Conductor Music Director

Martyn Brabbins is Music Director of English National Opera. An inspirational force in British music, he has conducted at La Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper and in Lyon, Frankfurt and Antwerp. He is a regular guest of top international orchestras such as the Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw, Tokyo Metropolitan and Deutsche Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

Currently for ENO:The Rhinegold, Gloriana,

Previously for ENO: The Cunning Little Vixen, The Valkyrie, Madam Butterfly, The Mask of Orpheus, Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel,War Requiem, Salome, The Marriage of Figaro,Marnie, Pilgrim’s Progress; Child of our Time; From Morning to Midnight; The Magic Flute.

Career Highlights

Martyn studied with Ilya Musin in St Petersburg, won the Leeds Conducting Competition in 1988, and became Associate Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 1994-2005. He was Principal Guest of Antwerp Symphony 2009-2015 and Chief Conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic 2012-2016.

He is a popular figure at the BBC Proms and with many of the UK’s top orchestras, and regularly conducts major international orchestras; last summer he made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony conducting L’Enfant et les sortilèges. Known for his advocacy of British composers, he has conducted hundreds of world premieres across the globe.

He has recorded over 120 CDs to date, including prize-winning discs of operas by Korngold, Birtwistle and Harvey.

Martyn is currently Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music and Artistic Advisor to the Huddersfield Choral Society alongside his duties at ENO, and has for many years supported professional, student and amateur music-making at the highest level in the UK.

Last updated: 25th May 2022