Michael Lloyd

Michael Lloyd was appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor of Chandos Symphony Orchestra in 1988. He was born in Worcestershire and began his music studies at the Birmingham School of Music before taking a music degree at the University of East Anglia. From there he went to the Royal College of Music, concentrating mainly on piano accompaniment. He joined Scottish Ballet as company pianist and it was with this company that he began conducting.

In 1972 he joined the Staatstheater Kassel, Germany, initially as ballet conductor and pianist, but after only one season he was offered a post on the opera staff and made his opera debut there, conducting several performances of major operas. Whilst he was in Kassel, Michael formed a piano trio and became Chorus Master of the Kasseler Konzertchor.

In 1980 he moved to Stuttgart to continue his operatic conducting. At the same time he worked regularly as an Associate Chorus Master for the Stuttgart Philharmonic Vocal Ensemble, the South German Madrigal Choir and the South German Radio Chorus. He was also very active in chamber music and as a continuo player, appearing regularly as the latter with the Ludwigsburg Festival Orchestra, with whom he toured France and the Far East.

In 1985 he joined the music staff at English National Opera in London, making his conducting debut in 1986. In 1990 he was appointed Assistant Music Director. He conducted regularly at the Coliseum, home of the ENO, and on tour. In addition to teaching regularly at the Opera School of the Royal College of Music, he has conducted concerts at all the major venues in London, and at Symphony Hall, Birmingham. He has conducted in Japan, Korea and New Zealand, where his performances with Wellington City Opera have received high critical acclaim. In 1997 he also conducted two performances of Britten's War Requiem with the Auckland Philharmonia and a concert in Dunedin with the Dunedin Sinfonia. He is returning soon to New Zealand, where he will conduct concerts with the Wellington And Dunedin Sinfonias, and for the third time the final of New Zealand's prestigious young singers' competition the Mobil SongQuest. Michael is also Music Director of the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra.