THOMAS BLUNT

Photography: Alan Kerr

THOMASBLUNT.COM CONDUCTOR


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 and Il Barbiere on the Tour. During this time at Glyndebourne, 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.

He has conducted Jephtha for Welsh National Opera, Don Pasquale and La traviata for Longborough Festival Opera, Madam 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. In 2014, 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. 

Other operatic appearances include I Pagliacci for Opéra de Baugé; for Bampton Classical Opera / Chroma he has conducted Cimarosa's Italian Girl in London (also at the Buxton Festival), Gluck’s Il Parnaso confuso, Bertoni’s Orfeo, Gluck's Paris and Helen, and Haydn's Il mondo della luna, all with performances at St John's Smith Square. He conducted and co-produced acclaimed productions of The Rape of Lucretia and The Turn of the Screw at the Arcola Theatre, London.

Concert highlights include, in addition to the LPO and OSESP, also the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur and the St Endellion Festival.

Aside from his work with Vladimir Jurowski at Glyndebourne and the LPO, Thomas has also assisted conductors such as Iván Fischer with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Bernard Haitink with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and worked for Opera North, Opéra de Lyon, La Monnaie, and the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte di Montepulciano. 

Recent and future highlights include Rigoletto for the Glyndebourne Tour, The Magic Flute for Welsh National Opera, Don Giovanni for Longborough Festival Opera, Idomeneo for Royal Danish Opera, concerts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Coro da Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Salieri's La Fiera di Venezia for Bampton Classical Opera, Gounod's Faust for Opéra de Baugé, Das Lied von der Erde with Fifth Door Ensemble at Opera Holland Park, a re-invitation to conduct the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and performances of Messiah with Welsh National Opera Orchestra, and a debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

PRESS

  • "Thomas Blunt directed the Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra like a true Verdi veteran: the tempos were always brisk; disfiguring rallentandos and soloistic acuti were banished; the drama emerged."

    (Rigoletto, Glyndebourne Tour), Roger Parker, Opera Magazine

  • "Thomas Blunt conducts a swift, clean account of the score... [with] verve and vigour"

    Rigoletto, Glyndebourne Tour), Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph

  • "Luckily, under the baton of Thomas Blunt, there was sterling quality in the orchestra, chorus and cast".

    (Rigoletto, Glyndebourne Tour), Fiona Maddocks, The Observer

  • "From the Prelude on, Thomas Blunt’s conducting and the GT Orchestra made the score sound gratifyingly black and, however light and nuanced on its feet, weighed down with tragedy. The storm scene is gripping, and in general the pit drives the show".

    (Rigoletto, Glyndebourne Tour), Peter Reed, Classical Source

  • "Thomas Blunt balances pace and elegance, drawing colourful playing from the BCO Orchestra".

    (Il Mondo della Luna, Bampton Classical Opera) The Stage

  • "The excellent orchestra was splendidly conducted by Thomas Blunt, whose tempi never dragged and who got good balance most of the time ... Blunt even has the knack of firing up the stop-start recitativo accompagnato music, especially that for Donna Anna. He, like his singers, could be well satisfied with their evening’s work pursuing a vile predator to his deserved damnation".

    (Don Giovanni, Longborough Festival Opera). Roy Westbrook, Bachtrack

  • "The evening is conducted persuasively by Thomas Blunt".

    (Don Giovanni, Longborough Festival Opera), Sam Smith, Music OMH

  • "Thomas Blunt’s conducting achieves an excellent balance between clarity, nuance and energy with the result that this interpretation of La traviata is as successful as it is innovative”.

    (La Traviata, Longborough Festival Opera) www.musicomh.com 

  • "Thomas Blunt conducts with an intuitive sense of the drama..."

    (La Traviata, Longborough Festival Opera) www.classicalsource.com

  • “Thomas Blunt conducted an accomplished small orchestra with verve”

    (The Italian Girl in London, Bampton Classical Opera) Daily Telegraph, Rupert Christiansen

  • "...es reicht die tröstende Kraft der so fein ziselierten Musik, welche von den Musikerinnen und Musikern des Berner Symphonieorchesters unter der einfühlsamen Leitung von Thomas Blunt aus dem Graben erklingt."  […it was enough to hear such finely crafted music sounding from the pit, played by the Bern Symphony Orchestra under the sensitive direction of Thomas Blunt.]

