Now in the fourteenth year as Boston Lyric Opera’s Music Director, David Angus recently navigated new and innovative concepts of presenting opera online, serving as music director and conductor for the critically acclaimed productions of Desert In and The Fall of the House of Usher. In the 2023/24 season he conducts their new productions of Madame Butterfly, La Cenerentola and Joseph Bologne’s opera Anonymous Lover.
In addition to his ongoing work with the BLO, David Angus’ lead the highly successful production of Sweeney Todd at the Royal Opera Stockholm directed by the Opera’s Artistic Director Michael Cavanagh marking his first season at the house in 22/23.
Recent projects included orchestral concerts both in the USA and UK, a production of Le Nozze di Figaro at the Hawaii Opera Theatre as well as recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In 2022 David conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Valentine’s Opera Gala at Cadogan Hall in London, one of the first concerts with an audience coming out of the pandemic.
Prior to his time at Boston Lyric Opera David was the Music Director of Glimmerglass Opera in upstate New York as well as Chief Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Flanders, where he played a major part in establishing it as Belgium’s most exciting and successful new orchestra. In recent seasons he has made his debuts at the Toscanini Orchestra in Parma, the Porto Symphony Orchestra, and he returned to Wexford Festival Opera, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Huddersfield Choral Society, and to his former orchestra in Belgium for the World Premiere of a major choral and orchestral work, the Symphony of Trees by Piet Swerts.
David Angus started out as Chorus Master and Staff Conductor for Glyndebourne Festival Opera both in the Festival and on tour. His operatic career then took him to Italy, to Milan, Bologna and Modena. In Britain, he worked at Scottish Opera, Opera North and English Touring Opera, as well as conducting several British premieres for the Brighton Festival. Throughout Europe he appeared with the, Opéra National de Paris, Danish National Opera, Malmö Opera and Icelandic Opera. But also, on the other side of the Atlantic he contributed to the musical life by conducting operas at the Canadian Opera Company or the Cleveland Opera.
He has led orchestras and choirs all over Europe, particularly in Scandinavia where he has been a regular guest with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and several Danish orchestras. He has conducted most of the major orchestras in Great Britain including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, London Mozart Players, most of the BBC orchestras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. In North America, he conducted the Utah Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony and the Calgary Philharmonic.
Born in England and from Danish descent, David Angus spent his early years in Belfast. He was a boy chorister at King's College, Cambridge, under Sir David Willcocks, and he read music at Surrey University. He finished his training with a Fellowship in Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he won several prizes for his opera conducting.
September 2023
