About
Philip Headlam
“It is an energetic, ebullient flight of fancy, wonderfully scored. Philip Headlam conducts The Continuum Ensemble with precision but also the perfect willingness to be a little rough around the edges when necessary”
ClassicsToday.com
‘[Toch’s] song cycle, Die Chinesische Flote (1922)…Sarah Tynan sang the three Bethge settings with great intensity and Headlam inspired the Continuum Ensemble to produce some wonderfully nuanced playing in the instrumental interludes of which the central march was especially hypnotic.’
Kurt Weill Foundation Newsletter
Conductor Philip Headlam has received acclaim for his performances in the U.K., Europe and Canada.
Equally at home in the theatre and on the concert platform, he conducts a wide range of opera and orchestral repertoire from the across the Classical and Romantic eras as well as Baroque music. He has vast skill and experience conducting opera and concert music from all decades of the 20th and 21st centuries including numerous world and national premieres in the U.K. as well as Belgium, Italy, Germany and Canada and worked directly with many eminent composers of our time.
He has conducted and worked for English Touring Opera, English National Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Welsh National Opera in the U.K. and Europe at Theatre Royale de la Monnaie, Brussels, Bregenz Opera Festival, Austria, Batignano Opera Festival, Italy, Wexford Festival Opera, Ireland, Berlin Italian Opera (for which he served as music director) and opera several companies in Eastern Europe as well as in Canada for Banff Centre Opera.
Also in the U.K. he has conducted for Royal Albert Hall /R. Gubbay opera productions, City of Birmingham Opera, Aldeburgh Festival, Almeida Opera Festival and BBC Television Opera.
He has conducted concerts, recordings and broadcasts with the Britten Sinfonia, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Leipzig, CBC Festival Orchestra, (Toronto), Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (at the Westben Music Festival, Canada), Brandenburg Chamber Orchestra, Paul Collaer Ensemble at the Flanders Festival, Belgium, the Contemporary Music Network on tour through the U.K. and other chamber orchestras and new music ensembles in the U.K and Europe as well as the BBC Singers, the U.K.’s only professional radio broadcast choir.
He has conducted operas from the standard repertoire by Mozart, Beethoven, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner, Mascagni, Puccini, Humperdinck, Strauss as well as many operas by Benjamin Britten and led operas from the keyboard by Monteverdi, Cavalli and Handel.
Symphonic works and concertos he has conducted include composers Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms, Bruckner, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Dvorak, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Shostakovich, Strauss, Tchaikovsky as well as Dallapiccola, Stravinsky, Copland, Berg, Webern, Varese, Scelsi and John Adams, John Harbison and Lou Harrison.
Conducting their music, he has worked directly with composers Harrison Birtwistle, Henri Dutilleux, Luca Francesconi, Frederic Rzewski and Julian Anderson, Richard Causton, Jonathan Dove, Kenneth Hesketh and John Tavener as well as John Beckwith, Denys Bouliane, Jose Evangelista, Talivaldis Kenins, John Weinzweig and many others.
He is the conductor and artistic director of The Continuum Ensemble, a chamber orchestra based in London, U.K. He has led them to outstanding and critically acclaimed performances in concerts, operas, films, CDs, broadcasts and new work commissions and has conducted the ensemble at the Spitalfields Festival, New Iberia Festival, Quebec in Motion Festival, Cutting Edge series and at many concert and opera venues in the U.K.
His conducting is featured on CDs released in the U.K. and worldwide.
The most recent, A Land So Luminous, with music by U.K. composers Kenneth Hesketh and Richard Causton received excellent reviews in the Observer and Sunday Times and a BBC Music magazine recommendation.
His conducting of Judith Weir’s opera Armida is released on DVD by MJW Productions; originally broadcast on Channel Four Television, U.K.
Other CDs include The Girl in My Alphabet (Avie) and Photography (NMC) with music by Errollyn Wallen and Poles Apart (NMC) with music by Roger Smalley.
He has scored pieces for chamber orchestra by Maurice Ravel (Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques and Don Quichotte à Dulcinée), Luigi Dallapiccola (Rencesvals) and Alban Berg (Altenberg Lieder, arr. for fifteen players) as well as Brahms’ Quintet op. 111 for string orchestra that have been performed and broadcast in Europe and Canada.
He has extensive experience as an opera repertoire coach and repetiteur in opera houses and keyboard player in orchestras and ensembles.
