Edward Gardner
Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic since October 2015, Edward Gardner has led the orchestra on multiple international tours, including performances in Berlin, Munich and Amsterdam and at the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival. Edward was recently appointed Principal Conductor Designate of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with his tenure commencing in September 2021.

In demand as a guest conductor, the previous two seasons saw Edward debut with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker and the Royal Opera House in a new production of Káťa Kabanová (praised as a ‘magnificent interpretation’ by The Guardian); while returns included engagements with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Philharmonia Orchestra and Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano. In April 2019, he conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lincoln Center in New York.

The 2019/20 season sees Edward appear at the Royal Opera House — for a revival of Benoît Jacquot’s production of Werther — and Metropolitan Opera for performances of Le damnation de Faust. In London he conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in four concerts across the season and brings the Bergen Philharmonic to the Royal Festival Hall with their acclaimed Peter Grimes. He finishes the season by taking the Bergen Philharmonic on their first ever tour to China. Guest conducting highlights include performances with the San Francisco Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

Music Director of English National Opera for ten years (2006-15), Edward has an ongoing relationship with New York’s Metropolitan Opera where he has conducted productions of Carmen, Don Giovanni, Der Rosenkavalier and Werther. Elsewhere, he has conducted at La Scala, Chicago Lyric Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Opéra National de Paris.