British/Irish conductor, BBC Music Magazine Rising Star and “name to watch” (Observer) Olivia Clarke is increasingly sought after across the UK and Europe for both opera and symphony concerts.
Previous English National Opera Mackerras Conducting Fellow and Assistant Conductor to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Olivia Clarke has recently made debuts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Welsh National Opera and Royal Opera as well as returned to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, Southbank Sinfonia and Glyndebourne.
After conducting a performance of their new production of Fidelio in 2021 assisting Ben Glassberg, Clarke has returned to Glyndebourne every season since. Clarke was invited back to conduct multiple performances of La bohème on tour and this season assisted Constantin Trinks on Barbe & Doucet’s die Zauberflöte with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in the main festival. Next season Clarke is delighted to be making her Glyndebourne production debut with Mariame Clément’s il turco in Italia in October 2024.
During her time at ENO Clarke conducted main stage performances of Calixto Bieito’s Carmen (2023) and Jamie Manton’s Cunning Little Vixen (2022), assisted on eight productions, and conducted several orchestral concerts and education projects. Clarke also jumped in at Cadogan Hall to conduct ENO Orchestra in concert with the National Opera Studio: ‘Among the rising stars at this showcase, none shone more brightly than the one who waved the baton’ (Opera Magazine).
Clarke has held Music Director titles with Norfolk Into Opera Festival, Sinfonie Orchester Steglitz in Berlin and the Kelvin Choir in Glasgow. She has guest conducted with Opéra de Rouen Normandie, IF Opera, Longborough Festival Opera and Sinfonia Viva.
A recipient of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst scholarship for her conducting studies, Olivia Clarke trained at the International Conducting Academy Berlin, Universität der Künste, graduating in 2020. Before moving to Berlin, Olivia Clarke completed her Masters in singing at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Clarke is an Associate of the Royal College of Organists and completed her Bachelors in Music with an Organ Scholarship at the Queen's College, University of Oxford.
June 2024
