In Summer 2022 he conducted both the Finnish Radio Symphony and the Aurora Orchestra at the BBC Proms - the latter for their 13th visit, continuing their hugely popular memorized performances. Collon’s plans in Helsinki in 22/23 include a focus on Rachmaninov, a residency with composer Brett Dean, as well as repertoire ranging from JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion to Mahler and Messiaen. He also leads the Aurora Orchestra in their residencies at Kings Place and at the Southbank, where they have reinvented the concert format with their ‘Orchestral Theatre’ Series. Together they appear regularly at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Cologne Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and festivals such as Bremen, Rheingau and Gstaad.
Collon makes his Vienna debut this season, leading the RSO Wien in Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius at the Wiener Konzerthaus, and gives the world premiere of Dean’s Evolution Cantata with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Hallé and CBSO choruses. Having conducted the Minnesota Orchestra for the first time in 2022, he returns to the USA this season for his debut with the New World Symphony.
Collon has conducted over 250 new works, including the UK or world premieres of works by Unsuk Chin, Brett Dean, Phillip Glass, Colin Matthews, Anna Meredith, Nico Muhly, Olivier Messiaen, Krzysztof Penderecki, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Judith Weir, and Du Yun. He is a regular guest of the Orchestre National de France, Danish National Symphony, Bamberg Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic orchestras, and has also conducted the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, DSO Berlin, Philharmonia, London Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra of Europe amongst many others.
His first CD release with the Finnish Radio Symphony in Spring 2022 (Sibelius on Ondine) received 5-star reviews in Finland and internationally; in Autumn 2022 they released a CD of works by Thomas Adès which won a Diapason d'Or. Past recordings have included discs for Deutsche Grammophon and Warner with the Aurora Orchestra, with whom he won the Echo Klassik Award for ‘Klassik Ohne Grenzen’ in 2015; and discs with the Danish Radio Symphony, Philharmonia and Hallé orchestras.
Opera productions have included Peter Grimes and Don Giovanni for Oper Koeln, Magic Flute at English National Opera, Jonathan Harvey’s Wagner Dream at Welsh National Opera, Rape of Lucretia for Glyndebourne Touring Opera, and Turn of the Screw at the Aldeburgh Festival with Aurora Orchestra. Born in London, Nicholas is a violist, pianist and organist by training, and studied as Organ Scholar at Clare College, Cambridge.
2022/23 season / 479 words. Not to be altered without permission.