Conductor

Peter Whelan

L’Olimpiade

Biography

Olivier award-winner Peter Whelan is among the most dynamic and versatile exponents of historical performance of his generation, with a remarkable career as a conductor and director. He is artistic director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra as well as curator of Early Music for Norwegian Wind Ensemble. He is also an acclaimed solo artist with an extensive and award-winning discography as a solo bassoonist. As conductor he has a particular passion for exploring and championing neglected music from the Baroque and Classical eras. Orchestral highlights of the 2022-23 season include Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, as well as returns to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin. Recent opera productions have included Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (for his debut with San Francisco Opera), Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute with Irish National Opera, and Handel’s Radamisto with English Touring Opera. In 2022 he conducted Vivaldi’s Bajazet for INO, a co-production with the Royal Opera House which was met with outstanding reviews and for which he won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera. His work in concert and the recording studio has been widely praised for its “rich insight, style and charisma” (The Guardian), its “stylish verve” (BBC Music Magazine) and “phenomenally energetic direction” (Artsdesk). As an early music champion, he represents “the very best of contemporary trends in bringing this music to life: flex and zest with tempi … an incredible alertness to colors and moods” (Operawire).