelley’s first season as Principal Conductor of Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra which ended in August 2010 was hailed by both the press and the audience as a triumph and he continues both his intensive subscription, regional and international concert schedule with the orchestra in the 2010/2011 season including tours to Italy, Belgium and the Musikverein in Vienna. A regular guest conductor in Germany, he has recently worked in Hamburg, Leipzig, Hannover, Cologne, Kaiserslautern and Bremen. He also continues his regular concert projects with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen alongside his position as Artistic Director of their new, ground-breaking Zukunftslabor project. This award-winning series aims to build a lasting relationship between the orchestra and a new generation of concert-goers through grass-roots engagement and involvement with young audiences as well as exciting and unusual programming concepts (www.kammerphilharmonie.com/Zukunftslabor).

 

Following last season’s highly successful North American debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, his South American debut with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra in Caracas and first visits to the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de Bordeaux he received immediate reinvitations to each of these orchestras for the coming seasons.  During this period he will also make his debut with the Seoul Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Houston Symphony.  A regular guest in Australia and New Zealand, Shelley will also continue his close relationship with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

 

Already well established in Scandinavia, where he has conducted the Swedish Radio Symphony, Stockholm Philharmonic, Helsingborg Symphony, Copenhagen Philharmonic, orchestra of the Royal Danish Opera, Danish Radio Sinfonietta and Odense Symphony, Shelley was re-invited to the Tivoli Festival for a fourth successive appearance in 2009. Having made his professional opera debut with The Merry Widow for Royal Danish Opera in 2008, he has been re-invited for a new production of Gounod's Romeo and Juliet this season and will conduct Opera Lyra’s production of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in the summer of 2011.

 

In recent seasons Alexander Shelley's UK appearances have featured the BBC Philharmonic at the BBC Proms in 2006 and the inaugural Manchester International Festival in 2007, the Britten Sinfonia at the BBC Proms in 2007, the Philharmonia, City of Birmingham Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and London Mozart Players. The coming seasons include  his return to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Orchestra of Opera North and his debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

In 2001 Shelley founded the Schumann Camerata in Dusseldorf. He has now conducted this young chamber orchestra in over 80 concerts both in Germany and abroad including a high-profile tour of 11 Russian cities culminating in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire in 2004. With the Camerata this season he presents the third edition of "440Hz", an innovative series of concerts involving prominent German television and stage personalities, in a major initiative to attract young adults to the concert hall (www.440Hz.info).

 

The son of professional musicians, Shelley studied cello with Timothy Hugh and Steven Doane at the Royal College of Music.  In 1998 he moved to Germany to complete his cello studies with Professor Johannes Goritzki at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule, Dusseldorf.   He took part in the master classes of Mstislav Rostropovich and Janos Starker in Paris, Aldo Parisot in Banff and in the composition master class of George Crumb in Switzerland. In 2003 he played in the World Orchestra for Peace in Moscow and St Petersburg under the baton of Valery Gergiev.  Shelley studied conducting with Professor Thomas Gabrisch and has worked closely with Yan-Pascal Tortelier as assistant conductor with orchestras including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. 

 

For further information on Alexander Shelley please visit www.alexandershelley.com

Links

Nuernberger Symphoniker

Contact

Celia Willis

Louise Hynd

World

Schedule

Concert, Michael Fowler Centre, WELLINGTON
3 September 2010 18.30

Concert, Napier Municipal Theatre, NAPIER
9 September 2010 20.00

Concert, Auckland Town Hall, AUCKLAND
11 September 2010 20.00

Concert, DUNEDIN
15 September 2010 18.30

Concert, Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium, CHRISTCHURCH
16 September 2010 18.30

Concert, Michael Fowler Centre, WELLINGTON
18 September 2010 15.00

Concert, Meistersingerhalle, NUREMBERG
25 September 2010 20.00

Concert, Ansbach
27 September 2010

Concert, Meistersingerhalle, NUREMBERG
3 October 2010 16.30

Concert, Casa da Musica, PORTO
8 October 2010 21.00

Concert, Casa da Musica, PORTO
10 October 2010 12.00

Concert, National Arts Centre, OTTAWA
14 October 2010 20.00

Concert, National Arts Centre, OTTAWA
15 October 2010 20.00

Concert, Meistersingerhalle, NUREMBER
30 October 2010 20.00

Concert, Karmelitekirche Weissenburg, WEISSENBURG
6 November 2010 20.00

Concert, Meistersingerhalle, NUREMBERG
7 November 2010 16.30

Concert, Konzerthaus Klagenfurt, KLAGENFURT
10 November 2010 19.30

Concert, Musikverein Vienna
11 November 2010 15.30

Concert, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, ABERYSTWYTH
18 November 2010

Concert, Prichard Jones Hall, BANGOR
19 November 2010

Concert, William Aston Hall, WREXHAM
20 November 2010

Concert, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, LIVERPOOL
27 November 2010 19.30

Publicity Downloads

Alexander Shelley biography 2010/11 season

Concert Diary