NICHOLAS NEWLAND   director

Born in London, Nicholas Newland made his professional debut at the Cadogan Hall in 2007. Since then, he has worked around the world conducting repertoire from 16th century dramatic

works to soundtracks for South Indian films.  In 2010 Nicholas founded The Amadè Players.  In 2015 they release their first discs with Resonus Classics, having previously recorded for The

Amadè Players’ own releases, and Sony Music for Vijay award winning Neethaane en Ponvasantham with composer Ilaiyaraaja.

 

Nicholas studied the tuba with George Wall and Oren Marshall at Trinity College of Music, London, and was then awarded a disctinction for his MA in Historical Musicology at Goldsmiths, University of London.  His thesis on Wanhal’s A minor symphony included a new critical edition, which is perfomed this evening.Current study towards his PhD focuses on the brass writing and sacred vocal music of Wanhal.  In 2012 Nicholas was appointed to the research council of the Johann Baptist Wanhal Association.

 

Performances include conducting concerts at the Cadogan Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Purcell Room and City Hall, London; new works with the London Irish Symphony; conducting Anglo Indian Music Productions for the first performance of Illaiyaraaja’s score for Neethaane en Ponvasantham at the Nehru Stadium, Chennai to a worldwide televised audience. Since 2010, a residency at London’s Foundling Museum with The Amadè Players has led to world premiere recordings and BBC Radio 3 broadcasts of Vivaldi violin sonatas. In Cuba in 2005, he collaborated with the Instituto Superior de Arte, Escuela Nacional de Danza Cubana and choreographers Le Grand Cru to produce El Camina del Agua.

 

A Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, he has broadcast for BBC Radio on Vivaldi,  Handel’s work with Foundlings in London and Wanhal’s sacred and symphonic writing. He is a Lecturer in Historical Musicology at Goldsmiths, University of London and Morley College, teaching historical performance practice and arts management.  Appointed a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2014, Nicholas also teaches the Management of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education to early-career academics.  Nicholas is looking forward to two further concerts at St John’s in the coming year with The Amadè Players.