B i o g r a p h y
Thomas Blunt has built a versatile and wide-ranging career conducting in theatres and concert halls across the world, with repertoire ranging from Bach to contemporary music. With a strong background and training in singing he has a particular skill and passion for conducting opera, with an intuitive sense of creating drama through music. He studied at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Music in London, and was the first ever British participant of the prestigious Allianz International Conductors' Academy, where he worked with the London Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras.
He enjoys a close relationship with Glyndebourne, where he began his career as Chorus Master and has since conducted L’elisir d’amore, Falstaff, La cenerentola, Il barbiere and Rigoletto on the Tour. As Chorus Master, Thomas worked closely with Music Director Vladimir Jurowski, resulting in his appointment as Jurowski’s Assistant Conductor with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he has since conducted performances at venues including the Royal Festival Hall (including three UK premieres), Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Sala São Paulo, where the LPO were joined by the Coro da Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo for Bruckner’s Mass in E minor. For OSESP, he has since conducted Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach's Cantata Wachet auf, and Brahms's Requiem.
In the theatre he has conducted Idomeneo for Royal Danish Opera, Jephtha and The Magic Flute for Welsh National Opera, Don Pasquale, La traviata and Don Giovanni for Longborough Festival Opera, Madama Butterfly for Iford Arts, La cenerentola for Opéra national du Rhin, and the world premiere of Dave Maric’s Ghosts for the Royal Opera House at the Linbury Theatre. He made his Swiss debut with Ariadne auf Naxos at Konzert Theater Bern, and was subsequently appointed First Kapellmeister for the following season. During his tenure he conducted a highly successful new production of Die Zauberflöte as well as performances of La Cenerentola, and has since returned to Bern as a guest to conduct Lohengrin.
For Bampton Classical Opera / Chroma he has conducted productions of rarely performed operas from the eighteenth century to critical acclaim, including Cimarosa’s Italiana in Londra (also at the Buxton Festival), Gluck's Paride ed Elena, Haydn's Il mondo della luna, and Salieri's La Fiera di Venezia, all with performances at St John's Smith Square. He was Associate Conductor for a new production of West Side Story with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, and conducted and co-produced acclaimed productions of The Rape of Lucretia and The Turn of the Screw at the Arcola Theatre, London.
In addition to his engagements with the LPO and OSESP, concert highlights include the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur and the St Endellion Festival.
Aside from his work with Vladimir Jurowski at Glyndebourne and the LPO, Thomas has assisted conductors including Edward Gardner, Lothar Koenigs and Enrique Mazzola, as well as Iván Fischer with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Bernard Haitink with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked for Opera North, Opéra de Lyon, La Monnaie, and the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte di Montepulciano.
Recent and future highlights highlights include concerts with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Coro da Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo; a performance if Das Lied von der Erde with Fifth Door Ensemble at Opera Holland Park, Die Fledermaus for IF Opera, a debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducting Handel's Messiah, and assisting Maurizio Benini on Gounod’s Faust at the Royal Opera House.