David Parry
Conductor
David Parry is acknowledged as an inspirational champion of operatic, concert and symphonic repertoire across a vast range. He is known both for the re-appraisal of important lesser-known compositions and for a consistently fresh approach to established repertoire.
Highlights from the last two seasons include Hänsel und Gretel for Scottish Opera, La cenerentola at the Grange Festival, La bohème at the Nederlandse Reisopera, Die Fledermaus at The Royal Northern College of Music, Dido and Aeneus at National Theater Mannheim and Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoe at the West Green House Opera.
Other recent operatic appearances include Pirates of Penzance for ENO, La traviata, Carmen and La scala di seta for Scottish Opera, Maometto Secondo (also recorded on Avie), L’italiana in Algeri and Il turco in Italia for Garsington, L’oca del Caïro with the London Mozart Players, a new production of Tales of Hoffman in Wuppertal, Mose in Egitto at Oper Köln, Mansfield Park and Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Grange Festival and at Theater Basel, Tosca with Nederlandse Reisopera, and the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Marx in London at Theater Bonn.
Significant credits include the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio for Opera North (and in a separate production for Staatstheater Stuttgart), Der Fliegende Holländer for Portland Opera, Madama Butterfly in Anthony Minghella’s production for ENO which earned him an Olivier Award, Cosí fan tutte and the world premiere of Dove’s Flight for Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Maria Stuarda for Stockholm Royal Opera.
David Parry made his operatic debut with La Cenerentola for English Music Theatre and subsequently joined the conducting staff first at Dortmund then at Opera North. He was Music Director of Opera 80, and founding Music Director of Almeida Opera, with whom he gave the world premieres of works by Nigel Osborne, Kevin Volans, Elena Firsova, and Param Vir. Other significant world-premieres have included Stephen Oliver's Mario and the Magician at the Batignano Festival, and Jonathan Dove’s Tobias and the Angel in 2006 and his oratorio There was a Child at the 2009 Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
In the UK he has conducted frequently at both ENO and Opera North in repertoire ranging through Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Britten, and at Garsington Opera where he is particularly noted for his Rossini.
International successes include the Spanish premieres of Peter Grimes and The Rake’s Progress, and Jenůfa, all in Madrid, the Greek premiere of Nixon in China at the National Theatre of Greece, the Dutch premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Flight at the Nationale Reisopera, a new production of Petrushka for Geneva Opera, Lucia di Lammermoor for Opera Murcia, Madama Butterfly at the Perth Festival in Australia, Die Zauberflöte at Oper Köln and Don Giovanni at Staatstheater Hannover. He has appeared at the Oviedo Festival and Quincena Musical San Sebastian in Spain, at the Hong Kong International Festival, New Zealand International Festival, New Israeli Opera and Theater Basel. He enjoys a close association with Staatstheater Stuttgart, where, in addition to The Adventures of Pinocchio, he has conducted Don Giovanni, Le Comte Ory, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Turandot.
Much in demand from ensembles both in the UK and further afield, David Parry is regularly at the helm of orchestras including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, English Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Hallé, BBC Symphony and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
He has an extensive discography with Chandos and Opera Rara labels. His recording of Rossini’s Ermione won a Gramophone Award for best opera recording 2011.
Future engagements include the UK premiere of Marx in London! with Scottish Opera, Lucrezia Borgia in Mannheim as well as an opera gala concert with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Philzuid
South Netherlands Philharmonic
The South Netherlands Philharmonic (Philzuid) the symphony orchestra of the southern Dutch provinces of Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg. The orchestra is based in Maastricht.
Philzuid is an ambitious and flexible symphony orchestra, lauded for its high quality, close cooperation, and appealing enthusiasm. The passionate musicians deliver custom work on the highest, artistic level under the driven baton of chief-conductor Duncan Ward. In season 2024, the orchestra is full of confidence, as one of the cultural jewels of South-Netherlands society.
The orchestra performs the complete and varied symphonic literature and takes a stand for innovation with adventurous cross-over programmes like i-Classics and bridging the divide with the world of business during Leading the South. In addition, the South Netherlands Philharmonic is the symphonic laboratory of the Maastricht Centre for the Innovation of Classical Music (MCICM).
Education is an integral component of the orchestra. Children of all ages can come and experience the power and magic of live music up close.
Markus Zugehör
Pianist
After studying in Leipzig and at the CNSM de Paris, specializing in French horn, piano, and accompaniment, Markus Zugehör embarked on a distinguished career in music. He performed extensively as a Lieder accompanist and chamber musician across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.
From 2000 to 2006, Markus served as a musical assistant at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, working with renowned conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Herbert Blomstedt, Peter Eötvös, Philippe Herreweghe, and Kurt Masur. During this time, he was also the pianist for the Gewandhaus Chamber Choir under Morten Schuldt-Jensen.
Between 1999 and 2013, Markus taught at various German universities (HMT Leipzig, University of Halle/Saale, UdK Berlin), focusing on song interpretation and accompaniment. He collaborated with the Neuköllner Oper on productions including "Schöne Müllerin," "Ihre Bohème," the Berlin Opera Prize, and "Platèe."
Since 2012, Markus served as a vocal coach for "Umculo" in Cape Town. His exploration of various approaches to bodywork and its integration into musical practice began intensively in 2009, including training in craniosacral therapy, Continuum Movement, Focusing, and systemic family constellations.
