Brad Cohen is now recognised as a leading interpreter of the bel canto repertoire, conducting the operas of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini internationally and on disc. His artistic activities, however, go far beyond this special interest - from making contemporary opera for television in collaboration with the composer Jonathan Dove, to an active and innovative symphonic conducting career, to touring the chamber works of Frank Zappa, to an active role as an editor and publisher of Urtext operatic editions.
He first came to public attention when, a year after winning the 1994 Leeds Conductor's Competition, he conducted the world premiere of Thomas Adès' Powder her Face. Since that auspicious beginning he has conducted a wide ranging repertoire at English National Opera, Opera Australia, Opera North, and opera companies including Luzern, Nantes/Angers, and the Nederlands Reisopera, and at festivals including Hong Kong, Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Adelaide, Rossini in Wildbad, and Porto.
Brad has conducted orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Het Gelders Orkest, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the City of London Sinfonia.
2007-8 engagements include Brad's debut disc for Chandos, a highlights recording of his own critical edition of Les Pêcheurs de perles, with Simon Keenlyside, Barry Banks, Rebecca Evans, and the LPO. He recently returned to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria, as well as to Opera Australia for La Cenerentola at the Sydney Opera House. He was appointed musical director of the DIFC anniversary festivities in Dubai, to which he will return in 2008.
Future engagements include Brad's second disc for Chandos - highlights of Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri with Jennifer Larmore and the Philharmonia. He makes his Swedish opera debut with La bohème, returns to Opera Holland Park for a new production of Il trovatore, and in 2009 to Opera Australia. In London, he reunites with Nelly Miricioiu and the Chelsea Opera Group for a South Bank concert performance of Verdi's Macbeth. In addition, he will appear in a major new television series for BBC2.
His first CDs, Maometto secondo (recorded live at the 2002 Rossini in Wildbad Festival) and Mosca's L'italiana in Algeri, were released in 2004, and in May 2007 Naxos released his Wildbad recording of Le Comte Ory.
As an important complement to his performing career, Brad has become an accomplished operatic editor, and, since his first critical edition of Les Pêcheurs de perles was published worldwide by Peters Edition in 2002, he has completed and published editions of Maometto secondo, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Norma.
July 2008