He has a distinguished reputation as conductor and opera coach to young professional singers at opera house studios and other training programs as well as conducting orchestras and ensembles at music conservatories and university music faculties in many countries.
Mr. Headlam has been assistant conductor to Andrew Davis, Kazushi Ono, Mark Elder, Daniele Callegari and Mario Bernardi. He studied with eminent teachers Otto-Werner Mueller, Victor Feldbrill, composer/conductor Lukas Foss, at the class of Franco Ferrara in Siena, Italy and as conducting associate of the Royal Conservatory Training Orchestra, Toronto.
He was awarded the Clifford Evans Prize for Conducting on the recommendation of Andrew Davis, as well as study grants from the Canada Council.
Mr Headlam currently resides in Berlin.
‘Philip Headlam’s advocacy for this fascinating genre of 20th-century music – conveyed with the perception and enthusiasm of his direction – deserves every commendation.‘
Distant Sounds.com
Short bio English
He has conducted for English Touring Opera, English National Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera, Theatre Royale de la Monnaie, Brussels, Bregenz Opera Festival,
Austria, Batignano Opera Festival, Italy, Royal Albert Hall /R. Gubbay opera productions, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, City of Birmingham Opera, Wexford Opera Festival, Ireland, Aldeburgh Festival, Almeida Opera, Banff Centre Opera, Canada and BBC Television Opera.
He has conducted the Britten Sinfonia, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, CBC Festival Orchestra, (Toronto), Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (at the Westben Music Festival, Canada), Paul Collaer Ensemble (at the Flanders Festival), Belgium, Brandenburg Chamber Orchestra, the Contemporary Music Network on tour through the U.K. and other chamber orchestras and new music ensembles in the U.K and Europe as well as the BBC Singers, the U.K.’s only professional radio broadcast choir.
He conducts a wide range of repertoire in symphonic music of the Classical, Romantic and Baroque eras and opera drawn from the standard repertoire as well as early opera. He has much experience in Bel Canto opera and other Italian language repertoire and has considerable expertise conducting music and opera from all decades of the 20th/21st century including many world and national premieres.
He is the conductor and artistic director of The Continuum Ensemble for contemporary music and opera for which he has programmed and conducted many concert series, individual concerts operas, television and radio broadcasts, new work commissions and world premiere performances, based in London, U.K. He has conducted the ensemble at the Almeida Opera Festival, Southbank Centre, Linbury Studio, (Royal Opera), The Coliseum, Spitalfields Festival, New Iberia Festival, King’s Place, Blackheath Concert Halls and Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge.
He has worked directly with many of the most eminent composers in the U.K., Canada and Europe including Henri Dutilleux, Georges Aperghis, Luca Francesconi, Frederic Rzewski, Pascal Dusapin, Julian Anderson, Harrison Birtwistle, Gavin Bryars, Richard Causton, Jonathan Dove, Kenneth Hesketh, John Tavener, Errollyn Wallen, Judith Weir and many others.
His CDs have earned critical acclaim and include A Land So Luminous (Prima Facie), music by Kenneth Hesketh and Richard Causton, The Girl in My Alphabet (Avie) and Photography (NMC), music by Errollyn Wallen and Poles Apart (NMC), music by Roger Smalley as well as a DVD of the opera Armida by Judith Weir.
His performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Belgian Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), RTE (Ireland) and nationwide in the U.K. on Channel 4 television.
He has scored works for chamber orchestra by Ravel, Brahms, Berg, McPhee and Dallapiccola that have been performed in the U.K., Canada and Europe.
He has accompanied song recitals on the piano in London and at the Dartington Festival, in Berlin and for the Kurt Weill Fest, Dessau and at the Vlaamse Opera in Ghent and Antwerp.
He has been a faculty member of the Royal College of Music and Head of Opera at Birkbeck, University of London as well as guest conductor/ opera repertoire coach at music conservatories and training programs in Belgium, Germany, Canada, Israel and Denmark.
Mr. Headlam has been assistant conductor to Kazushi Ono, Andrew Davis, Daniele Callegari, Mark Elder and Mario Bernardi. He studied with eminent teachers Otto-Werner Mueller, Victor Feldbrill, composer/conductor Lukas Foss, at the class of Franco Ferrara in Siena, Italy and as conducting associate of the Royal Conservatory Training Orchestra, Toronto.
