Rory Macdonald (United Kingdom)

Conductor

Houston Grand Opera debut

About the Artist: Scottish-born Macdonald has built up an extensive operatic repertoire and is now in demand in some of the world’s leading opera houses. He returns regularly to the Hallé Orchestra after two years leading over 50 concerts as its assistant conductor. Other recent guest conducting engagements have included debuts with the Bergen Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Kammerphilharmonie, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Lahti Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony, and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. This season, Macdonald makes debuts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at London’s Barbican Hall and with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Future highlights include debuts with the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and the Northern Sinfonia, and returns to the Hallé and Lahti Symphony orchestras. His first recording — with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra — will be released on Hyperion in April 2012. Following his North American debut conducting Carmen for Canadian Opera Company in January 2010, Macdonald made his US debut that autumn at Lyric Opera of Chicago conducting a new production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This year, he opened English National Opera’s season with The Elixir of Love on the heels of productions of The Barber of Seville and The Pearl Fishers for the company. Following his debut in Houston this winter, Macdonald will debut at San Francisco Opera in Die Zauberflöte. Last season, he conducted Il barbiere di Siviglia and Hänsel und Gretel at the Royal Opera House in London where he has also conducted Fidelio, Das Rheingold, Owen Wingrave, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Orphée. He has conducted Idomeneo, Così fan tutte, and Albert Herring for Glyndebourne on Tour, L’elisir d’amore for Welsh National Opera, and The Abduction from the Seraglio for Opera North. In 2013, he will conduct The Cunning Little Vixen with the Bergen Philharmonic at Den Nye Opera and return to Houston Grand Opera for Carmen in 2014. Versed in piano and violin, Macdonald studied music at Cambridge University under David Zinman and Jorma Panula at the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen. He was assistant conductor to Iván Fischer at Budapest Festival Orchestra (2001 – 03), and to Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra (2006 – 08). Also a member of the Young Artists Program at the Royal Opera House (2004 – 06), Macdonald worked closely with Antonio Pappano.