Ivor Bolton


Ivor Bolton is an English conductor and harpsichordist.

Early life and education

Bolton was born in Blackrod, England. He studied at Clare College, Cambridge and was conducting scholar at the Royal College of Music. He later trained as a répétiteur at the National Opera Studio and was appointed conductor of Schola Cantorum of Oxford.

Career

Bolton was Assistant Chorus Master and staff conductor from 1982–84 for Glyndebourne Festival Opera. He made his operatic conducting debut in 1986 with Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress for Opera 80. He later became music director of Glyndebourne Touring Opera from 1992–97. He was principal conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from 1994–96. He has also held leadership positions with the St James's Baroque Players in London and the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music. Other work with period ensembles has included collaboration with the Dresdner Festspielorchester, which began in 2012.
From 2004–16, Bolton was Chief Conductor of the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, with which he appeared at The Proms in 2006. He now has the title of Ehrendirigent with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, as of the 2016–17 season. In February 2014, the Teatro Real named Bolton its next music director, effective with the 2015–16 season, with an initial contract of five years. In June 2015, the Sinfonieorchester Basel announced the appointment of Bolton as its next chief conductor, as of the 2016–17 season, with an initial contract of 4 years. In March 2018, the orchestra announced the extension of Bolton's contract through the 2024–25 season.
With the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Bolton has made commercial recordings of music by W. A. Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Michael Haydn, Hector Berlioz, and Anton Bruckner. In addition, he has conducted commercial recordings of Handel's Theodora from the Salzburg Festival, Mayr's Medea in Corinto from Munich, Janáček's Jenůfa from the Teatro Real Madrid, Cavalli's Ercole amante from the Netherlands Opera, and Mozart's Zaide and La finta giardiniera from Salzburg.

Personal life

Bolton is married to the musicologist, critic, and broadcaster Tess Knighton. The couple have a son, and reside in Barcelona.