Edward Gardner
Photo:B. Ealovega
English National Opera (ENO) has announced that its Music Director Edward Gardner will leave his role at the end of the 2014/15 season to take up his new appointment as Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. He will be succeeded by Mark Wigglesworth, who takes up the ENO baton in September 2015.
Speaking of his appointment to ENO from 2015, Mark Wigglesworth said: “I have worked at ENO often enough to know that talent and experience, professionalism and passion run through the entire company: the orchestra, the chorus, the technical team, and the whole administration. To be part of this family of experts will be inspiring and fulfilling in equal measure. The core values of the company are those I hold most dear, music and drama delivered through collegiate brilliance, in a language the public understand; a public whose range and variety make them the most thrilling of all audiences. ENO has been close to my heart for over 30 years and to be part of its future is a privilege that I look forward to immensely.”
Edward Gardner began his tenure at ENO in May 2007 with an outstanding new production of Britten’s Death in Venice. Under his direction, ENO reaffirmed its position as the world’s leading producer of opera by Britten, with Gardner conducting award-winning new productions of Peter Grimes (2009; returns 2014) and 2012’s Olivier-nominated Billy Budd.
Gardner continues as Music Director for the remainder of the 2013/14 and the 2014/15 seasons, conducting Peter Grimes later this month, the world premiere of Julian Anderson’s Thebans in May, and reprising his creative partnership with Terry Gilliam with a new production of Benvenuto Cellini in June, plus productions throughout the 2014/15 season. And his association with ENO will continue, with an engagement as guest conductor already confirmed for ENO’s 2015/16 season.
