Conductor
The Pirates of Penzance and Princess Ida, National G&S Opera Company
It’s going to be very special to come back to the Festival and be reunited with John Savournin on The Pirates of Penzance. We first did it together in 2015 and it turned out to be the first of many joyful collaborations. It’s such a perfect piece of satire, being both completely rooted in its own time and simultaneously speaking to the follies of the ages. The taut drama and spectacularly colourful cast of characters make it a show that bursts into life with a uniquely infectious energy.
My association with Jeff Clarke goes back all the way to 2004 and Offenbach’s acerbic but warm-hearted romantic comedy Robinson Crusoe. Having reunited with him on Utopia Ltd in 2022, I’m really looking forward to reviving his classic production of one of Sullivan’s most luscious scores.
John Andrews has conducted many of the UK’s leading orchestras and ensembles, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Singers, BBC Philharmonic, The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Manchester Camerata.
He has won the BBC Music Magazine Award three times and has gained a formidable reputation for bringing neglected masterpieces back to public attention.
John has made over twenty recordings and appears regularly with the BBC Concert Orchestra and at the English Music Festival. He has conducted over forty operas for The Grange Festival, Opera Holland Park, English Touring Opera, Garsington Opera, Buxton International Festival and the Volkstheater Rostock.