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James Burton (conductor)

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James Burton (born 1974) is a British conductor and composer.

Biography

James Burton was born in London and was educated at Westminster Abbey Choir School (where he was Head Chorister in 1987) and Radley College.[1] He read music at St John's College Cambridge where he was a Choral Scholar,[2] and he completed a masters degree in Orchestral Conducting at the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Frederik Prausnitz and Gustav Meier. He has been engaged as a music director, conductor and chorus master for a wide variety of groups and projects,[3] and has also worked as a composer and arranger, notably for American folk singer Arlo Guthrie.[4]

Between 2002 and 2009 Burton was Choral Director at the Hallé Orchestra, and became music Director of the Hallé Youth Choir when it was founded in 2003.[5] He prepared both choirs for the award winning recording of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius which won the 2009 Gramaphone Choral Award.[6]

In 2002 he became the Music Director of Schola Cantorum of Oxford,[7] the chamber choir established in 1960 and now well known[8] which is made up of singers who are studying at Oxford University. He has led the choir on international tours, conducted recordings on the Hyperion label[9] and appeared in BBC TV films about British composers made by John Bridcut.[10]

Burton has a long-standing association with the St Endellion Music Festivals in Cornwall, and became Music Director of the Easter Festival in 2007, succeeding Richard Hickox.[11] At the 2012 festival he conducted the world premiere[12] of his new composition The Convergence of the Twain. Scored for chorus, orchestra and baritone, this work is a setting of Thomas Hardy's poem of the same title and has been written in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.[13][14]

In 2012 Burton will conduct the UK tour[15] of Leonard Bernstein's Wonderful Town starring Connie Fisher.

References

  1. ^ "James Burton in the Radley College newsletter" (PDF). Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Chandos Music sleevenotes p13" (PDF). On Christmas Night. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  3. ^ "allmusic.com list of credits". Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Arlo Guthrie's website". Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  5. ^ "City Life review of concert 2009". Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  6. ^ "Gramaphone Magazine". Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Schola Conductors". Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Schola history on Hyperion website".
  9. ^ "James Burton on the Hyperion website". Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Radley Newsletter ref to J Burton in Bridcut film" (PDF). Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  11. ^ "Richard Hickox and the St Endellion Festival". Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  12. ^ "Endellion Easter 2012 Festival Programme" (PDF). Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  13. ^ "2012 St Endellion Programme" (PDF). Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  14. ^ "St Endellion Festival on Visit Cornwall site". Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  15. ^ "Wonderful Town tour dates on Boosey and Hawkes". Retrieved 17 January 2012.


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