ABOUT
WILLIAM
British conductor William Cole is rapidly making a name for himself as a confident interpreter of music from baroque opera to works by today’s leading composers.
Notable recent and future performances include his Scottish Opera debut conducting Britten’s Albert Herring, English National Opera debut conducting Verdi’s Rigoletto, the Royal Opera Covent Garden’s production of Philip Venables’ 4.48 Psychosis at the Prototype Festival New York, Hans Abrahamsen’s Schnee with the Royal Northern Sinfonia at the Sage Gateshead, and his German debut conducting Gerard Grisey’s Vortex Temporum with musica assoluta Hannover. He has a particularly close relationship with Britten Sinfonia, with whom he has appeared several times as a guest conductor at venues including the Barbican Centre and Wigmore Hall.
William enjoys a growing reputation as a dedicated exponent of late 20th century and contemporary music. Recognised for his ‘precise direction’ (The Times), his early training and activity as a composer allows him to bring insight and authority to the most complex scores. His repertoire includes major works by Ligeti, Boulez, Grisey, Vivier, Xenakis, Scelsi and Kurtág, and he has worked with many of today’s most exciting composers including Brett Dean, Patricia Alessandrini, Emily Howard, Tom Coult, Laurence Osborn, Edwin Hillier, Ailie Robertson, Luke Styles and Lisa Illean.
William’s collaborative instincts, range of skills, and understanding of the human voice has led to natural musical home in the opera house. He has worked as guest member of music staff for the Royal Opera Covent Garden, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Opera North, Aldeburgh Festival, Opéra National du Rhin, Theater Aachen, Garsington Opera, and Grange Festival. This work has brought close collaborations with conductors including Sir George Benjamin, Thomas Adés, Joana Carniero, Richard Farnes, Andrew Gourlay, Richard Baker, Jessica Cottis, and Clemens Schult.
William’s interest in early opera has grown since conducting Purcell’s The Fairy Queen at Waterperry Opera Festival in 2019. He has a particularly close relationship with Laurence Cummings, with whom he has collaborated on several productions of Handel’s stage works including the remarkable In the Realms of Sorrow at the 2023 London Handel Festival. His work as continuo harpsichordist includes engagements with leading ensembles including Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, English Concert, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, and La Nuova Musica, and collaborations with conductors including Harry Bicket, Christian Curnyn, Johanna Soller, David Bates, Christopher Bucknall, Nicholas McGegan, and Ian Page.
William studied Music at Clare College, Cambridge, and composition with Philip Cashian and Oliver Knussen at the Royal Academy of Music. He furthered his studies at Royaumont’s Voix Nouvelles programme with Peter Eötvös, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group’s NEXT programme, and the Conducting Seminar at Tanglewood.