Philip Hesketh

Philip Hesketh became Musical Director of the West London
Sinfonia in 1991, since when the orchestra has achieved and
maintained a status as one of London's leading amateur
groups. Philip is also Musical Director of the London Children's
Ballet, the Richmond Orchestra, Opera de Bauge,
and makes regular guest appearancess in Britain and
abroad. He has a vast knowledge of the repertoire and
gives concerts with many orchestra including the
Belgrade Philharmonic, the National Philharmonic of
Moldova, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano,
the Orchestra of the Wiener Volksoper and Wiener
Residenz Orchester in Vienna, and the Olsztyn State
Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland.

In 2001 Philip made his debut at the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden, replacing the great Russian
conductor Evgenii Svetlanov in the Royal Ballet’s season of
the Nutcracker. Further invitations followed, in
particular to the Royal Swedish Ballet to conduct their
revival of Onegin.

Philip has a talent for accompanying dance that is
considered rare amongst conductors, and he has worked very
successfully with choreographers and dancers including Sir
Anthony Dowell, Sir Peter Wright, Wayne Sleep Harold King
and Cathy Marston. Recently, as well as further work with
the Royal Ballet, he collaborated with Irek Mukhammedov on
a new ballet of The Prince and the Pauper for the London
Children’s Ballet.

In 2004 Philip conducted a production of Flotow's Martha
for the festival Opera de Bauge. This was followed
in 2005 by Handel's Rodelinde and Dibdin's The Widow of
Ephasus, and it was as a result of these that he was
invited to be Musical Director of the festival from
the 2005 season. Since then he has conducted Don
Giovanni, Carmen, Idomeneo, Eugene Onegin, and A
Midsummer Night's Dream The forthcoming season will see
him performing Rigoletto, Fidelio, and La Boheme.

Philip's Website