Featured Artist
Tecwyn Evans - Conductor
New Zealand conductor Tecwyn Evans studied composition and conducting at the University of Otago with the Jack Speirs before winning a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the University of Kansas under former NZSO guest conductor Brian Priestman. He is 1st Kapellmeister and Deputy Chief Conductor of Grazer Oper in Austria, the first New Zealander to hold a conducting position in a major European opera house for over 30 years. He began his tenure in Graz with Madama Butterfly, and has subsequently conducted Die Meistersinger, Die Csardasfürstin, and Le nozze di Figaro.
Tecwyn began his professional career as Chorus Master for Glyndebourne Festival Opera from 1999-2002. He made is his Glyndebourne debut conducting performances of La Boheme in 2000, and has since conducted Don Giovanni and Die Fledermaus (English Touring Opera), Fidelio, La Boheme and Pelleas et Melisande (Opera Theatre Company), The Rake's Progress and Eugene Onegin (Royal Northern College of Music), Hansel and Gretel (Opera New Zealand), Rotter (Oper Köln), Carmen and Madama Butterfly (University of Otago), Aida (Exeter Festival), La Rondine, L'elisir d'amore and Falstaff (Opera North), Maria Stuarda and Simon Boccanegra (Chelsea Opera Group), as well as working on the music staff at Glyndebourne, Opera North, and National Opera de Paris.
In 2005 Tecwyn was a finalist in the Leeds' Conducting Competition and soon followed his debut with the BBC Philharmonic with whom he has worked every year since. In 2007 Tecwyn became the first New Zealand conductor to appear at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London where he conducted the BBC Philharmonic. His German operatic debut came in 2008 stepping in at short notice to conduct Torsten Rasch's new opera Rotter at Oper Köln. Just prior to this he conducted the London National Opera Studio singers in concert with the Orchestra of Opera North. 2008 concluded with concerts with the BBC Philharmonic and a successful debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
In 2009 Tecwyn fulfilled return invitations to the BBC Proms with the BBC Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia and BBC Scottish Symphony orchestras, recorded Martinu's Second Piano Concerto with Martin Roscoe for broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and made successful debuts with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and the Royal Northern College of Music Symphony Orchestra. He also conducted ‘Wonder’, a major new commission from Salford composer Alan Edward Williams with the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Singers. In October he launched a festival celebrating Sir Peter Maxwell Davies 75th birthday conducting players from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland in Maxwell Davies' work De Assumtione Beatus Mariae Virginis. In 2008 and 2009 Tecwyn was Music Director for the Auckland Philharmonia's Orchestral Summer School.
Tecwyn has appeared in concert with the BBC Philharmonic, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North, The Manchester Camerata, Welsh Chamber Orchestra, Salomon Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Southern Sinfonia and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Tecwyn has also worked with the BBC Singers, The Netherlands Radio Choir, Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, and in 2008 was the international judge for Wales' largest choral competition 'Cor Cymru'.
Earlier this year Tecwyn recorded a CD of music by Anthony Ritchie with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and a CD with Bryn Terfel for Deutsche Grammphon. Future plans include La Traviata and Faust in Graz and his debut in the Musikverein concert hall in Vienna.
Tecwyn Evans has appeared in: