Neil Metcalfe grew up in Leeds where his early musical experiences were as a multi-instrumentalist (piano, organ, double bass/bass guitar, clarinet, French horn), and as a chorister. These formative years inspired him to pursue further studies in music, firstly reading music at Edinburgh University (Organ Scholar, Greyfriars Kirk), followed by post-graduate studies as a répétiteur, vocal coach & conductor (Opera School, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), and as a composer & orchestrator for film & television (Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA).

Following a first professional appointment as a répétiteur at Scottish Opera, Neil has enjoyed a varied 40-year career as a trusted collaborator across a number of sectors in the industry embracing opera, musical theatre, baroque music, pop/rock, and choral music, working as a vocal coach, pianist, accompanist, composer, arranger, conductor/musical director and session musician in the UK and in the USA, Australia, Malaysia, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland.

As a keen supporter of young people in music, Neil has also held posts in the education sector; as Director of Music in a number of schools (latterly at Strathallan School, Perthshire), as Head of Music at The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film & Television, and as a Lecturer in Performance and Staff Accompanist at The Music Box, Edinburgh College. He is also closely associated with the work of Edinburgh Young Musicians, the Scottish Schools Orchestra Trust, is a mentor on the University of St Andrews/Byre Theatre collaboration, and has worked for the National Youth Choirs of Scotland.

Recent credits include a residency in New York (Signature Theatre, 42nd Street), as Musical Director and co-arranger/orchestrator of Robin Hiley and Becky Hope-Palmer’s musical “Lifeline” (available on all streaming platforms), musical direction of “The Lightning Thief” (Chichester Conservatoire/New Theatre, Portsmouth), and collaborations with the Northern Film Orchestra (UK) and The Military Wives Choir.

Current projects include collaborations (as Musical Director) with British writers Marc Folan & Paul Mari on their musical “Something In The Water” (Chichester Conservatoire and The Old Operating Theatre, London), and (as Orchestrator) with New York-based composer Carmel Owen on her musical “A Mirrored Monet” (Charing Cross Theatre, London), and (as continuing Musical Director/co-arranger/orchestrator) of “Lifeline” (Southwark Playhouse).

Neil is represented by Infinity Artists.

Monty is a versatile young conductor with a growing reputation for dynamic performances across a wide range of musical genres. Since beginning his PhD at the University of Edinburgh in September, he has worked closely with Will Conway as the assistant conductor of the EUMS Symphony Orchestra, with which he has also been involved as a player.

Monty previously studied at Durham University, where he conducted the main university symphony orchestra for three consecutive years in over 20 concerts, including performances in Newcastle’s Glasshouse, Durham Cathedral, and Durham’s Gala Theatre, amongst other venues. He was also given the opportunity to musically direct and conduct a number of performances of Don Giovanni with the Durham Opera Ensemble, as well as three of Durham University Light Opera Group’s musical theatre productions. Additionally, he took up the position of associate conductor with the Durham University Choral Society, allowing him to work closely with John Forsyth MBE and to conduct the choir on tour in Poland. The groups Monty worked with during his time at Durham all came together for his final concert, where he conducted Beethoven’s Ninth to a sold-out Durham Cathedral with a seven-minute standing ovation at the climax of the final movement – a memory which he treasures.

When Monty is not conducting or playing music, he is usually playing football or studying maths. Whilst at Durham, Monty received prizes for coming top of his cohort in physics in his first year and in maths in his second, third, and fourth years, winning the Margaret Millington Prize for highest overall exam results as well as the highest dissertation mark. This allowed him to win a funded mathematics PhD at the University of Edinburgh, where he currently works under Dr. Dimitra Kosta in the field of algebraic statistics. In the future, he hopes to either take conducting on in a professional capacity or continue further into academia – preferably both!

William Conway is an internationally renowned conductor, whose performances have been described as ‘astonishingly convincing’ (Opera magazine), ‘a tour de force’ (The Guardian), and showing ‘a flair for the unpredictable’ (Financial Times). On the podium, he is known for his conviction, clarity and intelligent musicianship, while his collaborations with Hebrides Ensemble, of which he is Artistic Director and a founding member, have been praised for their fresh and inspirational approach to programming. His dedication to developing contemporary music has been recognised by an award from the Scottish Society of Composers for an outstanding contribution to new music.

Born in Glasgow, Conway studied cello in Scotland and London before returning home to take the position of Principal Cello with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for ten years, a role he combined with his continuing post as Principal Cello with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, of which he is a founder member. He will appear at a series of international festivals with Hebrides Ensemble in the coming season and has recently filmed a solo recital, available to watch at www.hebridesensemble.com.

As a conductor, he studied in Helsinki with Jukka-Pekka Saraste and was a finalist and prizewinner in the 1994 Leeds Conductors’ Competition. Since then, he has established himself as a versatile conductor in chamber, symphonic and operatic repertoire, working with a host of major orchestras both at home and abroad. He continues to expand his extensive opera repertoire; over recent seasons he has conducted Mozart’s Figaro and Magic Flute, Verdi’s Otello, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Puccini’s Tosca, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, and Bellini’s Norma, as well as making a guest appearance with Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. He made his conducting debut at the 2018 BBC Proms in a staged performance of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale and, in spring 2021, conducted a filmed performance of Pärt’s Passio with Hebrides Ensemble and Dunedin Consort, Britten’s Our Hunting Fathers at Aldeburgh Festival, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at Lammermuir Festival.

He is Music Director of Edinburgh Studio Opera and Artistic Director of St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh. He works extensively with young musicians and enjoys a long-standing relationship with the orchestras and singers at the University of Edinburgh in particular. He also teaches conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 3 and has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Linn Records, Unicorn-Kanchana, NMC and most recently Delphian Records in a series of highly acclaimed recordings of the music of Judith Weir and Nigel Osborne. His recordings on the same label of music by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Sir James MacMillan reached no. 3 and no. 1 respectively in the classical music charts.

www.william-conway.com