Angus made his U.S. conducting debut with Glimmerglass Opera's 2006 production of Rossini's The Barber of Seville and returned to Glimmerglass this past summer to conduct Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi. He will conduct Glimmerglass Opera's 2009 production of Menotti's The Consul.
As Glimmerglass Opera Music Director, Angus will oversee all aspects of the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra and will assist in the selection of repertoire by participating in artistic planning meetings. He will also work with General & Artistic Director Michael MacLeod and Director of Casting & Artistic Operations Don Marrazzo to select each season's principal singers, guest conductors, music staff, chorus members, and members of the Young American Artists Program, the company's acclaimed training program for young singers. As Music Director, Angus will conduct two of the company's four operas each summer, beginning in 2010.
"Over the course of two years, Glimmerglass assessed eight very talented conductors for the position of Music Director," MacLeod said. "Stewart Robertson had served as Glimmerglass's Music Director for close to 20 years, and it was important we move forward with someone most suited for the Glimmerglass family. With David Angus, Glimmerglass has gained not only a talented conductor, but a wonderful colleague who is genuinely passionate about opera and the growth of this company."
Angus's professional career began when he served as a r_p_titeur with Opera North, before he became Chorus Master and Staff Conductor for Glyndebourne Festival, where he conducted many operas, both in the Festival and on tour. His operatic career took him to Italy, where he conducted several productions and concerts in Turin, Bologna and Modena. He has conducted several productions throughout England and Ireland, including several British premieres for the Brighton Festival. He has worked with Scottish Opera, Opera North and English Touring Opera, as well as Canadian Opera Company, Op_ra National de Paris, Danish National Opera, Malm‹ Opera and Icelandic Opera. He has conducted for the Aldeburgh Festival and served as the Vocal Consultant to the Britten-Pears School for several years. Angus also frequently conducts at the Guildhall School and Trinity College. He regularly conducts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Mozart Players, both in concert and the recording studio. Angus conducts orchestras and choirs across Europe, particularly in Scandinavia where he is a regular guest with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and several Danish orchestras.
"I find it hard to believe that it is only a little over two years since I first set foot in the United States, when I made my debut at Glimmerglass," Angus said. "I immediately felt very much at home, both because of the open, friendly atmosphere, and because I totally shared the company ethos. I remember sensing Stewart Robertson's benign presence behind all the musical activities when I shared his last season in 2006, and that atmosphere owed a lot to his personality and musicianship. I intend to be a similar presence, supporting and encouraging all our musicians, from the visiting conductors and soloists to the orchestra and Young American Artists. This last season just reinforced my feeling of belonging to the Glimmerglass family, and so it is with the greatest of enthusiasm that I am accepting the invitation to become Music Director _ to work with Michael Macleod and his team to lead Glimmerglass Opera to ever greater heights."
Born in England, Angus spent his early years in Belfast. He was a boy chorister at King's College, Cambridge, under Sir David Willcocks, and specialized as a pianist at the University of Surrey. He finished his training with a Fellowship in Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
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Glimmerglass Opera's 2009 Festival Season will feature Verdi's La Traviata, Rossini's La Cenerentola, Menotti's The Consul and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. The season runs July 18 through August 25, 2009, at the Alice Busch Opera Theater in Cooperstown, New York.
For more information, visit www.glimmerglass.org or call (607) 547-2255.
