GERSHWIN RHAPSODY IN BLUE
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Wayne Marshall
British conductor , organist and pianist , Wayne Marshall , is world-renowned for his musicianship and versatility on the podium and at the keyboard . He served as Chief Conductor of WDR Funkhaus Orchestra , Cologne , from 2014 – 2020 .
He was Principal Guest Conductor of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi from 2007 – 2013 .
He is a celebrated interpreter of the music of George Gershwin , Leonard Bernstein , and other 20th century American composers .
Wayne Marshall ’ s recent conducting highlights include his critically-acclaimed debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Waldbuhne in 2021 . He also made his debut with the Munich Philharmonic , Seattle Symphony , and Chicago Symphony .
He conducted a widely-praised new production of Porgy and Bess at the Theater an der Wien in 2020 .
He has worked regularly with the Tonkunstler Orchestra , Czech , Rotterdam , Oslo , and Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestras , and also with Orchestre de Paris . He has worked with the BBC Singers on several occasions and has appeared both as soloist and conductor at the BBC Proms .
In the Summer of 2021 , Wayne Marshall made his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival featuring the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein with concerts featuring Danielle de Niese and , in 2022 , as conductor with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra .
His recent debut appearance at the Opera de Lyon was highly praised for the musical performances of Leonard Bernstein ’ s Candide .
Plans for the 2023 – 24 season include his conducting debut with the Vancouver Symphony , Nashville Symphony , Baltimore Symphony , and the Orchestra National de Lyon .
In 2025 he will make his conducting debut in Japan with the Nagoya and Hiroshima Symphony Orchestras .
As organ recitalist , he has an exceptionally varied repertoire and performs worldwide . In the last couple of years , he has gained a big following on social media . He gave a spectacular online recital at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg in 2021 . He also made his debut as organist at the Berlin Philharmonie in 2022 , and returns to the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles in 2024 .
He has performed in most of the prestigious Cathedrals and Concert Halls worldwide .
During the 2023 – 24 season , he will be performing at the concert hall in Dortmund , Essen Philharmonie , Bozar in Brussels and will be performing for the 150 th anniversary celebrations of the Henry Willis organ at the Royal Albert Hall in London .
Throughout 2018 , he played a key role in leading the Bernstein centenary celebrations . Highlights included Bernstein ’ s Mass with Orchestre de Paris at the Philharmonie de Paris and Kaddish with Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse later in the year . He also made his debut with Zurich Philharmonie in an all-Bernstein programme and conducted the rarely-performed White House Cantata in Utrecht with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra . He also worked with the Munich Rundfunkorchester at the Prinzregententheater and at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival .
He conducted the first performance of the highly-acclaimed orchestra Chineke ! at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London .
Wayne has conducted Porgy and Bess numerous times , including at the Opera Comique in Paris , Washington National Opera , and Dallas Opera .
He conducted Bernstein ’ s Candide and Kurt Weill ’ s Mahagonny at the Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin and Harbison ’ s The Great Gatsby at
Wayne Marshall
the Semperoper , Dresden . Wayne Marshall conducted Jake Heggie ’ s acclaimed opera Dead Man Walking at Montreal Opera and was immediately re-invited to conduct Gershwin ’ s Porgy and Bess .
Wayne was honoured with an OBE ( Order of the British Empire ) from Her Majesty The Queen ’ s New Year ’ s Honours list in 2021 . In 2004 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Music in 2010 . In 2016 , Wayne was awarded the prestigious Golden Jubilee Award , presented by the Barbados Government for his services to music . Wayne was proud to be an Ambassador of the London Music Fund from 2018 until 2021 .
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