Bath Festivals is delighted to announce the appointment of Alasdair Nicolson as Artistic Director of Bath International Music Festival.   He will succeed Joanna MacGregor, who delivers her seventh and final festival in 2012.

Alasdair will begin working with the Festival from February 2012, delivering his first programme in May 2013. He will be the Artistic Director for a minimum of three years. 

Alasdair is an acclaimed composer whose work has been presented and broadcast internationally, with commissions and premieres in recent years with the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Nash Ensemble and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

He is currently Artistic Director of the St Magnus International Festival in the Orkney Islands, and has led many other projects and festivals, including the Northlands Festival in Scotland and Sound Inventors, a national scheme for engaging young people with composition.

He has also worked in theatre, dance, opera and on the concert platform, as well as writing music for television and film.   His appointment follows in Bath International Music Festival’s long tradition of leadership by practising artists, bringing both a particular creative sensibility to the role, and a direct practical understanding of the needs and interests of musicians.

As a composer, Alasdair’s work ranges from large-scale orchestral pieces, to operas performed by local communities, to scores for theatre shows in London’s West End.   He has a passionate commitment to engaging new audiences, and to supporting younger musicians and composers.   Some of his recent projects include an opera in Gaelic for the community on the Isle of Skye, and a large-scale performance of Mozart’s requiem bringing musicians and singers together from all over Scotland.   He also leads the composition course for young professional composers at St Magnus International Festival.

Jane Drabble, Chair of Bath Festivals said “I am delighted to welcome Alasdair to Bath Festivals’ team of superb artistic directors.  He has exactly the skills and experience to build on Joanna MacGregor’s fantastic artistic achievements, as well as to grow the Music Festival’s engagement with our community.”

Alasdair Nicolson, said “I am excited to be joining the team of this wonderful festival and looking forward to starting programming. The city of Bath and its surrounding areas are so rich in history and architecture, and the Festival itself has a long tradition of music old and new. I can’t wait to get started bringing some of these things together as I begin to create the programme for my first festival in 2013.”

Alasdair’s first Bath International Music Festival will take place from 29 May to 9 June 2013, building on the Festival’s strong reputation for the excellence, diversity, innovation and inclusivity of its programme.

Source: Bath Festivals