David Curtis is Artistic Director of Orchestra of the Swan, one of the most imaginative and successful chamber orchestras in the UK.
In 2011-12 OOTS will give over 60 concerts including a UK wide tour with the Indie band “James”.
OOTS recordings are frequently heard on Classic Fm, BBC Radio 3 and on Public Radio in the USA.
“a brilliant performance” Daily Telegraph
“an ebullient and invaluable disc” The Gramophone
David’s ‘Spring Sounds’ 2011 new music festival included 4 world premieres, 2 recordings premieres, visiting composers from the USA and a joint commission with the American Composers Orchestra. Spring Sounds featured on TV’s South Bank Show with David conducting the premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’s ‘Japanese Spring’ with Tasmin Little.
“this spirited performance under David Curtis” Financial Times
“you won’t hear much better than this anywhere” Classic Fm Magazine
His thought-provoking programming, infectious enthusiasm and refreshing interpretations see David working in Belgium, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Sweden and the USA with orchestras such as the Academy of St Martin’s-in-the-Field, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and North Hungarian Symphony Orchestra.
“fine work under the able leadership of David Curtis” Fanfare Magazine, USA
“the excellent David Curtis and Orchestra of the Swan” The Birmingham Post 5*****
He appears as soloist and conductor in Finland with the Mikkeli City Orchestra, the Roveniemi Chamber and Yvaskyla Symphony Orchestras in the concert hall and on Finnish Radio and has conducted the North Hungarian Symphony and Festival Chorus in the prestigious annual Olomouc Dvorak’s Festival and the Policka Martinu Festival.
“a reassuringly calm yet always encouraging and cajoling presence” The Gramophone
David champions new work and has premiered least 50 works by British, Bulgarian, Chinese, Nordic and American composers including Oscar i Bosch, Joe Cutler, Tansy Davies, Joseph Duddell, Peter Lieuwen, Paul Patterson, Joe Phibbs, Julian Philips, Dobrinka Tabakova, Param Vir, Andrew Waggoner, Errollyn Wallen, Shu Wang and John Woolrich.
“warmly sympathetic support from David Curtis and Orchestra of the Swan” Classic Fm Magazine 5 *****
He conducted premieres by Snorri Sigfús Birgisson, Lars-Petter Hagen, Thuridur Jónsdottir and Marie Samuelsson in the Nordic Music Days Festival for Icelandic Radio and gave the world premiere of a new work by Sampo Haapamäki with the Mikkeli City Orchestra.
“Curtis’s conducting, is close to Boult’s, if more intimate, and slightly more perceptive” The American Record Guide
Numerous recordings include the world premiere recording clarinet concertos by with Hamburg Symphonica and Dimitri Ashkenasi and in 2009 the world premiere of the Piano concertino by Arnold Bax which attracted national media interest. Recordings for Somm include repertoire by Samuel Barber, Berlioz, Copland, Debussy, Finzi, John Ireland, Mahler and Mozart. His recording of the Finzi and Copland clarinet concertos was selected as Classic Fm CD of the week and Norman Lebrecht’s CD choice.
David has more recently recorded new work by Daron Hagen and James Schlefer for the USA lable Parma and MSR Classics.
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