Markus Zugehör's collaborations have included regular work with the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition Leipzig, the Neue Stimmen singing competition in Gütersloh, and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival. He has also been involved in radio broadcasts and CD productions with Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Talanton Records, MDG, and Wergo/Bayerischer Rundfunk, including the CD "Echowand" with soprano Johanna Krumin, released in May 2015.
Since 2016, Markus has been a pianist at the Opera Studio of the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden. In 2023, he opened his own practice in Berlin-Mariendorf, specializing in craniosacral bodywork, Focusing, and sound healing. This journey reflects a deep commitment to both the performance and teaching of music, as well as the healing arts, showcasing a versatile and enriching career.
Fran Hills
Pianist
Fran Hills studied music at Birmingham Conservatoire and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Now a freelance repetiteur she works for many companies including Copenhagen Opera House, Garsington Opera, Glyndebourne Opera, Opera North, Opera Holland Park, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera and English Touring Opera. She played for 3 years at Bregenz Festival where she was repetiteur for the operas on the lake and orchestral pianist.
She has coached at the Royal College of Music, Morley College and British Youth Opera where concert venues have included The Clink restaurant in Brixton prison, Tate Modern and the London Transport Museum where she played the accordion.
Fran played for Pimlico Opera productions of West Side Story and Guys and Dolls in Wandsworth Prison and has also worked as musical advisor on the plays Quartet and Masterclass in the West End.
Ian Tindale
Pianist
British pianist Ian Tindale is increasingly in demand in song and chamber music and has performed across London, the UK and Europe. Recent engagements have included song recitals at the Oxford Lieder Festival, Buxton Festival and Ryedale Festival, and he frequently collaborates with artists such as Soraya Mafi, James Newby, Anna Harvey, Josep-Ramon Olivé and Rowan Pierce.
Ian read Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, and continued his studies at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London with Simon Lepper, John Blakely and Roger Vignoles; he graduated with distinction in 2013. In 2017 Ian was awarded the Pianist’s Prize in the Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation Song Competition following performances with duo partner soprano Harriet Burns. Ian has also won accompaniment prizes at the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, Royal Overseas League Music Competition, Gerald Moore Award and Maggie Teyte Competition. Ian has worked with established artists Ailish Tynan, Christopher Purves, Susan Bullock and Nicky Spence and performed in masterclasses with Graham Johnson, Malcolm Martineau, Sarah Connolly, Gerald Finley, Thomas Allen, John Tomlinson, Felicity Lott, Brigitte Fassbaender, Elly Ameling and Olaf Bär. Ian was a soloist for a royal audience at Buckingham Palace as part of the Royal Music Day for Schools, and he has performed at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris and for visits to the RCM of the First Lady of China and RCM President HRH the Prince of Wales. In both 2016 and 2017 Ian performed at the Wigmore Hall Samling Showcase after being selected as a Samling Artist in 2014, and he continues to work as a pianist and coach for Samling Academy. Ian is also a Britten Pears Young Artist.
In 2018, Ian gave the world premiere of Daniel Kidane’s Songs of Illumination at the Leeds Lieder Festival with tenor Nick Pritchard. They gave the work its second performance in June 2019 in Harrogate, alongside song cycles by Finzi and Schumann. Ian returned to Leeds with Laurence Kilsby in 2021 to present a programme of Schubert, Schoenberg and Wolf. Ian has formed a fruitful collaborative partnership with soprano Harriet Burns: following performances with Harriet in the 2019 International Vocal Competition in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, they were both awarded the prize for the Contemporary Set Work, Oh che tranquillo mar by Sylvia Maessen. Together, they have also appeared at the International Lied Festival Zeist and at the Ryedale Festival, where they collaborated with the Albion Quartet and flautist Adam Walker. Ian and Harriet most recently presented a programme of Schubert and Wolf as 'Emerging Artists' at the Oxford Lieder Festival 2020. January 2024 sees the release of Harriet and Ian's debut album of Schubert Lieder, ‘Love’s Lasting Power’, with Delphian.
Other previous highlights for Ian include a recital tour throughout Europe with baritone and ECHO Rising Star Josep-Ramon Olivé in venues including Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, and Palau de la Música, Barcelona; a recital at the Wigmore Hall with soprano Soraya Mafi as part of their 'Relaxed Concerts' series; and a programme of songs on the topic of the natural world with baritone and BBC New Generation Artist James Newby for Lewes Festival of Song.
Recent highlights include Britten, Tippett and Shostakovich songs for English Touring Opera; the 25th anniversary Samling Artist Showcase at Wigmore Hall; and a recital tour of the Netherlands with Harriet Burns. Recent recording projects include a sequence of song recitals video-recorded in lockdown with singers such as Robin Tritschler and Julien van Mellaerts, and the first in a planned series of recordings with Ensemble Kopernikus exploring the chamber music of Percy Hilder Miles for MPR.
Highlights in the 2023-4 season include recitals for BBC Radio 3 in the Hay Festival with Soraya Mafi and with Nick Pritchard at the Edinburgh International Festival, and at the Wigmore Hall for the annual Samling Showcase.
Ian is also Artistic Director of Shipston Song, an annual song festival on the edge of the Cotswolds which he founded in 2022, and performers have included Roderick Williams, Helen Charlston, Jess Dandy, Julien van Mellaerts and Laurence Kilsby.