Thomas Blunt

Thomas Blunt has established an international reputation as a conductor of opera, symphonic and choral repertoire, appearing in major theatres and concert halls across Europe, South America and Australasia. Particularly acclaimed for his work with voices, his conducting has been praised for its dramatic instinct, stylistic assurance and energetic musical direction. Reviewing his work with Glyndebourne Tour, The Times described him as “a fine conductor”, while Opera Magazine noted his ability to shape performances “like a true Verdi veteran”, and Classical Source praised his “intuitive sense of the drama”.

He is Principal Conductor of the Coro da Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP), one of Latin America’s leading musical institutions. He studied at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Music in London and was the first British conductor selected for the Allianz International Conductors’ Academy, where he worked with both the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra.

Thomas began his career at Glyndebourne as Chorus Master, where his close collaboration with Vladimir Jurowski led to his appointment as Assistant Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He has subsequently conducted the orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Sala São Paulo, including several UK premieres.

Opera remains central to his work. He has conducted critically acclaimed productions for Glyndebourne Tour, Longborough Festival Opera, IF Opera and Bern Opera House, and has appeared with companies including Royal Danish Opera, Welsh National Opera, Opéra national du Rhin and the Royal Opera House. His repertoire includes Falstaff, L’elisir d’amore, Rigoletto, La cenerentola, Don Giovanni, La traviata, Madama Butterfly, Idomeneo, Jephtha, Die Zauberflöte, Ariadne auf Naxos and Lohengrin.

His Swiss debut conducting Ariadne auf Naxos at Konzert Theater Bern led to his appointment as First Kapellmeister, where he subsequently conducted a celebrated new production of Die Zauberflöte and performances of La cenerentola, later returning as guest conductor for Lohengrin.

Alongside his operatic work, Thomas has developed a reputation for imaginative programming and championing rarely performed repertoire through acclaimed collaborations with Bampton Classical Opera and Chroma.

Concert engagements include the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the St Endellion Festival. Recent and forthcoming projects with OSESP include Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, world premieres and a recording of works by Aylton Escobar. This year he will make his debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Buenos Aires at the Teatro Colón.

He studied at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Music and went on to assist conductors including Maurizio Benini, Iván Fischer, Edward Gardner, Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Jurowski, Lothar Koenigs and Enrique Mazzola.