He currently resides in Berlin.
Short bio German
Der Dirigent und Pianist Philip Headlam hat für seine Aufführungen im Vereinigten Königreich, in Europa und in Kanada viel Beifall erhalten.
Er hat für die English Touring Opera, die English National Opera, das Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, die Welsh National Opera, das Theatre Royale de la Monnaie, Brüssel, die Bregenzer Opernfestspiele, Österreich, Batignano Opernfestival, Italien, Royal Albert Hall /R. Gubbay Opernproduktionen, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, City of Birmingham Opera, Wexford Opera Festival, Irland, Aldeburgh Festival, Almeida Opera, Banff Centre Opera, Kanada und BBC Television Opera dirigiert.
Er dirigierte die Britten Sinfonia, das Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, das CBC Festival Orchestra (Toronto), das Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (beim Westben Music Festival, Kanada), das Paul Collaer Ensemble (beim Flanders Festival), Belgien, das Brandenburgische Kammerorchester, das Contemporary Music Network auf Tournee durch Großbritannien und andere Kammerorchester und Ensembles für neue Musik in Großbritannien und Europa sowie die BBC Singers, den einzigen professionellen Rundfunkchor Großbritanniens.
Er dirigiert ein breit gefächertes Repertoire an symphonischer Musik der Klassik und Romantik, Barockmusik und Alter Musik sowie Opern von den frühesten bis zu den zeitgenössischen Werken. Er hat viel Erfahrung im Belcanto-Stil und anderen italienischsprachigen Repertoires und verfügt über umfangreiche Erfahrung im Dirigieren von Musik und Opern aus allen Jahrzehnten des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts, einschließlich vieler Welt- und Nationalpremieren.
Er ist Dirigent und künstlerischer Leiter des Continuum Ensemble für zeitgenössische Musik und Oper, für das er zahlreiche Konzertreihen, Einzelkonzerte, Opern, Fernseh- und Radiosendungen, Auftragswerke und Uraufführungen programmiert und dirigiert hat. Er hat das Ensemble beim Almeida Opera Festival, im Southbank Centre, im Linbury Studio (Royal Opera), im Coliseum, beim Spitalfields Festival, beim New Iberia Festival, in den King’s Place, Blackheath Concert Halls und in Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, dirigiert.
Er hat direkt mit vielen der bedeutendsten Komponisten Großbritanniens, Kanadas und Europas zusammengearbeitet, darunter Henri Dutilleux, Georges Aperghis, Luca Francesconi, Jose Evangelista, Frederic Rzewski, Pascal Dusapin, Julian Anderson, Harrison Birtwistle, Gavin Bryars, Richard Causton, Jonathan Dove, Kenneth Hesketh, John Tavener, Errollyn Wallen, Judith Weir und viele andere.
Zu seinen von der Kritik gefeierten CDs gehören A Land So Luminous (Prima Facie), Musik von Kenneth Hesketh und Richard Causton, The Girl in My Alphabet (Avie) und Photography (NMC), Musik von Errollyn Wallen und Poles Apart (NMC), Musik von Roger Smalley sowie eine DVD der Oper Armida von Judith Weir.
Seine Auftritte wurden von BBC Radio 3, dem belgischen Rundfunk, der Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), RTE (Irland) und landesweit im britischen Fernsehen auf Channel 4 übertragen.
Er hat Werke für Kammerorchester von Ravel, Brahms, Berg, McPhee und Dallapiccola orchestriert, die in Großbritannien, Kanada und Europa aufgeführt wurden.
Er begleitete Liederabende am Klavier in London und beim Dartington Festival, in Berlin und für das Kurt Weill Fest, Dessau und an der Vlaamse Opera in Gent und Antwerpen.
Er war Mitglied des Lehrkörpers des Royal College of Music und Leiter der Opernabteilung der Birkbeck University of London sowie Gastdirigent und Opernrepertoiretrainer an Musikhochschulen und Ausbildungsprogrammen in Belgien, Deutschland, Kanada, Israel und Dänemark.
Herr Headlam war Assistenzdirigent von Kazushi Ono, Andrew Davis, Daniele Callegari, Mark Elder und Mario Bernardi. Er studierte bei den führenden Lehrern Otto-Werner Mueller, Victor Feldbrill, dem Komponisten und Dirigenten Lukas Foss, in der Klasse von Franco Ferrara in Siena, Italien, und als Dirigent im Verein des Royal Conservatory Training Orchestra in Toronto.
Er wohnt derzeit in Berlin.
Short bio French
Il a dirigé pour l’English Touring Opera, l’English National Opera, le Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, le Welsh National Opera, le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Bruxelles, Bregenz Oper Festival,
Autriche, Batignano Opera Festival, Italie, les productions d’opéra du Royal Albert Hall /R. Gubbay, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, City of Birmingham Opera, Wexford Opera Festival, Irlande, Aldeburgh Festival, Almeida Opera, Banff Centre Opera, Canada et BBC Television Opera.
Il a dirigé le Britten Sinfonia, le Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, le CBC Festival Orchestra (Toronto), le Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (au Westben Music Festival, Canada), le Paul Collaer Ensemble (au Flanders Festival, Belgique), le Brandenburg Chamber Orchestra, le Contemporary Music Network en tournée au Royaume-Uni et d’autres orchestres de chambre et ensembles de musique nouvelle au Royaume-Uni et en Europe, ainsi que les BBC Singers, le seul chœur professionnel radiodiffusé du Royaume-Uni.
Il dirige un vaste répertoire de musique symphonique des époques classique et romantique, de musique baroque et ancienne et d’opéra, des plus anciens aux plus contemporains. Il possède une grande expérience du style d’opéra Bel Canto et d’autres répertoires en langue italienne, ainsi qu’une expertise considérable dans la direction de musique et d’opéra de toutes les décennies du XXe et du XXIe siècle, y compris de nombreuses premières mondiales et nationales.
Il est chef d’orchestre et directeur artistique du The Continuum Ensemble pour la musique contemporaine et l’opéra, pour lequel il a programmé et dirigé de nombreuses séries de concerts, des concerts individuels d’opéra, des émissions de télévision et de radio, des commandes de nouvelles œuvres et des performances en première mondiale. Il a dirigé l’ensemble à l’Almeida Opera Festival, au Southbank Centre, au Linbury Studio (Royal Opera), au Coliseum, au Spitalfields Festival, au New Iberia Festival, au King’s Place, au Blackheath Concert Halls et au Kettle’s Yard, à Cambridge.
Il a travaillé directement avec de nombreux compositeurs parmi les plus éminents du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et d’Europe, notamment Henri Dutilleux, Georges Aperghis, Luca Francesconi, Jose Evangelista, Frederic Rzewski, Pascal Dusapin, Julian Anderson, Harrison Birtwistle, Gavin Bryars, Richard Causton, Jonathan Dove, Kenneth Hesketh, John Tavener, Errollyn Wallen, Judith Weir et bien d’autres encore.
Ses CD ont été salués par la critique et comprennent A Land So Luminous (Prima Facie), musique de Kenneth Hesketh et Richard Causton, The Girl in My Alphabet (Avie) et Photography (NMC), musique d’Errollyn Wallen et Poles Apart (NMC), musique de Roger Smalley, ainsi qu’un DVD de l’opéra Armida de Judith Weir.
Ses performances ont été diffusées sur BBC Radio 3, la Radio Belge, la Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), RTE (Irlande) et dans tout le Royaume-Uni sur la Channel 4 télévision.
Il a orchestré des œuvres pour orchestre de chambre de Ravel, Brahms, Berg, McPhee et Dallapiccola qui ont été jouées au Royaume-Uni, au Canada et en Europe.
Il a accompagné des récitals de chant sur le piano à Londres et au Dartington Festival, à Berlin, pour le Kurt Weill Fest, Dessau et au Vlaamse Opera à Ghent et Antwerp.
Il a été membre de la faculté du Royal College of Music et Head of Opera à Birkbeck, University of London, ainsi que chef d’orchestre invité et répétiteur d’opéra dans des conservatoires de musique et des programmes de formation en Belgique, en Allemagne, au Canada, en Israël et au Danemark.
M. Headlam a été assistant chef d’orchestre de Kazushi Ono, Andrew Davis, Daniele Callegari, Mark Elder et Mario Bernardi. Il a étudié avec d’éminents professeurs, Otto-Werner Mueller, Victor Feldbrill, le compositeur et chef d’orchestre Lukas Foss, dans la classe de Franco Ferrara à Sienne, en Italie, et en tant que chef d’orchestre associé au Royal Conservatory Training Orchestra, à Toronto.
Il réside actuellement à Berlin.