    Ariadne auf Naxos, Konzert Theater Bern) Oper Aktuell

  • "Thomas Blunt als neuer Erster Kapellmeister führt das Berner Symphonieorchester mit Schwung und Souveränität in den Tempowechseln durch das Singspiel und erweist sich als einfühlsamer Begleiter für Chor und Solisten. Eine «Zauberflöte», wie man sie in Bern noch nicht gesehen hat. Das Fazit nach drei Stunden ist klar: empfehlenswert." [Thomas Blunt as the new First Kapellmeister led the Bern Symphony Orchestra through the opera with verve, supreme ease in the tempo changes, and he proved to be a sensitive accompanist for chorus and soloists. A “Magic Flute” as never seen before in Bern. The conclusion after three hours is clear: a must-see.]

    (Die Zauberflöte, Konzert Theater Bern) Der Bund

  • "The loyal audience were also introduced to two highly promising talents in conductor Thomas Blunt and soprano Susanna Hurrell."

    (Don Pasquale, Longborough Festival Opera) Bachtrack

  • "This year sees a new conductor, Thomas Blunt, in the pit at Longborough bringing bounce and momentum to the score.  He's making a name for himself in Bern at the moment, so I understand, but I hope we shall hear more of him over here.  The playing of Longborough's house orchestra was, as usual, superb."

    (Don Pasquale, Longborough Festival Opera) Seen and Heard

  • "Die musikalische Leitung lag in den Händen von Thomas Blunt, einem Könner im besten Sinne. Mit ihm entfaltete das Berner Sinfonieorchester schwelgerischen Mozart-Klang, ohne sich selber in den Vordergrund zu drängen." [The musical direction was in the hands of Thomas Blunt, an expert in the best sense. With him a voluptuous Mozart sound unfolded from the Bern Symphony Orchestra.]

    (Die Zauberflöte, Konzert Theater Bern) Die Neue Merker

  • "Durch­wegs voll auf der Höhe der Aufgabe, was Feinschliff, lupenreine, subtile Klanglichkeit, präzise Dramatik und solistische Ein­sätze (Flöte!) betrafen, war das Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur. Unter der Leitung von Thomas Blunt gestaltete sich Note für Note ein intaktes flüssiges Zusammenspiel – Mozart konnte zufrieden sein". […with fine-tuning, flawless intonation, subtle timbre, telling drama, and expertly-crafted solos, the Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur was headed by Thomas Blunt, who note-for-note shaped a fluid ensemble - Mozart would have been delighted.]

    (Die Zauberflöte, Konzert Theater Bern/Orchester Musikollegium Winterthur)  Der Landbote

  • “Blunt led a superb Northern Chamber Orchestra through galloping yet finely judged ensembles with assurance: punchy horns complemented a luscious string sound”

    (The Italian Girl in London) Opera, Claire Seymour, 

  • "Thomas Blunt showed a true, and rare, sense of eighteenth-century style...Tempi were well chosen, orchestral colour within its bounds well balanced, and the singers well supported... Blunt, clearly a force to be reckoned with, and someone from whom I hope to hear more soon, again led his players in a stylish, committed performance".

    (Il Parnaso Confuso/Orfeo, Bampton Classical Opera) Boulezian

  • “Thomas Blunt drew magical sounds from the instrumental ensemble”

    (The Turn of the Screw, Arcola Theatre) Opera, Yehuda Shapiro

  • “Good things here started with the orchestra, playing to a really high standard under Thomas Blunt’s cultured direction, beautifully paced and elegant”

    (The Italian Girl in London, Bampton Classical Opera) Opera Now, Robert Thicknesse

  • “Thomas Blunt took us into the music to beguile and enlighten, sculpting a fiery, graceful and poised ‘Haffner’ Symphony (his gestures expressive rather than textbook), with dynamics finely observed and much that was stylish, not least the convincing (and occasional) use of senza vibrato: free-thinking rather than pedantic….there was a good blaze of trumpets and crisp-sounding timpani in the finale to complete an impressive and pleasing performance”

    (Mozart Haffner Symphony, LPO, Royal Festival Hall)  www.classicalsource.com, Colin Anderson

  • “Thomas Blunt conducted in elegant and effective style and proved most considerate of the singers throughout whilst keeping the tempi accurate and sound most stylish”

    (Handel Jephtha, WNO) Opera Today

  • “However, it was due to the the expert pacing of conductor Thomas Blunt that the end of the opera made such a lasting impression”

    (The Rape of Lucretia) musicweb international

  • “Massively impressive”

    Gramophone Magazine

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HILARY DAVAN WETTON