CONDUCTOR

Born in 1976, Nicholas Jenkins studied at Merton College, Oxford and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Initially a professional singer, Nicholas established his reputation as a choral trainer; he was subsequently employed as the first ever full-time Chorus Master to Grange Park Opera (2006 season), and as a guest chorus master by Brighton Festival Chorus (with the RPO), Chœur des Musiciens du Louvre, Musikfest Bremen, Sussex Chorus, and Trinity College of Music Chorus. He is the Musical Director of New Sussex Opera, with whom he has conducted Dove Tobias and the Angel and Mozart Idomeneo. Other opera conducting includes Mozart Così fan tutte (Oxford Playhouse, Opéra Théâtre de Besançon), Offenbach L’Ile de Tulipatan (Opéra National de Lyon), Purcell Dido and Aeneas (Greenwich), Verdi Nabucco (Blackheath Halls), Weill Seven Deadly Sins (Oxford, London) and Der Jasager / Der Neinsager (Opéra National de Lyon).

Since 2005 Nicholas has worked extensively as assistant conductor to Marc Minkowski, at Opéra National de Lyon, Opéra National de Paris, Théâtre du Châtelet - Paris, Musikfest Bremen and Aix-en-Provence Festival (Bizet Carmen, Mozart Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Offenbach Die Rheinnixen, Purcell Dido and Aeneas, Rameau Platée), alongside artists including Mireille Delunsch, Vesselina Kasarova, Jessye Norman and Anne Sofie von Otter. He has also been assistant conductor to David Parry (Opera Rara – Offenbach Entre Nous), to Jean-Christophe Spinosi (Opéra National de Paris – Handel Alcina), and to Peter Stark (Manoel Theatre, Malta – Britten The Turn of the Screw and Handel Semele).

Current engagements include conducting Katori The Lily of the Valley (ROH Linbury Studio), the Italian première of Bob Chilcott’s Aesop’s Fables (Florence), a Kent Sinfonia concert, and assistant conductor to Marc Minkowski for Bach B Minor Mass (Santiago de Compostela). During the 2008-9 season he will conduct Vaughan Williams The Poisoned Kiss (New Sussex Opera), and will be assistant conductor for Rossini La Cenerentola (Théâtre de la Monnaie) and Mozart Idomeneo (Aix-en-Provence Festival, Musikfest Bremen, Salzburg); he will be assistant conductor and chorus master for Wagner Die Feen (Paris Châtelet), and for the Les Musiciens du Louvre “St Cecilia” concert tour (Barbican, Salle Pleyel, Brussels, Grenoble, Salzburg Festival) and recording (Naïve); he is also assistant conductor and chorus master to David Parry for the première recording of Offenbach Vert-Vert (Opera Rara).

Please note that this biography is not to be used for programmes. Current information is available on request.