New releases
Spring 2025 sees the release of Kennedy-Fraser and Granville Bantock’s Hebridean chamber opera The Seal Woman for Retrospect Opera with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera. John’s collaboration with Samantha Ege and the BBC Philharmonic on works by Avril Coleridge-Taylor including her ‘Piano Concerto’ will appear in the Autumn on Resonus Classics.
Manchester Camerata 2025-6
John will return to the Manchester Camerata after their 2024 Poulenc collaboration to conduct concerts at the RNCM, Stoller Hall and Kings Place. The first will include Doreen Carwithen’s Concerto for Piano and Strings with Alexandra Dariescu; the second pair will centre on Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies’s Eight Songs for a Mad King, directed by Ruth Knight and performed by Idunnu Münch.
FUTURE RECORDINGS
In 2025-6 John will record the Carwithen Piano Concerto with Alexandra Dariescu and the Manchester Camerata for Resonus Classics; Sullivan’s ‘The Martyr of Antioch’ with the BBC Symphony Chorus for Dutton; a disc of clarinet concertos with Peter Cigleris and The London Mozart Players for SOMM; and Dyson’s Violin Concerto with Charlie Lovell-Jones and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
In 2026-7 he will continue his collaboration with Samatha Ege with a disc of 20th-century British Piano concertos, as well as giving the modern premiere of Avril Coleridge-Taylor’s Piano Concerto.
A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
In Autumn 2026, John will conduct the world-premiere of Errollyn Wallen’s new community Opera ‘A Christmas Miracle’ directed by Freddie Wake-Walker opening at Snape Maltings.
SUMMER 2025
Following a joyful return to the English music festival with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, John will conduct Bellini’s ‘I Capuleti e I Montecchi’ together with a gala broadcast of Leoncavallo, Puccini, Donizetti and Verdi with Ermonela Jaho and the BBC Concert Orchestra at West Green Opera, followed by performances of ‘The Pirates Penzance’ and ‘Princess Ida’ at Buxton Opera House and Salieri’s Falstaff for Baroquestock.
BBC Concert ORChestra Christmas Broadcast
John’s Opera Gala concert recorded with Nicky Spence, Soraya Mafi and the BBC Concert Orchestra, featuring music from Handel through to Bernstein, will be broadcast on Radio 3 on December 13th.
BBC Music Magazine award
John’s recording of piano concertante works by three of Britain’s greatest female composers, featuring Rebeca Omordia and Martin Jones with the BBC Concert Orchestra has won the ‘Premiere ‘ category in the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2024. This follows Awards in the ‘Best Opera Recording’ Category for ‘The Dragon of Wantley’ (2023) and ‘The Dancing Master’ (2021)
Winner: ‘resiscovery of the year’
John’s recording of Ethel Smyth’s opera ‘Der Wald’, with a fantastic team soloists, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers has won ‘Rediscovery of the Year, 2023’ from Presto Music.
opera Holland Park
In July, 2024, John returned to Opera Holland Park to conduct the revival of the Opera Awards-nominated production of Wolf-Ferrari’s ‘il segreto di Susanna’ with the original cast and the City of London Sinfonia.
KINGS AND QUEENS
John’s Recording of Debbie Wiseman’s ‘The Music of Kings and Queens’ with The National Symphony Orchestra has reached the Classic FM Hall of Fame for the second year.
All information is subject to change. Follow John on twitter @JKAConductor for up to date news.