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Gavin Sutherland (conductor)
Encyclopedia
Gavin Sutherland is a conductor, composer
/arranger
and pianist
.
Born in Chester-le-Street
, County Durham
, England
, he studied conducting, piano and orchestration at Huddersfield University and graduated with first-class honours, as well as gaining the Kruczynski Prize for Piano and the Davidson Prize for Distinction Brought to the Institution. He also studied as a trombonist.
Sutherland was appointed as pianist and staff conductor for Northern Ballet Theatre
from 1992 – 98. On the basis of his first CD, British Light Music Discoveries on ASV
, Sutherland began working with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia
on the concert platform and as the orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet
(involving both national and international tours). He has featured as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal New Zealand Ballet
, and has also guest conducted frequently for English National Ballet
, Atlanta Ballet
, New Adventures
, Norwegian National Ballet
and South African Ballet Theatre.
In June 2008 he was appointed Music Director of English National Ballet
, and became Principal Conductor in November 2010.
He has made over seventy-five recordings all over the world, predominantly with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia
and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
, for labels such as ASV Sanctuary
, Sony
, Warner Classics, Naxos Records
Marco Polo imprint
, Dutton-Vocalion
, Campion and Olympian. He has played a part in the current revival of British Light Music chiefly through several popular series of discs, although he has recorded works as wide-ranging as Elgar's Dream of Gerontius and the chart-topping Carry On album and the single release of the Radio 4 UK Theme
. Recently Gavin compiled and conducted two concerts for the BBC Radio 3
Light Fantastic festival of light music, both with the BBC Concert Orchestra, and one of which was simulcast on BBC Radio 2
and 3. He also contributed to a project for the festival inviting players to form an online orchestra to play Barwick Green
, the signature tune to BBC Radio 4's The Archers
.
In August 2009 Gavin was appointed Chairman of the Light Music Society, inheriting the role from Ernest Tomlinson, who became President.
Sutherland appears regularly in concert with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra
(particularly as a conductor for BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night
), the Münchner Rundfunkorchester and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
. In May 2001, Gavin began another lasting relationship, as Principal Guest Conductor of the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, for whom he now conducts regularly both in Melbourne and Sydney Opera House. He has also guest conducted orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Wellington Sinfonia, the Auckland Philharmonia, the North of England Concert Orchestra, Scottish Opera and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra.
In addition to his work as a conductor, Sutherland works as a composer/arranger. He regularly supplies arrangements performed by the Australian Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony, BBC Concert, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Royal Opera House, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Philharmonia and Hallé Orchestras amongst others, and his new arrangement of Giselle
for the Norwegian National Ballet was revived by Milwaukee Ballet in 2004. Recent compositions include a musical, Little Women, which premiered in London in summer 2000, a clarinet concerto, several chamber works and a one-act ballet, Revolting Rhymes. Other recent work involves arranging and conducting the music for "Anton and Erin - Cheek to Cheek", "Steppin' Out with Anton and Erin", "Crazy for Gershwin" and "We'll Meet Again - A Salute to the War Years" (all for Raymond Gubbay), all of which enjoyed sell-out UK tours, and composing and arranging the score for English National Ballet's works for children, Angelina Ballerina's Big Audition andAngelina's Star Performance , drawing on the music of Tchaikovsky.
As a pianist Sutherland performs regularly as a concerto soloist, often directing from the keyboard, and appears as a recitalist, accompanist and chamber musician. He has recently released three live recordings of improvisations and compositions, Piano Pastimes.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
/arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Born in Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he studied conducting, piano and orchestration at Huddersfield University and graduated with first-class honours, as well as gaining the Kruczynski Prize for Piano and the Davidson Prize for Distinction Brought to the Institution. He also studied as a trombonist.
Sutherland was appointed as pianist and staff conductor for Northern Ballet Theatre
Northern Ballet Theatre
Northern Ballet, formerly Northern Ballet Theatre, is a dance company based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a strong repertoire in theatrical dance productions where the emphasis is on story telling as well as classical ballet...
from 1992 – 98. On the basis of his first CD, British Light Music Discoveries on ASV
ASV Records
ASV Records is a London-based record label set up by Harley Usill, founder of Argo Records, Decca producer and former Argo General Manager, Kevin Daly, and producer Jack Boyce, after Argo's parent company Decca was bought by Polygram in 1980. ASV stands for "Academy Sound and Vision"...
, Sutherland began working with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Royal Ballet Sinfonia
The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is the Orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet.The Sinfonia appears with Birmingham Royal Ballet in its home town, in London and around the UK, and frequently appears with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House and on tour...
on the concert platform and as the orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet is one of the three major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet....
(involving both national and international tours). He has featured as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal New Zealand Ballet
Royal New Zealand Ballet
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is based in Wellington, New Zealand.The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a company of 32 dynamic dancers, performing an eclectic repertoire of outstanding dance, for national and international audiences, whilst continuing to build a style that is ultimately unique to the...
, and has also guest conducted frequently for English National Ballet
English National Ballet
English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin and based at Markova House in South Kensington, London, England. Along with the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, it is one of the four major ballet companies in Great...
