Edward Gardner (born 22 November 1974) is an English conductor. While still studying at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

in the late 1990s, he began his professional career as a choral conductor and repetiteur. Among other early posts, he was music director of Glyndebourne on Tour from 2004 to 2007. Gardner was music director of

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

from 2007 to 2015. From 2010 to 2016, he was principal guest conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and since 2013, he has been principal guest conductor of the

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra based in Bergen. Its principal concert venue is the Grieg Hall. History Established in 1765 under the name ''Det Musicalske Selskab'' (The Musical Society), it later changed its name ...

. Since 2021, he has been principal conductor of the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symp ...

. In 2022, he also became artistic advisor of the

Norwegian National Opera and Ballet The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet ( no, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, links=no) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisati ...

, where he is scheduled to become the music director in 2024.

Biography

Gardner was born in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...

, and sang as a chorister at

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to ...

. As a youth, he played piano, clarinet and organ. He attended the

King's School, Gloucester The King's School is a co-educational independent day school in Gloucester, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It traces its heritage to a monastic school founded in the 11th century in the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral. It became ...

and

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

. At the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, he continued as a music student, and was a choral scholar in

King's College Choir The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is an English Anglican choir. It is considered one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great English choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King's Coll ...

. He had begun choral conducting at Eton, and continued conducting at Cambridge. He also studied at the

, where his teachers included Colin Metters. He graduated from the RAM in 2000. From 1997 until 2002, Gardner was Musical Director of Wokingham Choral Society, a post previously held by

Graeme Jenkins Graeme James Ewers Jenkins (born 1958 in London, United Kingdom) is a British conductor, specializing in opera. He read music at the University of Cambridge, and later studied conducting at the Royal College of Music. He worked with Norman Del M ...

, Paul Daniel, and Stephen Layton. In 1999, whilst still a student at the

, Gardner became a repetiteur at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

at the invitation of

Michael Gielen Michael Andreas Gielen (20 July 19278 March 2019) was an Austrian conductor and composer known for promoting contemporary music in opera and concert. Principally active in Europe, his performances are characterized by precision and vivacity, aid ...

when another repetiteur became ill. Gardner subsequently served as an assistant conductor to Mark Elder at

The Hallé The Hallé is an English symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England. It supports a choir, youth choir, youth training choir, children's choir and a youth orchestra, and releases its recordings on its own record label, though it has occasiona ...

Orchestra for three years. In 2003, Gardner was named music director of Glyndebourne on Tour, and held the post from 2004 to 2007. In 2005, Gardner won the Young Artist prize of the

Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...

. In March 2006, he was appointed music director of

. He formally took up the post in May 2007 with an initial contract of 3 years. Although there had not been any press announcements of Gardner extending his ENO contract, in 2011 he said he planned to work with ENO until at least 2015. In January 2014, ENO announced the scheduled conclusion of Gardner's tenure as music director in 2015. In September 2010, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Gardner as its next principal guest conductor, effective September 2011, with an initial contract of 3 years, for 3–4 weeks of concerts per season. He concluded his tenure as CBSO principal guest conductor in July 2016. Outside the UK, in February 2013, Gardner was simultaneously named the next principal guest conductor of the

, effective August 2013, and the orchestra's next principal conductor effective with the 2015–2016 season. His initial contract as principal conductor was for 3 years. In January 2017, the orchestra announced the extension of Gardner's contract in Bergen through 2021. In September 2019, the orchestra further extended Gardner's Bergen contract through 2023. In June 2021, the orchestra announced a 1-year extension of Gardner's Bergen Philharmonic contract through July 2024. Gardner is scheduled to conclude his tenure as chief conductor at the close of the 2023–2024 season. Gardner made his guest-conducting debut with the

(LPO) in 2003. In July 2019, the LPO announced the appointment of Gardner as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2021-2022 season, with an initial contract of 5 years. In February 2022, the

announced the appointment of Gardner as its artistic advisor, with immediate effect, and as its next music director, effective 1 August 2024. Gardner has conducted several recordings for EMI Classics, including collaborations with Alison Balsom and Kate Royal. He has recorded regularly for Chandos Records, which has included recordings of music by Berlioz,

Witold Lutosławski Witold Roman Lutosławski (; 25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Among the major composers of 20th-century classical music, he is "generally regarded as the most significant Polish composer since Szyman ...

and

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

Honours

In 2008, the Royal Philharmonic Society named Gardner its Conductor of the Year. Gardner was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to music.

Personal life

Gardner has a son from his past relationship with Alison Balsom.

References

External links

Wokingham Choral Society home page, "Get to Know Wokingham Choral Society"

Askonas Holt agency page on Edward Gardner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Edward 1974 births British male conductors (music) Music directors (opera) Living people Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Eton College People educated at the King's School, Gloucester 20th-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British conductors (music) Musicians from Gloucestershire People from Gloucester 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians Choral Scholars of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge