Gavin Carr is recognised as one of the UK’s leading conductors, working with leading symphony choruses and orchestras to perpetuate the best of the great British choral tradition. He conducts the major choral-orchestral repertoire and is at the forefront of promoting new works, with many notable premières to his credit.
Conductor of the celebrated Philharmonia Chorus, the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and of Bath Minerva Choir, and founder-director of Chorus Angelorum, he has led these ensembles to international acclaim. His innovative programming includes world-première recordings and regular international tours. Recent collaborations include the Bremen Philharmoniker, the Symphony Orchestra of India, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
A choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, Gavin Carr’s professional career began as a baritone. He sang lead roles with English National Opera, appearing as soloist internationally in concert, recital, and opera. Since 2001, conducting has been his main focus, building a strong reputation in baroque and contemporary fields as well as in standard repertoire. Not content to leave the baroque and early music repertoires to specialist chamber choirs, he is in the vanguard of efforts to reintroduce baroque music to the programmes of symphony orchestras. Major choruses sing his historically-informed performances of the Bach Passions and earlier masterpieces in the country’s most prestigious concert halls.
In the contemporary field, he has premièred important new additions to the repertoire. These include Richard Blackford’s Not in our Time and Pietà, and Paul Carr’s Seven Last Words from the Cross and Requiem for an Angel. Gavin maintains an active presence on the concert platform as a baritone. Recent performances include appearances in Santiago de Chile, Moscow, and Tallinn. A member of the Royal Academy of Music’s vocal faculty, he passes on his immense experience to the younger generation of world-class talent.