, Atlanta Ballet
Atlanta Ballet
Atlanta Ballet is a ballet company, located in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the nation’s longest continuously performing ballet company and the State Ballet of Georgia.- History :...
, New Adventures
New Adventures
New Adventures is a British dance company, specialising in contemporary dance. Founded by the choreographer Matthew Bourne in 2002, the company developed from an earlier company Adventures in Motion Pictures, which was later dissolved....
, Norwegian National Ballet
Norwegian National Opera and Ballet
The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet is the first fully professional company for opera and ballet in Norway. Its seat is the Oslo Opera House.It was founded in 1957...
and South African Ballet Theatre.
In June 2008 he was appointed Music Director of English National Ballet
English National Ballet
English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin and based at Markova House in South Kensington, London, England. Along with the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, it is one of the four major ballet companies in Great...
, and became Principal Conductor in November 2010.
He has made over seventy-five recordings all over the world, predominantly with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia
Royal Ballet Sinfonia
The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is the Orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet.The Sinfonia appears with Birmingham Royal Ballet in its home town, in London and around the UK, and frequently appears with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House and on tour...
and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is a professional, philharmonic symphony orchestra, over 61 years old, predominantly it is composed of Czech and Slovak classical and jazz musicians...
, for labels such as ASV Sanctuary
ASV Records
ASV Records is a London-based record label set up by Harley Usill, founder of Argo Records, Decca producer and former Argo General Manager, Kevin Daly, and producer Jack Boyce, after Argo's parent company Decca was bought by Polygram in 1980. ASV stands for "Academy Sound and Vision"...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Warner Classics, Naxos Records
Naxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
Marco Polo imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
, Dutton-Vocalion
Dutton Vocalion
Dutton Vocalion specialises in re-issuing on CD music recorded between the 1920s and 1970s, and in issuing albums of modern digital recordings. It was established by British recording and re-mastering engineer Michael J. Dutton....
, Campion and Olympian. He has played a part in the current revival of British Light Music chiefly through several popular series of discs, although he has recorded works as wide-ranging as Elgar's Dream of Gerontius and the chart-topping Carry On album and the single release of the Radio 4 UK Theme
Radio 4 UK Theme
The BBC Radio 4 UK Theme is an orchestral arrangement of traditional British airs composed by Fritz Spiegl which was played every morning on BBC Radio 4 between 23 November 1978 and 23 April 2006....
. Recently Gavin compiled and conducted two concerts for the BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
Light Fantastic festival of light music, both with the BBC Concert Orchestra, and one of which was simulcast on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
and 3. He also contributed to a project for the festival inviting players to form an online orchestra to play Barwick Green
Barwick Green
"Barwick Green" is the theme music to the long-running BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. It is a "maypole dance" from the suite My Native Heath, written in 1924 by the Yorkshire composer Arthur Wood, and named after Barwick-in-Elmet....
, the signature tune to BBC Radio 4's The Archers
The Archers
The Archers is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting"...
.
In August 2009 Gavin was appointed Chairman of the Light Music Society, inheriting the role from Ernest Tomlinson, who became President.
Sutherland appears regularly in concert with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra
BBC Concert Orchestra
The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra....
(particularly as a conductor for BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night is a long running live BBC radio concert programme featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast most Fridays on BBC Radio 2 at 8.00pm. It is the world's longest-running live music radio programme....
), the Münchner Rundfunkorchester and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is the national orchestra of New Zealand. It is a crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, with 90 full-time players....
. In May 2001, Gavin began another lasting relationship, as Principal Guest Conductor of the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, for whom he now conducts regularly both in Melbourne and Sydney Opera House. He has also guest conducted orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Wellington Sinfonia, the Auckland Philharmonia, the North of England Concert Orchestra, Scottish Opera and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra.
In addition to his work as a conductor, Sutherland works as a composer/arranger. He regularly supplies arrangements performed by the Australian Philharmonic, New Zealand Symphony, BBC Concert, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Royal Opera House, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Philharmonia and Hallé Orchestras amongst others, and his new arrangement of Giselle
Giselle
Giselle is a ballet in two acts with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam, and choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The librettist took his inspiration from a poem by Heinrich Heine...
for the Norwegian National Ballet was revived by Milwaukee Ballet in 2004. Recent compositions include a musical, Little Women, which premiered in London in summer 2000, a clarinet concerto, several chamber works and a one-act ballet, Revolting Rhymes. Other recent work involves arranging and conducting the music for "Anton and Erin - Cheek to Cheek", "Steppin' Out with Anton and Erin", "Crazy for Gershwin" and "We'll Meet Again - A Salute to the War Years" (all for Raymond Gubbay), all of which enjoyed sell-out UK tours, and composing and arranging the score for English National Ballet's works for children, Angelina Ballerina's Big Audition and
As a pianist Sutherland performs regularly as a concerto soloist, often directing from the keyboard, and appears as a recitalist, accompanist and chamber musician. He has recently released three live recordings of improvisations and compositions, Piano Pastimes.